GoFundMe has started a scholarship that will give $10,000 each to 10 college or post-graduate students.
The first thing you have to do to qualify is to create a GoFundMe campaign that includes the hashtag #GFMScholarship or you can modify an old one to contain the hashtag. Also you must also have at least 10 donors by Sep. 28, this Wednesday.
In a press release, GoFundMe said, “If your campaign is eligible, it will be reviewed by GoFundMe. The 10 campaigns will be chosen by a GoFundMe selection committee and announced in October.” This means if you are looking to win, make sure it looks professional and appealing, organizers said.
Helping college students isn’t an unusual thing for GoFundMe. When asked, “What other things have GoFundMe done to help college students?” Kate Cichy, regional communications manager for GoFundMe, said: “On the GoFundMe platform, there has been over $40 million raised for college costs. Every month, over $1.5 million is donated to college campaigns on GoFundMe with an average of nearly $2,000 per campaign.”
Unlike other scholarships that go directly to the student’s school, Cichy said, “The funds will go directly to the student, but we will work with them closely to ensure the funds are used appropriately.”
Setting up a GoFundMe account requires several steps. First you search for the GoFundMe Account sign up. There you will be given a choice of signing up through Facebook or using an email.
On the GoFundMe website it said, if you create the campaign using an email other than through Facebook “GoFundMe deducts 5 percent from each donation. WePay’s fee is 2.9 percent plus 30 cents per donation.” This means the way to retain the most money made by your campaign you should connect through Facebook. This would also make it easier for your story to spread, but for some it would be preferable to not have your friends and family know you could use help, Cichy said.
Then you put in a name, email address and password. After that you create a goal amount, title of your campaign, ZIP code and theme. Then you choose a picture or video that you want on your page and, finally, add the reason why you are raising money. All of these are necessary for creating a GoFundMe campaign, Cichy said.
In a press release, GoFundMe CEO Rob Solomon said, “At GoFundMe, we see incredible stories every single day of communities coming together to make sure students get the education they deserve. With the GoFundMe Scholarship, we hope to make these inspiring students’ educational dreams come true.”
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