This is a guest post by Jess Ratty, Brand Communications Manager at Crowdfunder UK. Crowdfunding means raising money for your project through donations online and many communities across the UK are using crowdfunding as a part of their ‘funding mix’.
We’ve teamed up with some of the UK’s leading community crowdfunders to knock up some top tips for crowdfunding for your organisation. Here at Crowdfunder we believe that knowledge is power – and that’s why we’ve created 95 Tips, For Crowdfunders From Crowdfunders.
By collating and sharing the best advice from the people that have literally “been there and crowdfunded the t-shirt” we’ve got a free download if you are just starting out on your community fundraising journey.
#95Tips includes information on what make a great crowdfunding target, how to create rewards for supporters, how to make videos for promotion and how to utilise social media and marketing skills for the best support – including many other sections on the crowdfunding journey.
Here are seven of the contributions from #95Tips to give you a taster of what’s in store…
1. How to start your crowdfunding project
Do your research! We looked into how much it would cost for us to bring a seven-day waste food cafe to Brighton. We checked out similar projects on Crowdfunder to make sure our target amount wasn’t unrealistic. Speaking to organisations which had run successful campaigns helped us a lot – we recommend you do the same for your project!
Samantha Dobbie, Co-Director The Real Junk Food Project, Brighton, @realjunkfoodBri
2. Create great rewards
Have a variety of rewards – but lots of them. For example, you’ve got a great prize (meal for two say) – have a few of them lined up for people to pledge on – it’s easier to manage!
Sarah Bentley, Project Manager, Made in Hackney Community Kitchen, @Made_In_Hackney
3. Make a brilliant video pitch
Keep it short, sweet and attention grabbing. It is all in the preparation – script what needs to be said and work out a storyboard for shots. Find the human story – who will benefit and how. If appropriate, can the beneficiaries of the funding tell the story?
Iain Slade, Business Director, Stiltskin Arts and Theatre, @StiltskinArts
4. Send great emails
We sent regular email updates to people who had made pledges through the Crowdfunder site. We always tried to ensure we had something interesting to say about the project and a good image or two where possible. It was a good opportunity to ask people to spread details about our project and the Crowdfunder campaign far and wide.
Samantha Dobbie, Co-Director The Real Junk Food Project, Brighton @realjunkfoodBri
5. Get social
If you don’t have a Facebook page for your project or organisation, set one up! Think about who your target audience is for any particular post and try to imagine when they might be looking at Facebook and post then. Remember to put a call to action in your posts, such as “Pledge Now!” or “Please Share”.
Iain Slade, Business Director, Stiltskin Arts and Theatre, @StiltskinArts
6. Get funded
We built a plan knowing exactly what we were going to do throughout our crowdfunding campaign to promote it. We reached our target in less than two weeks so we didn’t need to execute all of it…Contacting people directly and with personal messages was key. Starting a conversation and sharing this new exciting adventure in your life is really effective! Be personal in reaching out to people. You’re asking them for money so take time to engage with people personally beforehand.
Ilana Taub Co-Founder Snact, @SnactNow
7. Say Thanks
Thank everyone, as loudly and publicly as you can. Your gratitude might be free, but it can be used to generate positivity around your brand and helps those who contributed feel a sense of ownership over the project.
Ben McCabe, Editor of Output Magazine, @OutputMagazine
Download 95Tips: For Crowdfunders From Crowdfunders to get the rest of the advice from some of the UK’s most successful crowdfunding projects.
95 tips to help your community crowdfund,
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