WarriorFunder Project Application

Before applying, please review the WarriorFunder Policies and Procedures. Wayne State University reserves the right to change these policies at any time.

Fields with asterisks (*) are required.

Contact Information

Affiliation to Wayne State *
Is this organization officially recognized by Wayne State University? *

Project Information

WarriorFunder projects must support the overall mission of Wayne State University by improving our community—on campus and beyond. Crowdfunding does more than bring in funds—it also serves as a marketing tool to raise awareness of your mission. Crowdfunding is most effective for funding specific projects or campaigns but does not work well for general unrestricted fundraising. It is best to be clear and specific about what you’re trying to fund. Today’s donors want to know where their money is going and how it will make a difference.

Financial Information

Typical crowdfunding projects raise between $1,000 - $5,000. This number will depend entirely on the size of your potential donor pool, your personal contacts, and the amount of personal effort devoted to the project. It is best to set modest, attainable, and realistic goals—and transcend them. Your donors will be inspired to support a project if it reflects success and momentum.

Lead Donors

Lead donors will support the project in reaching the initial 30% of the crowdfunding goal, traditionally the most difficult portion of a crowdfunding project to raise. WarriorFunder requires that 30% of the goal is raised before the project is listed as a tile on the main page.

Social Media

Crowdfunding relies on personal networking—your best supporters love Wayne State, but they REALLY love you and your project. Crowdfunding is a peer-to-peer solicitation rather than an institutional solicitation. You can use your personal, group, department or team’s email lists, Facebook pages, Twitter feeds, LinkedIn groups, etc. to promote your project. It’s best to bring your own “crowd.” If you or your team do not have a pre-existing audience (personal or otherwise), then crowdfunding might not be the best platform to raise money for your project.

Team Participation

Project campaigns run for 30 days but projects require a full 8-10 weeks of focused work before and after the campaign. The project creator will need to provide updates and remain actively engaged (new videos, social media postings such as Twitter and Facebook, campus events, and email). It is recommended that the project creator commit 1 hour per day and each team member commit 30-60 minutes per day for the length of the active campaign.

Project Materials

Images and a video are required for your WarriorFunder page. When possible, it is best to use pictures and videos to tell an emotional and persuasive story, as well as to explain to people exactly how much money you need and how the money will be used. NOTE: The video does not need to be produced in high-quality; “grass roots” videos work well for crowdfunding because they are authentic and compelling. Departments or organizations can shoot their own video using an iPad or camera.

Do you have images to include on your project page? *
If not, do you have capabilities to create or obtain images for the project?
Do you have a video to include for the project? *
If not, do you have the capabilities to create a video during your quiet phase to communicate goals, objectives, and the need for your crowdfunding campaign?

Departmental Support

Have you informed your departmental leadership (i.e. advisor, departmental chair) about your project submission? *