Student fundraising campaign: 5 tips for making your project a success

If someone gives you $20, do they know exactly what it will be used for?

Show your contributors that every donation has a real impact on the quality of the final project. An effective approach is to justify your costs by specifying the amount allocated to each expense (contest registration fees, soundtrack, etc.), without going into excessive detail. This structure allows donors to understand where their money will go and reinforces the credibility of the campaign.

Setting aside a portion of the budget for contingencies is also common practice and demonstrates careful planning.

The team offers a particularly illuminating example. Their goal is to raise approximately $4,200, distributed strategically:

Sound identity

• Original music: $400

• Professional dubbing: $400

• Sound design and mixing: $1,000

Production

• Asset banks and textures: $500

Support

• Viewing sessions with mentors: $400

Distribution

• International festival submissions: $1,000

Contingency fund

• Production contingencies: $500

To accurately determine these amounts, the team relied on testimonials from recent graduates and online data research to simulate different cost scenarios.

In particular, the team analyzed registration fees, deadlines, and distribution conditions for animation festivals. For certain key items, such as dubbing and sound design, the team deliberately used the highest estimates. They then adjusted the figures upon receiving the first submissions.

Finally, the $500 contingency reserve is based on a proportional calculation, representing approximately one-eighth of the initial estimated budget.

The challenge of a fundraising campaign is not always technical. For the team, it's more about the ability to make the project tangible while it's still in development.

By developing a strong visual identity early on in production, the team allowed donors to imagine themselves in the world of the film and thus perceive its potential.

In other words, the campaign should be as compelling as the project itself. Don't wait until your project is completely finalized to start promoting it. A clear and consistent visual direction can already generate interest and strengthen your credibility.

Hichem and his team analyzed several options before deciding on the right financing platform:

“Kickstarter makes visibility difficult because of the large number of campaigns, and we didn't want to limit ourselves to the Quebec audience with La Ruche. GoFundMe seemed interesting to us because of its ease of setup, low fees, and wide audience.” (Translation)

Sometimes, no platform perfectly suits our needs. This was the case for the team, who felt that the GoFundMe platform lacked flexibility in terms of its user interface. To compensate for the lack of customization, the team decided to link the campaign to Behance, in order to offer a more flexible and professional presentation.

In hindsight, another decision would have been made differently:

“Launching the campaign on multiple platforms simultaneously could have helped maximize our visibility. Using a single channel limits our reach.” (Translation)

The platform does not guarantee the visibility of a campaign. This depends primarily on the team's ability to increase the number of points of contact and direct audiences to its project. Diversifying entry points can sometimes make a difference.

Seeking funding can sometimes seem daunting for students who have no experience in budget planning. However, this experience allows them to develop essential skills such as project management and communication.

“Using crowdfunding means we don't have to work overtime in a field that isn't our own, allowing us to devote all that time and energy directly to creating the project instead.” (Translation)

What if your next project could also be crowdfunded?