What is Bear Funded?  

Bear Funded, hosted by ScaleFunder™, is Baylor University’s crowdfunding platform (think Go Fund Me, Kickstarter, etc.). This platform helps the Baylor Family raise funds to help their ideas and projects take flight.  

What is Crowdfunding? 

Crowdfunding is the practice of funding a project that involves raising small amounts of money from many people. Often people consider this type of fundraising peer-to-peer.  

Who Can Submit a Project to Bear Funded? 

Faculty/staff and students are eligible to submit a project for consideration. All projects must include a staff or faculty member. 

 How Can I Request to Host a Project?  

Please note Annual Giving staff in its sole discretion will determine the eligibility of new projects on the Bear Funded platform. If eligible, your project will then be sent to the marketing lead in your unit to make sure it is an approved project prior to posting.

Please send the following to GiveBU@baylor.edu with the subject line “Bear Funded Request.” 

• Project Name/Formal Title 
• Short Description: In 160 characters or less, please summarize the purpose of your fundraising initiative, why it is important, and ask for support. (Please note that character limit is not the same as word count.)
• Long Description: In no more than 3-6 paragraphs, the main case for support and will be used to provide information for any potential donor; (1) purpose of fundraising project, (2) fundraising goal, (3) importance of the project and why it should be supported, (4) how will the funds be used once the project is completed (5) an ask for support. 
• Photo corresponding to your project (ideally sized at both 606px wide by 343px high and 300px wide by 170px high)
• Goal: Do you have a $ goal or participation goal that you want individuals to see the progress of? If yes, what is the amount?
• Fund ID/Fund Name: 7-digit Vision Fund ID and Vision Fund Name for the allocation of gifts from Bear Funded
• Launch Date (Projects like these do better with a sense of urgency, so the end date will be automatically set for 1 month from the launch date unless otherwise discussed.)
• Project Lead(s) Name, Title, and Email; can have up to four and all projects must have a Baylor staff or faculty member associated with the project
• Are there any unique questions donors need to be asked?

What Happens Once I Submit My Request? 

A member of the Annual Giving staff will review the request to determine the best plan of action and get back to you within 7 business days with next steps.

What Happens if My Project is Accepted and It Goes Live? 

Once your project has been accepted, you will receive a link to the web page and you may begin fundraising with that link. The project requestor will be able to manage their project through the Scalefunder platform. 

Please note Annual Giving staff in its sole discretion will determine the eligibility of participating projects on the Bear Funded platform and may discontinue an active project at any time because of a project’s failure to comply with Advancement guidelines. 

As a rule, a project will run for 30 days and then it will be taken down unless otherwise discussed.  

How are Donors Thanked? 

Baylor has a standard process for thanking University donors. If you would like something specific incorporated, please let us know so that we may discuss the request. Keep in mind, due to confidentiality, we are unable to give you a list of donors and their contact info.