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Student stands in front of Migizzi Agamik building with students in background.

New Crowdfunding website helps UM community to connect their passions to generosity

September 15, 2022 — 

A new and easy to use fundraising tool has been launched at UM that will support funding of scholarships, research supports and any other areas of passion.

The UM Crowdfunding website, makes reaching fundraising goals easier than ever. With it you can crowdfund for a scholarship or bursary, help a student researcher purchase a vital piece of equipment needed to complete their innovative study, or encourage community support of an athlete traveling to compete on behalf of UM.

All you need to do to launch a dedicated page is visit the UM Crowdfunding site and submit a project. The page will track your fundraising progress and allow you to share it on social media to gain greater awareness.

Alum Karen Cornejo saw great success with crowdfunding at UM when she decided to create a scholarship for female middle distance track athletes in honour of her husband, UM Track and Field coach, Tico Cornejo who passed away in January 2020.

“I am a graduate of the Faculty of Commerce and Faculty of Law, so I have a lot of affinity towards the University of Manitoba. Being a U of M and Track and Field alumni had such a positive impact on my life and was a stepping stone for many successes in my career and my personal life, so it was definitely an easy decision to give back,” says Cornejo. “I knew that my gift alone wouldn’t create quite the legacy that we wanted, financially, so I decided to fundraise in a matching donation campaign to have a greater impact. I was blown away that we were able to exceed my goal of $50,000 with a simple email blast and Facebook post with the link to the UM crowdfunding page. It was more than I could have imagined.”

Fundraising projects such as Cornejo’s create not only a legacy for a loved one, but also bring a positive impact to the lives of others in the UM community. “All the people that have given to our campaign know they have had this lasting effect on someone’s life as well as honouring Tico,” shares Cornejo.

University staff member and alum, Chris Rutkowski, has also successfully used UM Crowdfunding to surpass his fundraising goal. He was able to reach a niche audience that is passionate about a less conventional fundraising project: archiving.  Rutkowski shared a video on social media about the need to archive past UFO experiences in Manitoba that linked back to the UM Crowdfunding platform. This allowed for interested members of the public to support his project with ease.

“My experience with crowdfunding was very positive. The funds I received exceeded my expectations.” Rutkowski adds, “I’m very pleased with the result. UM Crowdfunding is a very useful tool for acquiring funding for specific projects.”

The new UM Crowdfunding website is easy navigate and connects UM students, faculty, staff and community to the Donor Relations team for personalized support. They are happy to answer any questions you may have about crowdfunding and encourages you to contact them about your fundraising goals.   

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