Juliet Norman

In the Fall of 2020, I started a mutual aid fund for low-income students at my college. "Helping Students Directly" (HSD) was created with the goal of providing monetary support to Emerson College students for bills and living expenses. At a school that is notorious for their stingy financial aid, the mutual aid fund is intended to assist those who struggle to come up with their tuition payments.

Every month, I distributed the funds to students who had requested aid. Posts on the mutual aid fund Instagram account encouraged people to donate and spread the word by reposting and sharing social media memos that would appeal to students and potential donors. In just a little over one semester, I raised $6,392 by advertising solely through the Instagram account. What started as a passion project became a master class on social media and crowdfunding.

Raising the money was just a small part of the organization's impact on the school community. In addition to the monthly aid disbursements, HSD was involved in the following:
 

• partnering with campus clubs and organizations for fundraisers

• secured a $2,000 grant from the Constance Fund

• created and shared resource guides      

• created a community textbook exchange that students could both request and distribute resources through

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