Click, a crowdfunding platform set up by the University of Essex, has been named among the winners at an education awards ceremony.

Around 130 student groups have launched projects on Click since its launch, ranging from business start-ups such as a mobile bar and an app to help disabled people to use smartphones to sports teams, conference and drama productions, with 99% hitting their fundraising targets.

The platform has now been recognised at the 2017 Heist Awards, which celebrate excellence in education marketing, with Click winning the Best Alumni, Development or Fundraising Initiative category.

The Heist judges said: “This is an innovative project which challenges a shift in culture and behaviour but reaps direct rewards for those engaging in the process

“The excellent outcomes of this project are invaluable and usable across many entrepreneurship and employability platforms.”

Click is managed by the university’s advancement team and is open for all students, staff or recent Essex graduates to put a project forward for crowdfunding – a format which funds a project by raising lots of small amounts of money from a large number of people, typically via the internet.

It uses innovative digital technology and is completely free, so students no longer need to use fee-based commercial platforms to host their fundraising projects.

James Martin, who manages the platform, said: “I’m really thrilled that we’ve won this prestigious Heist Award. Click has really revolutionised the way the university funds student experience projects, meaning we’ve been able to help more students than ever before.

“More than that though, I am really passionate about how Click not only helps fund projects, but acts as a positive outlet for our amazing students to grow their digital skill sets, and showcase their bold and tenacious personalities.”

The Heist Awards are run by Havas Education which works with universities to help them engage with and attract students and staff, through communications and brand management.

The Marketing Team of the Year award, for which the University of Suffolk and University College Writtle were among those shortlisted, was won by Loughborough University.