Crowdfunding website helps UM community connect their passions to generosity

In the fall of 2022, UM launched a new and easy to use crowdfunding tool to support funding of scholarships, research and any other areas of passion.

Early success stories

Since its launch, projects have seen some exciting results:  

• The Zak Hirshman Men’s Basketball Scholarship reached its initial goal of $11,000 and ended at 140 per cent over that goal.  
• The Master of Landscape Architecture 50th Anniversary Student Recruitment Scholarship sought to raise $25,000 to create a fund for recruiting new students. Having met their goal, they can continue to attract new talented students from Canada and abroad.

The UM crowdfunding website is easy to navigate and connects UM students, faculty, staff and community to the Donor Relations team for personalized support. Once your crowdfunding page is set up, it will track your fundraising progress and allow you to share it on social media to gain greater awareness.

Golden Anniversary Legacy Fund

The Social Work class of 1973 saw great success with crowdfunding at UM when they decided to set up the Golden Anniversary Legacy Fund. The goal of this fund is to break down barriers and enable aspiring students to pursue a career in social work, regardless of the challenges they face by creating a timeless bursary designed to champion inclusivity.

The project was spearheaded by Greg Selinger and Brenda Brand, both graduates of the Social Work program at the UM. “We wanted to set up this fund because the training we had as undergrads was instrumental in our lives, and we wanted to pay it forward to the next generation of social work students,” said Selinger.  

Brand added, “I thought the project was important because the aspirations of our bursary recipients will be supported, and the profession will benefit greatly by the inclusion of more practitioners with a broader base of skills, challenges, perceptions, and lived experiences.”  

Building a legacy through crowdfunding  

As for the site itself, Selinger said, “The crowdfunding site was an efficient way to get people to donate. The constant updates on the site were helpful for tracking both the goals and people we spoke to about donating. This crowdfunding campaign was a great exercise in community building and a unique way to reconnect at different stages of our lives and work together for a broader cause.”

Fundraising projects such as the Golden Anniversary Legacy Fund create a legacy and bring a positive impact to the lives of others in the UM community.

The UM crowdfunding website makes reaching fundraising goals easier than ever. For more information, visit the crowdfunding website.