Webster University Receives 1,000th Crowdfunding Donation

In an embrace of new technologies and socially sourced philanthropy, Webster University received its 1,000th donation through crowdfunding on Sept. 21. The University has raised more than $320,000 for 12 projects in the past 17 months using online crowdsourced tools.

The funds are supporting Webster students, scholarships, diversity efforts and athletic teams. Out of the 12 crowdfunding campaigns started since the beginning of the pandemic, eight of the projects have been fully funded. Currently, Webster is raising funds for the baseball team, the basketball team, Student Government Association, and the Chancellor’s Vision Fund.

“Webster University is using an innovative technology platform to help meet just in time needs with just in time dollars,” said Webster University Chancellor Elizabeth (Beth) J. Stroble. “This virtual effort helped us engage donors--including our own faculty, staff, and students in addition to trustees, alumni and friends--when in-person meetings and requests were not possible. The power of personal philanthropy—many gifts from individual donors who wished to help others in pandemic times—has been effectively harnessed for positive impact.”

Traditional fundraising relies primarily on large gifts from relatively few individuals and businesses to meet goals. Crowdfunding, in contrast, relies on large numbers of small donations ranging from just a few dollars to up to $1,000 from hundreds of supporters. To date, Webster’s crowdfunding effort has collected contributions from nearly 900 individuals, highlighting the maxim that every gift matters and that no gift is too small.

Crowdfunding can trace its roots back to the 18th century when author Johnathan Swift founded the Irish Loans Fund to help low-income families struggling in rural Ireland. Despite the success of Swift’s initial project, crowdfunding wouldn’t gain traction until the late 1990’s when internet access was introduced to homes. The British rock band “Marillion” made an online plea to its fan base to fund its tour of the United States, becoming a pioneer in modern crowdfunding.

Virtual charitable efforts would grow quickly in popularity. In 2012, President Obama signed the JOBS act into law, which codified crowdfunding with protections for investors and entrepreneurs and would clear the way for traditional non-profit organizations to use the new platform.

Webster University joined the world of crowdfunding in 2020 to meet the immediate needs of students who were impacted by the sudden loss of jobs and other sources of income due to the pandemic.

Last spring, the University launched the Front-Line Responders Fund to help nursing students and others students working on the front lines of the pandemic. From May through August of 2020, Webster raised more than $100,000 for the students, meeting their immediate needs and assuring their continued progress to achieve their degrees. Webster also created the “Gorloks Now Fund” for students and employees who were impacted by the pandemic. From May through July 2020, the University raised another $30,000.

Other crowdfunding campaigns include founding the “Jackson & Thomas Society” to support diversity, equity and inclusion efforts, creating an “International Students Fund” for international students facing economic challenges due to the pandemic, creating the “Webster Student Scholarship Fund,” and raising funds for several athletic teams. A full list of Webster’s crowdfunding efforts can be found at webstergives.webster.edu.