A new batch of student groups and programs are looking to make some positive change at the UO and in Eugene, but they need a little help to get the job done.

That’s where DuckFunder, the university’s new crowdfunding platform, comes into play.

From Feb. 1 to March 3, DuckFunder will host seven crowdfunding projects on its website. This will be DuckFunder’s first round of crowdfunding campaigns after its successful debut with the UO’s Summer Academy to Inspire Learning program raised 116 percent of its fundraising goal.

The seven projects vary from sending student journalists to Sri Lanka to reducing child abuse in Lane County.

Here’s an introduction to the current lineup of DuckFunder projects:

• Global Stories: Sri Lanka —  OR Media, the UO School of Journalism and Communication’s student multimedia program, creates multimedia pieces for professional networks such as Oregon Public Broadcasting, PBS NewsHour, Travel Oregon and Oregonlive.com.
  
  OR Media is hoping to raise $15,000 for a trip to Sri Lanka during winter break. The students will produce multimedia stories about how the country is recovering from a civil war and tsunami destruction, as well as how Sri Lanka plans to deal with the environmental threats to their rain forests.
                         
• Promise Neighborhood After-School Program: The UO College of Education Service-Learning Program provides free after-school programs to Malabon and Fairfield elementary schools in Eugene. The program is run by volunteers, and they pay for the expenses and supplies that come with their after-school programs.
  
  To help alleviate the financial burden, the Service-Learning Program wants to raise $3,000 for program expenses.
   
• Prevent Child Abuse: Get Involved: In partnership with the Lane County community, the UO’s 90by30 program wants to reduce child abuse and neglect 90 percent by 2030.
  
  April is Child Abuse Prevention Month, and 90by30 is asking for $15,000 to purchase billboards and banners and to publish a website that will contain information about events and services happening throughout April.
   
• Creating a Culture of Startup Ducks: The UO’s Lundquist Center for Entrepreneurship teaches students from the Lundquist College of Business to be exceptional entrepreneurs. The center has been recognized as one of the nation’s finest entrepreneurship programs.
  
  The center wants to raise $15,000 to send six of the program’s brightest and most disciplined students to the 2016 South by Southwest Interactive Conference in Austin, Texas. The SXSW conference is considered one of the best innovation and startup conferences in the country. When the students return from Austin, they will take what they learned from the conference and develop an experiential learning opportunity or program that will benefit all UO students.
   
• World Orchestra: The World Music Series, a program in the UO School of Music and Dance, promotes world music and culture at the university and the Eugene community. The program organizes world-renowned musicians and orchestras to play concerts in Eugene, and over the last three years the program has also had artists present public lectures, visit local area schools and teach workshops at the UO.
  
  The World Music Series wants to crowdfund $12,900 to bring the Chicago Cuatro Orchestra Project to the UO for a three-day residency. The CCOP is a cultural program that performs and preserves Puerto Rico’s national instrument, the cuatro. The CCOP’s residency would involve a concert at Beall Hall, visits to UO classrooms, a public lecture and several outreach visits to local area schools.
   
• Divisi: Revolutionizing A Cappella: UO Divisi is an all-female a cappella group that has travelled throughout the country for music competitions and concerts, and the goal for their shows is to empower women to be strong and fearless.
  
  They’re looking to crowdfund $15,000 for their travel and general expenses, such as performance uniforms. In the coming year, Divisi plans to compete in the International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella, and if they do well, they’ll head to California and New York. The group also plans to attend a few music festivals in California and Boston.
   
• Give The UO’s New Hip Hop Ensemble Some Love: The UO Hip Hop Ensemble is a new for-credit music program that’s open to instrumentalists, DJ’s, MC’s and producers. The program trains musicians in hip hop performance and also gives students an opportunity to perform in front of an audience.
  
  The group wants to raise $3,700 for equipment purchases. The students would be able to use the school-owned gear for practice and performances, and the funds will also pay for guest instructors to visit the group to teach hip hop performance and culture.

The projects will be posted on duckfunder.uoregon.edu Feb. 1, and people can donate until March 3. Unlike other crowdfunding platforms like Kickstarter, the campaigns will be able to keep all the donations, even if they don’t reach their fundraising goal.

In addition, the UO Alumni Association will be launching a crowdfunding effort in mid February. The goal is to send students to visit UO alumni in major cities during spring break and learn about their work and how their UO degrees helped them be successful. Details will be announced later.

—By Craig Garcia, Public Affairs Communications Intern