Crowdfunding, or the activity of generating money from a large group of people, is becoming a familiar concept for raising funds for charities. More and more individuals find it convenient to participate in fundraising by joining a crowdfunding campaign.
If youre a nonprofit organization, you should bear in mind that your general goal should not be limited to acquiring donors. It should include both the acquisition AND the retention of donors.
To be effective in this two-pronged approach, you have to pay attention to the following strategies:
* Plan and strategize
Take the time to establish your goals. Find out what resources are available. Get some advice from peers that you respect. Talk to people with actual experience in crowdfunding. Learn from their successes and mistakes.
Select a crowdfunding website that works well for nonprofits. Make sure that the platform has a friendly user interface, a reliable email system, customizable pages, social media trackers, and other similar features.
Make sure that you know how to go about asking for donations using the new platform. Do intensive research. Find out how to best apply your current skills and techniques in the new platform so you can successfully market your campaign.
* Make sure to involve your supporters
Promote! Promote! Promote! Dont wait for prospective donors to find your campaign without your help.
Go out of your way to spread the word. Inform your community, friends, and family. Use social media.
Make sure that your supporters have all the resources they need to give you effective assistance. Give them content (videos, photographs, blog posts, and articles) to share. Give them updates so they stay knowledgeable about your campaign. Encourage them constantly to tweet, post, and share.
* Remain transparent
Prospective donors want to see where their money goes. They want to be reassured that it will be put to good use.
Run a transparent campaign. Be upfront and specific. For example, if youre running a nonprofit campaign for animal rights and their proper care, specify that youre trying to raise $2,000 for kennel supplies and $3,000 for new veterinary provisions. Give them regular updates about how much youve already raised to date.
Transparency will help you build a lasting bond with your donors. Theyll feel more inclined to become repeat donors should you need their help again.
* Make use of incentives
If the idea fits your campaign, you can offer awesome perks to encourage involvement. This strategy will be useful if your campaign has something to do with art shows, talent programs, walkathons, and the like. Donors for such campaigns will appreciate perks like baked goods, social media shout-outs, event tickets, and customized merchandise.
* Make your crowdfunding page interesting and relatable
Make sure that your target audience notices your crowdfunding page in a sea of many pages. Tell your story concisely and effectively. Inform donors where their money will go. Establish your credibility and authority by providing your past accomplishments. Be upfront about your goal, and how much money you still need to reach your objectives.
As your campaign progresses, make sure that your campaign page reflects this progress. Give regular updates. Show where the funds youre receiving are going. Include interesting photos.
When people see your dedication to your cause, theyll be more likely to show the same involvement.
If you do your campaign right, you increase your chances of going viral and reaching a lot of people. Use the knowledge you now have and apply it to the crowdfunding model.
