The February Crowdfund UC Davis cohort started off with a record number of projects and ended the month setting cohort records in total amount raised, number of donors, number of gifts and number of projects to meet their goal. See all of the numbers in the sidebar at right.

While all crowdfunding projects make a real impact on our students, faculty, campus and beyond, the two below had unique journeys during this cohort.

‘Move Together, Heal Together’

First time Crowdfund UC Davis project team leader Noriko Satake, professor in the Department of Pediatrics, led her project to success by encouraging 108 donors to give $6,380, 127 percent of the team’s original $5,000 goal.

Satake‘s project, Move Together, Heal Together, is a therapeutic exercise program for young cancer survivors. Her project helps young adults and children rebuilding their strength, confidence and sense of normalcy after completing cancer treatment.

Offered by the UC Davis Pediatric Oncology Clinic, the real-time group exercise classes are led by certified fitness instructors virtually to protect the patients’ immune systems, while enabling them to reap the benefits exercise provides: improved recovery, a mental health boost and reduced side effects.

The classes let young cancer survivors connect and exercise together safely, alongside peers who understand their journey, turning rehabilitation into connection.

Outdoor Adventures Access Fund meets $50,000 endowment goal

Project team leader Kevin Schwartz, an Outdoor Adventures guide and guide trainer who also holds a role as principal biologist at Olberding Environmental Inc., enthusiastically led his team project to success by encouraging 29 donors to give $7,500, 150 percent of the team’s original $5,000 goal.

The goal of the project was to provide long-term equal access to Outdoor Adventures, a nationally recognized program that has connected people to nature through outdoor programs, guide schools and leadership training for more than 50 years.

The crowdfunding project marked the completion of a $50,000 endowment that will provide funding in perpetuity for scholarships and fee waivers to improve program inclusion and access for students from inadequately represented communities.

Applications for October cohort are open

Since the program debuted in February 2020, CFUCD has raised more than $3.9 million from more than 17,845 gifts. The program enables student, faculty or staff led project teams to conduct a month-long, grassroots donation-based campaign to raise money, using GiveCampus, a secure, UC Davis-affiliated online platform. Requirements to participate include affiliation with UC Davis or UC Davis Health, and a UC Davis affiliated fund.

Applications for the October cohort are open through June 26 and are available on the Crowdfund UC Davis website.

The Annual and Special Gifts Program, in cooperation with Advancement Services, reviews all crowdfund applications to ensure project teams have all the administrative pieces in place to fundraise under the guidelines of UC Davis as a 501c3. The Annual and Special Gifts Program provides the Crowdfund UC Davis platform, accessible experts and the training needed for the project teams to succeed. But it’s up to project teams to fuel the marketing and networking that leads to fundraising success.

Questions about Crowdfund UC Davis can be sent by email.