Before submitting an application, please carefully review the following information. Please direct all questions to the Office of Advancement at 800.755.2287.
Welcome to UNITE C-SC! This crowdfunding platform is designed to attract funding to specific academic research or impact projects, community service activities, and college-wide programs.
Who can submit a UNITE C-SC project for consideration?
All registered Culver-Stockton College student organizations and academic teams, faculty and staff members, academic departments, and various other members of the Wildcat community are invited to submit an application.
UNITE C-SC cannot be used to fund independent business or charity ventures, regardless of whether or not the people leading those ventures are members of the C-SC community.
What makes a successful UNITE C-SC project submission?
The Advancement Team will identify and approve projects that show the most potential for success.
Successful projects...
-Support the mission of C-SC
-Have a realistic funding goal and timeline
-Are led by a passionate team that is creative and has bandwidth to create interesting content and actively solicit their networks for contributions
How does Advancement assist with the process?
The Advancement Team is at your service to design and implement a successful campaign. Involvement includes, but is not limited to:
-Scheduling a brief Zoom call to provide an overview of the process.
-Providing a detailed crowdfunding guide with content suggestions, word counts and photo dimensions, and some proven fundraising tips.
-Encouraging you to be creative! We will help you develop a plan for engaging potential donors, create perks or levels of support to encourage donations (think social media shout outs or a special experience related to your project), and even outline a plan to thank your donors once they have made a gift.
What do I need to know before submitting an application?
Project applications are accepted on a rolling basis and, once your project page is ready to launch, all campaigns run for a total of 30 days. Once you submit an application, the Advancement Team will let you know if your project has been accepted within two weeks. After this two week review period, it will be AT LEAST 60 days until you receive any funds you raise, so please be sure to submit your application at least 75 days (~10 weeks) before funding is needed. Remember, there is no guarantee that funding will be secured- it’s up to you and your team to make it happen if your project is accepted for UNITE C-SC!
What is the timeline for a project from application to receiving funds raised?
After a project application is submitted, there are three phases in the UNITE C-SC process:
Application Review (2 weeks)
The Advancement Team reviews your application and determines the likelihood of your project meeting or exceeding its funding goal. You should expect a member of the Advancement Team to reach out to you with additional questions during this time.
Build Phase (30 days)
You provide the Advancement Team with content to build your page and we will work together to determine the best strategy for your campaign. You should also take this time to come up with a strategy for social media sharing, identify as many donors as possible, and work to actively engage your team.
Active Phase (30 days)
You and your group/team/department contact family and friends via email, phone, text, social, etc. and ask them to join you in making a gift. You will also have the opportunity to invite Ambassadors (think mini-influencers for your project) to register and share the link to your project page.
