Fundraising
If your club or team wants to raise money, we have many resources to help you succeed. Fundraising isn’t difficult, but there are some important things to know before you start. We recommend beginning any fundraising plans with your advisor, who can explain the available resources and how to reach out for donations.
Fundraising - How To
Our biggest advantage as an organization is our government not-for-profit status. This allows donors to make tax-deductible gifts, which encourages people to give. Because this status is carefully protected, there are certain rules we must follow when fundraising.
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All University fundraising must go through the UW Foundation. Each club has at least one Foundation account that holds its donated funds. Some accounts work like a bank account, allowing you to use all available funds directly. Others are investment accounts that grow over time. Regardless of the type, all fundraising money should go into your Foundation account.
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One great benefit of using the Foundation is that they handle donor acknowledgments and provide donors with the proper tax documentation. Clubs can then receive a list of donors and send personalized thank-you messages.
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You can visit the Foundation Account Page to see each Hoofer club’s funds, descriptions of how they can be used, and direct links to their online donation pages. These links can be shared through social media, email, newsletters, and more.
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UW Fundraising Resources
Many clubs raise funds to cover costs for events or competitions. In these cases, fundraising campaigns are usually short and goal-specific. If you have a particular fundraising goal, you can request a JumpStart fundraising page—a GoFundMe-style page that shows your goal, progress, and a list of donors (if they choose to be recognized). These pages take about a month to set up, so plan ahead.
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Hoofer Fundraising Examples
We have a collection of sample fundraising letters used within our organization. This includes a guide on what language to use when contacting donors, such as how checks should be written and where to send them, along with standard wording to explain what donors can expect.
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Other fundraising opportunities exist but require unique solutions to do properly.
Some examples of unique fundraising initiatives:
1. Doing a collaborative fundraising effort with a restaurant (Chipotle’s reference program)
2. Silent auctions are allowed but other types of auctions are not
3. Alumni and member events where a fee is charged
4. Door prizes are allowed as part of an event.
Prohibited Fundraising Activities:
1. Raffles: State entities like UW have to follow state laws that prohibit raffles.
2. ‘Cup nights’ at local taverns
3. Fundraising through separate organizations like ‘GoFundMe’ to avoid UW policies
4. Investing in external businesses for returns
5. Fundraise for other organizations