8 pro tips to boost your crowdfunding campaign
You’ve created your online crowdfunding campaign or you’re about to do so. Now, to raise funds, you need to let potential donors know about your initiative!
When creating an online fundraising campaign, it’s important to communicate with as many people as possible in order to familiarize them with your project, get them involved and maximize your donations. The frequency with which you talk about your campaign is also very important!
Here are several methods you can use to promote your campaign:
- Social media
- Emails
- Your partners
- Your personal network
- Print and local communications
- Promotional items
- Traditional and public media
- Online conferences or webinars
1. Social media
Communicating via your personal and professional social networks is of great importance in disseminating information today – even more so if your potential donors are on social media!
You can use any of your organization’s networks or your personal socials such as Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter and many others.
Sharing posts about your campaign allows you to spread the information, and thus relay it to other users. And then, if your community shares your post, you will reach new people and so on!
How can you talk about your fundraiser on social media?
Create an official Page, group or event
You can create a space dedicated to your fundraising campaign such as an event, a group or a Page in order to bring your community together. This space will also allow you to promote your campaign by regularly posting information about its progress (donations raised, goals, challenges, news, etc.).
Having a place dedicated to your fundraising allows interested people to follow you in one place and be sure to be notified when you post. You create a real community around your project!
Frequently post stories
Don’t neglect stories! Available on several social networks, stories allow you to appear at the top of the newsfeed. The algorithm being different for each user, stories offer you an additional chance to be seen by more potential donors.
Each story you post remains available for 24 hours. It’s a great way to share daily or weekly news with your community and stay active on social platforms.
Share posts regularly
Keep your community informed of your campaign’s progress to keep their attention (goal or sub-goals reached, new registrations, etc.). Talking to your community also builds trust. You can show how the donations received will be used, and even share the progress of the project if applicable (for example, for the construction of a center or the purchase of equipment).
💡 Tip: On Fundky, you can easily share your campaign using the share icons on your page, either from Fundky LIVE or from the Fundky Platform. You can also copy the link from your page to share your campaign anywhere you can think of.
How well do you know your audience? For example, to reach gamers and streamers, we recommend that you choose networks that are used by this community, such as Discord, YouTube and Twitter. This will allow you to reach a more specific audience towards gaming. It’s super important to always think about who you are talking to and what is the best way to reach them!
2. Emails
Emailing is a simple and effective way to reach future donors. In fact, almost everyone has an email address! It is a means of communication that is sometimes forgotten, but it can be very practical, and above all, it is accessible to pretty much everyone.
Personalized emails
Whether through your personal network (friends, family, acquaintances, etc.) or your professional network, send out emails to inform and encourage donations and/or participation in your campaign.
💡 Tip: Add a note in your email signature to ensure that each recipient sees that you are currently fundraising!
Newsletters
If you are an organization (business, foundation, nonprofit, etc.) and have newsletters, use them to get the word out! With a personalized visual, CTA buttons that encourage donations and catchy texts, the person who receives the newsletter will probably be curious to learn more about your initiative.
Be careful! There are several laws surrounding the sending of emails in order to respect people’s privacy. For Canadians, learn more about the Canadian anti-spam law.
3. Your partners
If you are an organization, contact your partners to let them know about your initiative so they can tell their community about it.
Your partners already have trust in you and your projects. By spreading your news through their different communication channels, you will benefit from their notoriety and their base. Your partners’ message can inspire their community to act for you!
By using your partners’ community, you will reach new people and the information will be spread faster and to a larger audience. With a good word from your partners for your project, it’s always an added incentive to support you! 😄
4. Your personal network
Don’t hesitate to contact your family and friends!
Your loved ones are there for you and want to see you succeed! People are also much more likely to donate to someone close to them than to a general cause. Your family and friends are therefore more likely to support your campaign financially to help you reach your goal.
Use social media, phone calls and even the famous happy hour in the park to get your message out! Any way is a good way to spread the word about a great cause. 🥂
5. Print and local communications
Because the Web is not everything, especially when it comes to local campaigns!
Solicit the media in your city or region to spread your message. As with family and friends, people are more attached to a cause that is close to them (even location-wise) or that touches them personally. They will be more likely to donate to your fundraiser or share your campaign.
Here are some examples of print and local communications:
- Local or regional newspapers
- Post your campaign on bulletin boards in local businesses, such as grocery stores
- Hang up posters about your fundraiser on street posts or outdoor public bulletin boards
- Ask to have your campaign posted on your city or town’s website if the municipality is promoting local projects.
6. Promotional items
Have you ever thought of creating and distributing promotional items related to your campaign?
Indeed, promotional items can be a great way to get your cause to speak for itself through an item. The advantage of promotional items, such as a travel mug, bag or sweater, is that they are carried by people who become ambassadors for your fundraiser. Seeing someone endorse a project with a promotional item can be a great way to build interest in your fundraiser.
A good example is the Différent comme toi (in English, “different like you”) T-shirt, which was sold to benefit the Véro & Louis Foundation. Many influencers and passers-by were seen with the shirt, which created a lot of attention for the cause!
This campaign was a huge success and not only raised money for the cause, but also brought new donors to the foundation and its mission.
Source: https://boutique.fondationverolouis.com/
Here are some ideas for promotional items you can sell:
- Stickers
- Clothing
- Sweaters or coats
- Hats or caps
- Etc.
- Travel or office mugs
- Posters
- Or items more unique to your campaign, such as
- Technology items
- A camera cover for your computer
- An external cell phone jack
- Etc.
- Objects related to ecology
- Durable or compostable objects
- Games
- Tools
- Kitchen tools for example
- And much more!
- Technology items
7. Traditional and public media
Use the power of the so-called “classic” media: newspaper, radio and television!
These mass media can be extremely effective in getting your fundraiser exposed to a very large number of people. However, it can be difficult to get your project featured in such media; try to contact someone who works in one of these outlets and pass your information on directly.
Writing a press release and sending it to news and radio stations can also increase your chances of getting your fundraiser picked up in a newspaper or radio bulletin.
8. Online conferences or webinars
What better than a human moment to really convey the emotion and inspiration behind your project?
Whether it’s via recorded videos that introduce your event, or a live session via a broadcast tool like Zoom, introducing your project yourself will bring a human touch to your online giving campaign.
A 100% digital campaign can work very well, but can sometimes lack a human touch. Producing a video or hosting a conference/webinar is a great way to bring your personal touch, presence and personality to this digital environment.
Our Fundky LIVE tool allows you to broadcast live or replay videos while engaging viewers to raise donations. Learn more on our official website!
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