Minister Orr with Shauna McCallum and D’Arcy Fischer of Chrysalis. (Government of Alberta)

By rdnewsNOW Staff

Crowdfunding Alberta

Alberta government aiming to help non-profits fundraise online

Nov 30, 2021 | 3:27 PM

The Alberta government has announced a new crowdfunding platform that’s hoped to help non-profits raise funds to support programs, services and causes that enhance quality of life and support arts organizations.

Alberta’s government is providing $1 million in top-up funding to encourage more donations to the Crowdfunding Alberta platform, which will enable organizations to quickly raise money by collecting small, individual contributions from a large pool of donors through an online platform and help donors find local non-profits and causes they care about.

“We are reimagining the success of non-profits by introducing Crowdfunding Alberta,” said Ron Orr, Minister of Culture. “This platform will help them build support and provide new funding avenues to respond to community and organizational needs. Albertans have the power to harness their generosity to transform their communities; this platform leverages the power of private donations through government matching, a proven strategy that makes life better for all Albertans.”

“Albertans have a proud history of supporting organizations and causes they care about,” added Jason Luan, Minister of Community and Social Services. “The pandemic has made it more challenging for civil society organizations to raise funds. The Crowdfunding Alberta platform will help organizations grow their donations and fuel economic growth and social recovery.”

“We are very excited to hear the announcement of the new crowdfunding platform and are thankful for the commitments made by the government to acknowledge, support and provide stimulus for social innovation like the announcement we are hearing today,” exclaimed Blayne Blackburn, president and CEO, Chrysalis. “We know that better solutions for social challenges come from new social practices that meet needs in a better way than existing solutions, in the end, advancing our joint goals to strengthen civil society.”

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“Crowdfunding Alberta is a tool that will help non-profits leverage other funding to generate diverse revenue, and it doesn’t replace grant funding provided by the Government of Alberta,” noted Karen Link, executive director, Volunteer Alberta. “Volunteer Alberta is delighted that the government is making a commitment to Crowdfunding Alberta starting with $1 million. We will share news of this opportunity with our network, and we encourage other organizations to spread the word to your networks so that as many non-profit organizations as possible can benefit.”

To incentivize donations on the platform, government officials say campaigns with a minimum target of $5,000 that reach 75 per cent of their campaign goal within four weeks of launching may be eligible for up to $2,500 in top-up funding. This funding is available to qualifying organizations while funds last. Albertans are welcome to support as many campaigns as they wish. Registering non-profits are vetted, so donors can contribute to campaigns with confidence.

Alberta-based non-profits can visit crowdfunding.alberta.ca to register and launch a campaign. Non-profits may run unlimited campaigns, but only one campaign per organization may receive top-up funding each fiscal year. Assistance through the platform is available for non-profits seeking support for developing a compelling crowdfunding campaign.

Crowdfunding Alberta is described as an important part of Creative Partnerships Alberta and considered an innovative way to build a thriving non-profit sector by sparking private investment in non-profits, growing social enterprises and increasing collaboration to find new solutions to social challenges. This initiative aims to:

• increase private funding and support to non-profits and arts organizations through new funding approaches
• grow social innovation and social finance
• provide non-profits with mentorship and coaching

Government officials say more Creative Partnerships Alberta programs and collaborations will be announced in the coming months.

Creative Partnerships is part of the government’s commitment to grow creative and cultural industries in the province by 25 per cent over the next 10 years and is an important part of Alberta’s Recovery Plan.

Quick facts

• The value of donations through crowdfunding is projected to reach $29 million in 2021 in Canada and is expected to show an annual growth rate of 2.4 per cent, resulting in a projected total amount of $31.9 million by 2025.