Beginning today, the fall 2025 CougStarter campaign will kick off with a record 37 student groups from all five Washington State University campuses aiming to raise a combined $85,150 by Nov. 12.
CougStarter is the WSU Foundation’s crowdfunding program, supporting student clubs and organizations across the state. It specifically focuses on projects that enrich the WSU student experience, create opportunities to give back to communities, and foster personal and professional development.
From Spokane to Everett, students are appealing to donors to support the causes that matter most to them. They plan to provide free preventative screenings such as blood pressure checks and lipid panels, to host events that bring WSU students and community members closer together, and to apply the technical skills they learn in the classroom to real-world rocketry and engineering projects.
“I’m always impressed with the passion students bring to CougStarter,” said Tayler Ekness, assistant director of annual giving and manager of the program. “The effort they bring to these projects really drives their success. My role is to guide their efforts and encourage them to keep telling their stories.”
While the WSU Foundation supports students’ efforts through weekly coaching on fundraising fundamentals and communication strategies, the students are responsible for promoting the opportunity to support their projects and demonstrating the impact of that support. For example, student participants create videos and social media posts showing how these projects support them, their peers, and their professional goals.
“I provide sort of a crash course in fundraising along with a suite of ‘how-to’ resources,” Ekness said, “but the most important element is that they have fun and stay true to who they are as individuals and who they are as a club. Their authenticity and ambition are inspiring. I’m certainly inspired by their efforts and accomplishments each semester.”
Since its inception in 2019, CougStarter has helped 97 student clubs raise more than $100,000 for their projects.
To learn more about the CougStarter program, see what projects students are working on, and consider supporting them, visit cougstarter.wsu.edu.
