Click is Essex's very own crowdfunding platform which is free for students, alumni and staff to fundraise for their big ideas and projects. If you have an amazing idea or an exciting project in mind, and you need funding to help it take off, then help is just a click away.
Crowdfunding helps raise money made up of relatively small amounts from lots of people. Donors pledge a donation to your project and in exchange they receive tangible, non-monetary 'rewards' such as a thank you card, t-shirt or tickets to your show.
Click is a leading crowdfunding platform in UK Higher Education with 97% of projects reaching their minimum fundraising targets. There’s plenty of support you can access at each stage of the process to help you develop your project, craft your campaign, build your crowd and turn your idea into a reality.
There are lots of things to consider before applying for a Click crowdfunder, such as checking that your project is suitable and that you have enough time to fundraise before the event or activity. Read our conditions below before applying.
Fill in the application form. Once you’ve submitted it, it goes to our Click team for approval.
To be eligible to launch a Click project, you must apply a minimum of 10 weeks before the event or activity you are fundraising for takes place.
| Step | Process |
| Idea formulation - week 1 | Submit your application online |
| Project submission – week 2 | If your project is approved, you’ll sign up to the Click website and set up your project proposal |
| Project hosting – week 3 | Once the Click team at Essex have approved your project, you’ll agree a date for it to published |
| Project is live – week 4 - 9 | Your project can be live for a maximum of 5 weeks. It’s your responsibility to fundraise for it |
| Project success – week 10 | When you reach target, the Click team will be in touch to transfer the money to you. It can take up to two weeks to receive the funds. |
| Project report | It is important that you deliver the rewards you promised supporters within the agreed timescale |
Projects can be about anything - but they should focus on the benefit they will provide to students, our University, alumni or the wider community. Projects will be judged on their goals, their creative or innovative merits and the level of organisation and commitment demonstrated by you and your team. Example projects include:
Your project must reflect at least one of the four core values of our University:
We ask you for two amounts - the minimum you need, and your ultimate target. Funds only change hands if a project has reached its minimum once it hits its end date. This means you only need to carry out your project and deliver rewards if you achieve this minimum target.
We recommend setting the minimum at the smallest amount you need to complete your project and successfully deliver rewards. You can still set a bigger project target as well and most projects receive considerably more than their minimum.
The Click website has lots of resources with details on how to get the best from your project which you should look at when designing your project. As well as access to specialist support available on the online platform, you will also benefit from personal support from the Click team at Essex, as well as training and workshop opportunities.
Some quick tips for a successful project include: