StartingBloc completely re-vamped fund raising this year, introducing Crowdrise. Similar to Kickstarter, each Candidate can create a personalized landing page on Crowdrise which they can use to fundraise some or all of their Institute fee from sponsors in their personal networks.

Candidates can use the tools below to ask their friends, family, employers, corporations, or government agencies to join the sponsorship fun. Fund raising is the first step in building a set of skills that will help you over and over for years to come. StartingBloc will be doing the same. This way we'll get as many people funded as possible, together. So let’s get started!

Need a little inspiration? Have a listen to our favorite podcast on entrepreneurship by Stanford professor Tina Seelig. Join forces with other StartingBloc Fellows to get creative with fund raising.

Top Ten Ways to Sponsor Your Fellowship :: This deck is an introduction into fundraising your Institute fee. We know that some of you might be new to fund raising, so we have 10 great suggestions to help you find the money – there is at least one in there for everyone! Feel free to take ideas and run with them. This is great opportunity to take a step outside your comfort zone and tighten your pitching skills, so go for it!

Be creative. There is NO wrong answer here. Don’t be afraid to go old school and hold a bake sale or push yourself to pursue consulting work on the side to get some extra cash.

Candidate Email Template and Instructions :: Still looking for more? Last year, SB Fellow Kevin Asuncion (NY ’10) raised $1600 to cover his Institute fee and travel - before we had even designed the marketplace.. Here’s his step-by-step guide on how he did it.

Kevin used two email templates, one to ask for sponsorship and another to follow up. As you improve on his example, do your best to help sponsors see the WIIFM: What’s In It For Me? If you are telling a story to convey your needs, tell it in a way that makes them the hero. It will elicit a better response if you get people involved in your experience.

Tell the story :: Send this brief overview deck or this deck that profiles select StartingBloc Fellows to your network to present a colorful story to your sponsors.

The overview deck has all the information you would need to make a pitch about yourself, StartingBloc, and Institute sponsorship. It is designed to be attached to a personalized email, or presented in person. Telling your personal story is the single most compelling thing that will help you on your quest for dollars – be sure to use it!

Important stuff :: The Sponsorship Marketplace is not a scholarship. We're challenging accepted Candidates to raise their Institute tuition, and the Marketplace is a platform to do it. Part of being a StartingBloc Fellow is being creative and proactive - here's your first opportunity!

Because of this, participating in the Sponsorship Marketplace does not guarantee that you'll raise the full tuition. It's a tool that can help, but the real driver is you. If you choose not to pay the full tuition by December 15, we will not be able to hold a seat for you in the LA '12 Institute.