Member Article

University of York develop own crowdfunding platform

The University of York has developed its own crowdfunding platform to allow students and University members to raise money for projects.

YuStart has been developed between the University’s Development Office and the Students’ Union, with help from education specialists Hubbub.

Much like mainstream crowdfunding platforms, YuStart allows members to raise money from multiple donors by offering incentives in return for investment.

Susie Fothergill, head of Development and Alumni Relations said: “York students are already looking to crowd funding to enable their projects. By having an in-house platform we can give students direct access to an alumni audience and ensure that their projects have the backing of the University.”

As well as access to specialist support from Hubbub, projects who fundraise through the platform, will receive support from a YuStart Ambassador.

Working with the team in the Development Office, Liza Parker (undergraduate student in the University’s School of PEP) will give advice on website content and running effective social media campaigns.

Kallum Taylor, YUSU President added: “YUSU are really excited about the creation of the YuStart platform as it opens up the possibility of a whole new funding method for our students. With such a wide range of opportunities and activities on offer at York, gaining enough funding can sometimes be quite difficult and so YuStart will be a new and creative way to help solve this problem.

“In addition, the platform will also enable current students to engage with alumni better than ever before and especially build stronger ties with our recent graduates.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Tom Keighley .