Columbus State crowdfunding campaign helps raise nearly $300K
A new method of fundraising for Columbus State University has helped generate nearly $300,000 in donations through crowdfunding, CSU announced Thursday.
On the crowdfunding website Give Campus, CSU collected $198,080 Nov. 9-12 during a 58-hour online drive to symbolize the institution’s founding year, 1958. The drive met 52 percent of its 1,958-donor goal with 1,020 donors. But combined with donations before and after the drive, the crowdfunding effort called CSU GIVES has helped raise more than a quarter of a million dollars for the university’s $105 million First Choice comprehensive campaign, which has attracted $100.9 million as of Thursday, according to its website, since its quiet phase in 2014 and its formal launch in March 2015.
CSU GIVES was the largest concentrated online fundraising campaign in Columbus State’s history, the university said in its news release. No wonder officials plan to do it again, this time during homecoming week, Oct. 16-21.
“The purpose of this campaign was to encourage and engage friends, alumni and the community in a way that was more meaningful, within a time frame that was significant to CSU, and on a public platform that was more interactive,” Ashley Lee, the university’s development coordinator, said in the news release.
The donations benefit the CSU Fund, which supports the university’s institutional priorities and college-based programs, including student scholarships, academic programs, community outreach, student and faculty development, and opportunities for distinction. Donors may designate their gifts for specific programs or purposes.
“Donors give because they believe in the people at CSU,” Lee said. “They believe in our mission, and they believe in the opportunities afforded to students that are only available at CSU. It’s not just another transaction. These donations are transformative.”
To donate to CSU’s First Choice campaign, visit firstchoicecampaign.columbusstate.edu.
Mark Rice: 706-576-6272, @markricele
This story was originally published March 30, 2017 at 6:09 PM with the headline "Columbus State crowdfunding campaign helps raise nearly $300K."