Your Guide To Crowdfunding For College

Getting accepted to your dream college is no small feat and definitely worth some big celebrations! But once you’ve basked in your success and commemorated the end of your school years, it might be time to turn your attention to another very important matter: college fees.

If you know that you will need some support to see you through the college years, then you’ve come to the right place. A college tuition is something that should be available to everyone, regardless of financial situation. And with a bit of forward thinking and some well timed crowdfunding for college, you could find yourself well set up for the future.

Crowdfunding to pay for college is not uncommon. In fact, there are many platforms specifically designed to help students know how to raise funds for college tuition. This blog contains a full rundown of the best ideas for crowdfunding for college, the pros and cons of crowdfunding campaigns, and some handy resources to get you started!

So let’s get going – your education awaits you…

Crowdfunding for education

In general crowdfunding is a means of fundraising where friends, family, and individuals donate to support a cause, normally via an online donation site. Crowdfunding for college adopts the same process – you ask for the financial support of your friends, family, and peers, to help you raise the funds for your college tuition.

Photo by Karolina Grabowska on Pexels.

Why crowdfunding? 

Education has long been a successful crowdfunding cause adopted by many charities. An education is a very worthy cause to support, and those in your close community are often excited and willing to help you achieve your academic goals.

How do I start crowdfunding for college tuition?

Setting up a page to start crowdfunding to pay for college is a very easy process, thanks to all the available resources you can use. Some of the most popular sites include:

• GoFundMe
• JustGiving
• CrowdFunder

These sites allow you to open a page for donations that includes a brief summary of who you are and what you’re raising for, and all the necessary details of how people can support your cause.

When crowdfunding for college education, or even just crowdfunding in general, the most important thing is to be really clear on WHAT you’re raising for. Your supporters want to know exactly how their giving will help and what it will be used for. Be clear on your goals and what the outcome will be of raising funds.

Top tips for how to raise money for college

To organize a successful crowdfunding for college campaign, make sure to do the following:

• Be personable: include some information about yourself and your dream college so that donors get to know your story more.
• Be specific: set a target fundraising goal. This can be a great way to keep track of your fundraising personally as well as encouraging more people to donate as you get closer to meeting your target!
• Be realistic: set a goal that you are likely to reach.
• Publicize and spread the word: spread the word that you’re crowdfunding to pay for college across social media and throughout your community. Share your page on Facebook or Instagram, and even email friends and family with the link. 
• Say ‘Thank you’: make sure to regularly thank everyone who has donated so far to show your gratitude and to update people on the status of your crowdfunding campaign!

For tips on How to Raise Awareness for a Cause, check out this blog!

Is crowdfunding worth it?

An important question…how can you guarantee that your crowdfunding for college efforts will actually pay off? (Pardon the pun).

A crowdfunding campaign can have many, many benefits. Of course, there is the obvious monetary impact of raising the funds for your college tuition, but there are so many other positive outcomes that a crowdfunding for college campaign can bring. 

Any fundraising project is a fun and rewarding experience, and something everyone should do at some point in their lives. When it comes to crowdfunding for education, perhaps the best part of running a fundraising campaign is the sense of achievement and support you will get from having worked to raise the funds to help get you there.

Photo by Liza Summer on Pexels.

The pros + cons of crowdfunding for college

Here are some of the main pros and cons of crowdfunding for college:

Pros of crowdfunding for college

• Raise funds for college: an obvious one, but the most important!
• A rewarding experience: creating a crowdfunding campaign, seeing it through to completion, and knowing that you got to college all on your own hard work is a great feeling and very rewarding!
• Connect with new people: crowdfunding for college can be an opportunity to connect with new people, whether that be other students in a similar position or those who support your fundraising. 
• Learn new skills: putting together a crowdfunding campaign involves learning how to use online fundraising sites, raise awareness, and even some marketing
• Involve your friends and family: for many of your close friends and family, supporting your crowdfunding for college tuition is a means of continuing to show their love and friendship! 

Cons of crowdfunding for college

• You might not reach the goal: it’s possible that your college crowdfunding efforts may not be as successful as you hoped. But hey, any small contribution will get you one step closer to Campus! 
• Pressure to perform well: if your college tuition ends up being mostly funded by donation, you may feel a pressure to do really well to prove that their support was worthwhile. While a little pressure is certainly good to encourage you to work hard, don’t worry too much! 

Other ways to raise money for college

Crowdfunding for college is not the only way to raise the funds to see you through education. If you’re looking for more ideas for how to raise money for college then these fundraiser events could be great options!

Photo by Vantha Thang on Pexels.

Complete a sponsored challenge

Sports activities and challenges are a popular way to fundraise. Challenge yourself to a sports event, such as a hike or marathon, and ask friends and family to sponsor you. You can set up a donation page similar to crowdfunding and share it across your community.

Restaurant Fundraiser 

A restaurant fundraiser is a fun, easy, and always a successful way to raise funds. Choose from one of your favourite local restaurants giving back and set the day for your event. A percentage of all sales from any order made with your code will be donated back to your cause, so get all your friends, family, neighbours, team members, and anyone else who’s around, to dine out and support your fundraising!

Yard Sale

If you’re heading off to college soon, then a Yard Sale is the perfect opportunity to clear out some old stuff and raise funds for your tuition too! Get the whole family involved and set up on your front lawn or street to sell items that are still in great condition for a reasonable donation.  

For more great fundraising ideas, explore the GroupRaise blog!

College here we come!

So now you should know exactly how to raise money for college and start your crowdfunding campaign! Crowdfunding for college education can be an incredibly rewarding and fun activity. You’ll be surprised by how many of your close friends and family are keen to help you out and see you off to college.

And perhaps after you’ve raised a decent percentage of your goal amount, you can invite all your supporters for a restaurant fundraiser to celebrate your success and build up those funds a little more!

Don’t forget to take a look round the GroupRaise blog for more fundraising tips and tricks and some success stories of others who have hosted successful fundraiser campaigns.