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Falcon Funder is the Air Force Academy Foundation's new crowdfunding program that allows USAFA ambassadors to seek funding for projects they are passionate about. Falcon Funder tells each project’s story through video as well as provides updates to donors through social media and email.
What is crowdfunding?
It's a 30-day online fundraising campaign which supports a specific project with a defined dollar goal that is created and managed by passionate members of a group with multi-media testimonials providing the case for support. Falcon Funder is driven by online contributions that range from annual gifts to major gifts which are requested via email and social networks, allowing for contributors to share their support and encourage others to join the effort.
How does crowdfunding work?
The success of crowdfunding is based on email communication and social media postings. Generally, a group can expect to raise about $4 per email address that is solicited. Group dedication is essential to the success of a project. It is important that a group is made of up of at least 5 people, and all are willing to commit to work every day throughout the quiet and active phases of a campaign:
The Quiet Phase: 4-6 weeks prior to project launch involves laying the ground-work to support the active campaign phase.
The Active Phase: when the page is “live” and accepting gifts for 30 days.
What is required to participate?
A Falcon Funder project must:
- Be specific, feasible, and limited in scope
- Be easily described to the USAFA community and the general public
- Include a plan of action and outreach
- Be able to use the platform to raise adequate funding within 30 days (typically in the $1,000 to $10,000 range)
- Your group must be willing to commit to work on a campaign for a period of at least 12 weeks
You will be required to work with a staff member of the USAFA Endowment to:
- Train to use the USAFA Endowment’s crowdfunding platform, Falcon Funder
- Set realistic and achievable fundraising goals
- Create a communication and outreach plan that includes:
a) Plan of action for using different channels to promote the campaign
b) A list of people who work as “leaders and amplifiers” to spread news of the campaign throughout social media and their personal networks
c) Strategy for the creation of:
- A video detailing the project and updates throughout the project
- Stretch goals
- Written description and email verbiage
What are the charges and fees for using Falcon Funder?
All donations made to Falcon Funder are considered a donation to the USAFA Endowment. In accordance with USAFA Endowment Board gift guidelines, 10% of all gifts are allocated for unrestricted use, to be used for one or more of the following purposes: cadet programs; support for the Association of Graduates and other Academy-affiliated foundations; and operations of the USAFA Endowment. All remaining funds are deposited directly into the gift account of the group/department/class.
More questions?
If you have any additional questions, please contact the Air Force Academy Foundation at 719-472-0300 or falconfunder@afacademyfoundation.org.
Giving Instructions
Select a “One Time” or “Recurring” Gift.
For “One Time” gifts: enter your total gift amount in the box provided.
For “Recurring” gifts: select the preferred Frequency of your gift - “Monthly” “Quarterly” or “Annually”; select the Duration of your gift (Note: a gift duration of greater than 2 years, can only be paid quarterly or annually); enter the recurring charge amount for your total gift (Example: For a total gift amount of $2,400, paid monthly for 24 months, the per charge amount is $100). Please limit gift pledges to a maximum of 5 years.
Are there any fees or deductions?In accordance with Air Force Academy Foundation Board gift guidelines, 10% of all gifts are allocated for unrestricted use, to be used for one or more of the following purposes: cadet programs; support for the Association of Graduates and other Academy-affiliated foundations; and operations of the Air Force Academy Foundation.
Is my gift tax-deductible? All gifts are tax-deductible to the fullest extent allowed by the law.
How do I choose an overseas military address option? Thank you for your patience as we work toward resolving this technical issue. In the meantime, please choose any state under the mailing address section, and when you click on "Give Today!" and are directed to the credit card page, you can enter the correct state/province there.
More questions about your gift? Please contact us at falconfunder@afacademyfoundation.org for any questions regarding your gift to the Air Force Academy Foundation.