Generosity of Crowds

‘Eagfunder’ will help students and faculty members bring their ideas to life.

Especially when budgets are tight, even the most promising projects can face significant funding challenges. Eastern students and faculty now have a new way to turn their dreams into reality — by enlisting the Eagle community to chip in.

EagFunder is a new crowdfunding platform designed to help raise funds for projects, events, research, competitions and service initiatives. It’s designed to efficiently connect the Eagle community—including alumni, parents, faculty, staff and friends—with opportunities to invest directly in student experiences and academic innovation.

“Crowdfunding has become a powerful way to connect passion with philanthropy,” said Linda Safford, the senior director of annual giving at EWU, who led the platform’s launch.

Students, faculty and staff who seek to launch their own campaign can apply through the EagFunder website. After approval, project teams receive training and guidance from EWU’s Annual Giving office to ensure they are prepared to engage supporters and maximize results. A key strength of EagFunder is its emphasis on personal networks, says Safford. Successful crowdfunding begins with project leaders reaching out to the people they know best—friends, family, classmates, colleagues and alumni connections. By building on trusted connections, she says, project leaders can turn individual relationships into broader communities of support.

One of the first campaigns to take advantage of the platform, a drive to install new diving boards in the EWU Aquatics Center, has already received a $10,000 gift that brought it close to completion of its $11,500 goal.

Other projects underway include funding to support the comeback of business fraternity Alpha Kappa Psi, support for the EWU wheelchair basketball team, and conference travel expenses for physical therapy and occupational therapy student associations. You can check out the live projects now at eagfunder.ewu.edu.

“EagFunder gives our students and faculty the opportunity to tell their stories,” Safford says. “It will also inspire gifts that make a difference.”