As universities begin to dip their toes into the crowdfunding waters, a leading staffing agency is recommending taking the skills needed by employees who will be handling the key tasks surrounding this new fund-raising model. According to the Vortechs Group, there are three top skills “required to launch a successful university crowdfunding effort.” They are as follows:

Storyteller. On a tech-based crowdfunding site, there are guaranteed to be some unglamorous, unattractive projects that don’t necessarily connect easily with potential donors. That’s why it’s important to have someone manage and write “stories” for each project to show why each technology is important and who it will help.

Know social media. By definition, crowdfunding only works by tapping into the masses. It’s good to have personal networks and a strong web presence, but Twitter and Facebook are key to building a following.

Generational. The person in charge should also have a connection with users, who in this case will be mostly students and associate faculty. The head of the crowdfunding site, then, should understand these groups and how they communicate to create a smart, accessible system.

Source: The Vortechs Group

Posted February 6th, 2013 under Tech Transfer

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