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Events

  • Fundraising events could include:
  • Auctions or silent auctions
  • Charity dinners
  • Social/Community events which charge an entry fee or ask for donations upon entry
  • Get creative! There’s lots of possibilities.
  • Talk to local businesses and ask for donations or sponsorships.
  • Even if they can’t give money, they might be able to provide goods or services.
  • Example: They could give you items to use in a fundraising auction or provide a venue and/or meal for a fundraising event.

Online Crowdfunding

  • Crowdfunding is when money is raised from many different donors, usually using an online platform.
  • Example: The Science Museum (UK) raised over 50,000 pounds (approx. $85, 999 CAD) from 861 donors through Kickstarter to restore Eric, one of the world’s first robots.
  • Crowdfunding usually involves developing and posting a proposal, setting a funding goal, promoting your campaign and, depending on the platform used, may involve preparing rewards for donors.
  • Below is basic information about two popular online crowdfunding platforms.

Kickstarter 

  • You must reach your project’s funding goal within your chosen timeframe (between one to sixty days) or any money donated will return to the donors.
  • You must offer rewards to your donors, including different types of rewards for different amounts of money donated.
  • Example: prints, postcards, invitation to an exclusive event, the donor gets their name on a section of your website, etc.
  • Kickstarter takes a 5% fee from successfully funded projects.
  • For more information see the Kickstarter Creator Resources

GoFundMe

  • You keep any money you’ve raised regardless of whether or not you reach your funding goal.
  • You do not need to offer rewards to donors.
  • There are no fundraising deadlines or time limits.
  • GoFundMe takes a transaction fee of 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction.