Through UCI’s crowdfunding platform, ZotFunder, UCI students, faculty and staff are able to support interesting activities, such as providing medical education and services to underserved communities around the world.
Through UCI’s crowdfunding platform, ZotFunder, UCI students, faculty and staff are able to support interesting activities, such as providing medical education and services to underserved communities around the world.
Students from the UCI School of Medicine have traveled across the globe to provide much-needed medical education to the people of Kenya, Panama, Indonesia, Tanzania and more. Instead of being fully funded through government or foundation grants, however, part of this work is being supported by fellow UCI students, faculty, friends and community members.
Crowdfunding, a fast-growing online tool, allows individuals to donate – both large and small amounts – to specific projects. Since its launch in early 2017, UCI’s crowdfunding website, ZotFunder, has offered the campus community a platform to share, inspire and fuel unique endeavors.
“ZotFunder was created to help our students, faculty and staff fund special projects and ground-breaking programs across UCI,” said Sydney Bertram, director of annual giving at University Advancement & Alumni Relations. “We are thrilled to see our users make an impact on not only our campus community but also communities around the world.”
“ZotFunder was created to help our students, faculty and staff fund special projects and ground-breaking programs across UCI.”
In its inaugural year, donors raised more than $125,000 to fund 15 projects through ZotFunder. The following year, this almost doubled, with $223,000 for 23 campaigns.
Many projects, like the medical education trip to Kenya in 2017, have exceeded their goals. Originally looking to raise $10,000 to cover medical supplies, an ultrasound machine and travel expenses for its team of students, the project hovered at nearly $18,000 when it closed.
Whether it is helping students provide medical education to underserved populations, making 3-D printing more sustainable or building more competitive racing cars, UCI’s crowdfunding platform allows donors to give directly to areas they care about.
