Guest Post: Crowdfunding for Social Good
Zach Braff is doing it. Veronica Mars fans are doing it. Should your nonprofit be using a crowdfunding site like Kickstarter or IndieGoGo to raise money? Maybe…
I had my own brush with crowdfunding when I worked on a nonprofit project this past summer. We ambitiously launched our appeal on IndieGoGo with a steep goal of $50K to be raised in a relatively short amount of time. We had a compelling video/elevator pitch, some fun personalized incentives and were able to clearly articulate the need and the project. But we failed. We got the word out to our family, friends and professional networks, raised some money, but we fell very short of our goal.
Don’t let this happen to you. Here are some crowdfunding lessons I learned the hard way:
Set a realistic goal and timeframe.
Experts suggest 30-45 days.
Be creative.
Stunts are good—like head shaving. *Head-shaving contingent on meeting full donation amount; party happening regardless. (see the incentive for donating $50).
Offer fun incentives.
The more personalized, the better. Bake brownies, sign books, or even visit the homes of your donors!
Promote. Promote. And Promote some more.
Thank your donors and keep them up to date on your progress.
They can help you promote even more.
Choose the best platform for your project.
I found this helpful review of four nonprofit centric crowdfunding sites (nonprofits can use Kickstarter but only for specific projects—see their guidelines.
Here are a few other great crowdfunding resources:
- What makes a campaign successful (IndieGoGo)
- The secret sauce for nonprofit crowdfunding (Razoo) Audio version here.
- How to use crowdfunding to raise money for your nonprofit
Have you used crowdfunding for a cause? Did it work? Share your experience and any other great resources in the comments.
This post originally appeared on AdLibbing. Distributed with permission of the blog.
