You've heard the stories. Someone raises $30,000 in two days to launch a product, support a cause or fulfill a lifelong dream. It's sweet music to your ears because you need to raise funds.
So you read everything you can find on successfully launching a campaign. You devise a plan, set a funding goal, campaign end date, tell family and friends, assemble a team and prepare to launch.
You're ready.
That was three weeks ago. You promoted your campaign on Facebook and Twitter and the donations rolled in. It was full steam ahead for a few weeks. Now it seems it's out of steam, trickling in few, if any, donations. You didn't anticipate this. After all, it's crowdfunding. Millions of people visit platforms every month.
So where are the donations?
Crowdfunding is real work and maintaining momentum can be a daunting task. Whether you have launched your campaign on Kickstarter, GoFundMe or FreeFunder, constantly promoting your project before, during and after launch should be a top priority.
Social media is the first promotional tactic for most fundraisers. However, they usually limit promotion to Facebook and Twitter. Both platforms have powerful sharing features but Google+, Reddit and Pinterest should not be overlooked.
You can use Google+'s groups and Reddit's subreddits to promote your project. Just be sure that you're actively participating. These communities can be harsh to people who post and run. As for Pinterest a picture is worth a thousand words and can build a great following. Great pictures bring life to campaigns. Find the perfect pictures to share.
All of these platforms can be use to spread the word and connect with current and potential backers. Post on them regularly.
Whether you are raising funds for an established charity or your next album, great storytelling should be a part of your promotional arsenal. Now is the time to use it to secure media coverage. Journalists love hearing interesting stories. Find the correct writers, then craft a great, personalized pitch. (Sending email blasts doesn't work and usually results in no media.) Pitch your story. If you've targeted the right journalists with a great story, you'll eventually get press.
It's not as hard or intimidating as it might seem but it has to be done correctly.
A lot of crowdfunding campaigns combine off- and online promotion. From community gatherings to free, live concerts, you can organize events that will get people talking and, hopefully, supporting your project.
To add an online component, use Facebook Live (or another live-streaming app) to live-stream your event. Be sure to inform your audience of the time you'll be live and ask them to invite their network.
You can also videotape and post the video on your campaign's page. Everyone loves to share videos. Create one that your backers will want to share.
These tips will help you grab attention for your fundraising campaign, if you consistently use them.
When a beloved veterinarian from Butler, PA received news that a portion of his treatment costs for a life-threatening disease would not be covered by Boston Medical Centre it was time to turn to crowdfunding. Aubrey Kornrumpf, the office assistant for Dr. Denis Daman, created a free fundraising campaign on FreeFunder. Aubrey set a goal of $8,000, which was enough to cover the housing costs that Dr. Daman was suddenly expected to cover.
Within 5 days, the campaign had already raised more than $10,000. By the end of the campaign, more than $14,000 was raised to cover the housing costs as well as food and incidentals.
"Thanks to your generosity, Doc was able to begin his treatments on September 15th... Because of the beautiful hearts of every person who donated here, Doc and Mrs. Daman were not only able to get the housing he needed, but his daily transportation needs are now being met ...In short, those who donated here played a very real part in saving Dr. Daman's life, and repaying the debt to him for his life's work saving others. Needless to say, Dr. Daman is completely overwhelmed by this outpouring of support, and by the realization that his life's work has meant so much to so many. Thank you all, so very much." - Aubrey Kornrumpf