PAWprint Crowdfunding
The PAWprint program enables students, faculty and staff to harness the power of crowdfunding on campus. This program prepares student organizations and members of the faculty and staff with the training, tools and support needed to put on a successful fundraising campaign.
The basics of PAWprint
Fundraising isn’t easy, but we help make crowdfunding simple. Our program is powered by the GiveCampus platform, and includes assistance from professional staff within the UNI Foundation's Office of Annual Giving and the Alumni Association.
PAWprint will train and coach student organizations and members of the faculty and staff to raise money by reaching out to their personal networks — friends, family, colleagues and other contacts — and invite them to get involved by making a contribution.
A PAWprint campaign is “live” for 30 days, but requires about 3 months of commitment from start to finish.
80% of donors who contribute to crowdfunding projects are new donors to the university.
Because the UNI Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, donations made through our platform qualify as tax-deductible contributions to the extent allowed by law. We take care of all the gift receipting for your donors and all related paperwork required.
95% of all funds your campaign raises will be designated directly to your account, even if you don’t reach your goal. The remaining 5 percent goes to the UNI Foundation as compensation for processing and filing. There are no additional program costs or fees.
PAWprint Campaign Timeline
4-6 weeks prior to launch
- Set up weekly meetings with the development office.
- Build a team and delegate duties.
- Gather marketing materials (videos, photos, written content, postcard, social media, etc.).
- Forming contacts and lists for outreach — the development office will pull a list of alumni that may be supportive of your project. It is encouraged that your department create its own list to increase chances of success.
30-45 days of fundraising
- Share the fundraising link through social media, email, postcards, etc. (your team will push participation on their social media and your department affiliated social media accounts).
- Utilize a calendar to stay on track and have reoccurring engagement.
- Thank donors and continue to post project updates (donor lists can be provided from development staff for this activity).
- Implement and share stretch goal information if original goal is met.
- Steward donors who have given that you haven't already thanked.
- Share the final updates with donors and on social media.
4-6 weeks prior to launch
- Set up weekly meetings with the development office.
- Build a team and delegate duties.
- Gather marketing materials (videos, photos, written content, postcard, social media, etc.).
- Forming contacts and lists for outreach — the development office will pull a list of alumni that may be supportive of your project. It is encouraged that your department create its own list to increase chances of success.
30-45 days of fundraising
- Share the fundraising link through social media, email, postcards, etc. (your team will push participation on their social media and your department affiliated social media accounts).
- Utilize a calendar to stay on track and have reoccurring engagement.
- Thank donors and continue to post project updates (donor lists can be provided from development staff for this activity).
- Implement and share stretch goal information if original goal is met.
- Steward donors who have given that you haven't already thanked.
- Share the final updates with donors and on social media.
Campus Partner Expectations
- A highly motivated person or organization on the UNI campus identifies a need that if fulfilled will impact current and future students at UNI.
- This person or organization has a wide network that they can utilize to leverage support to their project, or they can help identify prospective donors to contact.
- Multiple leaders are brought in to help plan and facilitate the PAWprint project.
- Weekly meetings are held with leadership and annual giving team.
- An appropriate goal is identified and stretch goals are implemented if the goal is passed.
- Compelling messaging and content is created to drive the project forward.
- Lead donors and challenge gifts are identified to ensure project goals can be met (10-25% of goal amount).
- An outreach strategy and calendar is created to keep entire team on task.
- Project is launched for approximately 30 days.
- Outreach strategy is followed, goals are met, and everyone is happy.
- A stewardship plan is implemented to ensure supporters know the impact of their gift and are encouraged to become yearly donors to UNI.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Who can launch a project on PAWprint?
Any organization that is on the current list of registered student organizations maintained by the Northern Iowa Student Government (NISG) and the Student Involvement Center can start the process to launch a project on PAWprint.
- What kind of projects does PAWprint look for?
Inspirational projects that are goal specific have a higher success rate through crowdfunding than those that are vague or general.
- How do I start?
Click the "Submit a PAWprint campaign application" button at the top of the page, or contact annual-giving@uni.edu with any questions. Once you have submitted your application, a member of the UNI Annual Giving team will reach out to you to review your application and discuss next steps.
- What is an appropriate fundraising goal?
PAWprint staff recommends a fundraising goal between $3000 and $7500. Each project and its goals will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis by staff.
- How do organizations access their funds after the campaign?
Prior to launching the final project, organizations will set up a project account with the Foundation Financial Services office. From there the funds can be accessed by filling out Foundation Financial Services Vouchers located within the UNI Forms Repository.