“If I could find a way to re-circulate some of that money back to consumers since people are losing their jobs and having a tough time, I thought that would be a great thing,” Samuels said. “People like the idea of giving a little bit back. They want to do that.”
Earning from Huzo purchases won’t rival the multimillion-dollar fundraising campaigns commonplace on college campuses. Colleges are also less desperate for donors’ checks than they were three years ago when the economic downturn led to a precipitous decline in fundraising.
The latest annual college fundraising figures show donations to colleges and universities rose 8.2 percent in fiscal 2011, crossing back over the $30 billion mark for just the second time ever, and improving many schools’ financial footing after several lean years due to the recession that started in 2008.
Alumni giving rose 9.9 percent nationally, and accounted for about 26 percent of the donations colleges receive. Corporate donations rose 6.6 percent. Donations from foundations, which remain the largest source of support at about 29 percent, rose 3.3 percent.
The much-anticipated uptick in campus donations, higher-education fundraising experts said, has coincided with massive campaigns on Twitter and Facebook designed to draw donations not just from alums, but also from people who have never stepped foot on campus.
Samuels said it’s that willingness to experiment with unorthodox fundraising efforts that makes Huzo a potentially popular tool on campuses.
Dan Germain, director of Florida-based Talisma North America, said campus fundraising decision makers have adopted more social media use as alums have become more adept at tweeting and sharing items on Facebook.
“I think social media is always important as the constituency of supporters grows younger and younger over time,” he said. “It’s pretty clear that online fundraising is playing a big role right now.”
- Research: Social media has negative impact on academic performance - April 2, 2020
- Number 1: Social media has negative impact on academic performance - December 31, 2014
- 6 reasons campus networks must change - September 30, 2014