It is really possible to have a successful fundraising campaign without having a lot of friends and acquaintances or leaving your usual job. You just have to plan better. That's how.
Steps
Method 1 of 5: Understanding How and Why (2 months earlier)
Step 1. Find out what your reasons are
About two months before the start of your campaign, you need to understand how and why. As fundraising expert Sydney Malawer says: "Do you have any reasonable requests besides 'we want the money'?" People want to feel part of something bigger than themselves, and they want to know that their money will serve that purpose.
Step 2. Do a lot of research on your goals
To justify and support your goals, you need to understand what the money you ask for will really be.
Step 3. Present your goals
Use charts if needed. Write an estimated budget for your campaign, based on the quotes you got from manufacturers, insurers, lawyers, suppliers and distributors. Sounds like a lot of work? That's why you need to start early.
Step 4. Research fundraisers
Crowdfunding sites such as the internationals Kickstarter and Indiegogo, or the Italians Eppela and Produzioni dal basso have many useful tips on their websites. Mike del Ponte wrote a great article on how to do your best on Kickstarter, listing a list of factors to consider that contribute to the success of the campaign, and the Unreasonable Institute wrote a great article on learning from failed campaigns.
Step 5. Find a filmmaker
The video will make a difference. Consider contacting a professional filmmaker who wants to work for you for free, or create a compelling video yourself, so that it can convincingly tell the story and last under 3 minutes. There are many online resources to help you edit the video. There are also several mobile apps.
Method 2 of 5: Designing the Campaign (1 month before)
Step 1. Decide which platform to use
There are literally hundreds of websites waiting for your project, but Kickstarter and Indiegogo all over the world, and for Italy Eppela and Productions from below, are the best places to present it.
- Kickstarter is the most visited, but it is more restrictive on the types of projects (creative only) and you have to reside in specific countries. It is more difficult for the project to be shown on the homepage because there are so many of them.
- Other options like Indiegogo could give more visibility on their homepage, in newsletters and in social media because they are smaller.
- Eppela and Produzioni dal basso are completely in Italian and mostly have creative projects.
Step 2. Design your campaign graphics
By now you should have already storyboarded your video and devised the pitch. Try explaining the value of your project to a five-year-old: if he understands it, you win; if they like it, put it in the video.
The campaign should have a lot of images, with enough content to answer the main questions "why should I care?" and "what are you going to do with my money?" Most people don't feel like reading, so be sure to include them in the video as well. In general, it is a good idea not to overestimate people's attention span, so the campaign should also last a short time, about 30 days
Step 3. Answer the question “what will you give me in return?
". Yes, technically people are making a donation, but not necessarily out of the goodness of their hearts. It's a little extra to give it a lot of "that's cool, I want it". Here's how you make the most money.
Step 4. Plan some great gifts
Offer an attractive reward for € 25, it is by far the most popular. But you should also think big and have thousands of dollar rewards that offer some kind of incredible experience associated with your product. Consider something like a "health and wellness weekend at winery X" for € 5000. You never know who can be inspired to donate!
Don't forget the cost of shipping. The final price of the reward should include the cost of materials, plus shipping, the percentage the website takes, and a little extra because these people aren't just buying a product, they're funding an idea
Step 5. Make sure the estimated delivery date is reliable
It can take more than three months - that's usually not enough, which is why around 70% of campaigns don't deliver on time. To be sure it could take 6 months.
Method 3 of 5: Create Movement (2 weeks earlier)
Step 1. Make sure you have a group of people working on the campaign with you
Maybe the co-founders, or your mother, it doesn't matter, as long as these collaborators are ready to spread the campaign in their environment or network for it to be successful. The key is to be more and more.
Step 2. Grow your network
Create a simple Google form that everyone on your team can send to their contacts two weeks before launch. The goal is to make other people passionate about the project so much that they share it with their contacts, expanding the network of collaborators. These people are going to have their inboxes clogged up for some time, because your job is to send them posts to share on social networks and via email every week during the campaign. (Informal first).
Step 3. Also contact organizations
Organizations are excellent collaborators because they often have many more contacts than individuals. Make a list of local organizations and associations that are relevant to your cause or area and contact them asking if they would like to share your campaign on their channels.
Step 4. Prepare the media
You should prepare a standard press release to be modified from time to time, but consider that the best impact is obtained with a personalized interview with a journalist. If you can, find a friend who works in public relations and ask if they can find you a list of journalists. If you want, you can also spend time looking for bloggers with a lot of following. Often a good way to start is to look up who has written about similar campaigns to yours.
Step 5. Don't expect many reporters to answer you
Follow them for more momentum.
Method 4 of 5: Launch the Campaign
Step 1. Know your goals
They should be collecting 25% of the requested amount in 24 hours, which is more or less what you need to appear on the site's homepage. Day one is key, so make sure you're ready. And make sure you get up early.
Step 2. Remind your contacts of the launch day
Two weeks ago you sent the ambassador form and the launch date to some friends and family. You should now send an email saying "it's here" to anyone you've met or contacted.
- An easy way to do this in Gmail is to click on Contacts → More → Export (All contacts, CSV). Then you can import the contacts into your favorite mail provider (like MailChimp).
- Take a deep breath and send the email to all these people. Consider that you should do this once every dad's death or you will get flagged as spam, kicked out by your email provider, and your friends and family will hate you. Encourage your collaborators to do the same but don't force them, this type of email is not for everyone.
Step 3. Focus on the main influences and on social media
After sending the email you should spend the rest of the morning reaching the main areas of interest, posting on social networks and watching the green bar move to the right. Then you should go to work.
Step 4. Celebrate and encourage your campaign with a personal pitch
In the evening, you should have a launch party with friends and family. If you are a group of 20 or so, you should ask the parents to prepare the party (i.e. someone with real money). Over the course of the evening you should show the video, give a short but heartfelt talk about what the campaign means to you and your co-workers, and make sure everyone has access to a few computers to view your campaign.
Step 5. Enjoy the results
If you've done your prep and launch day right, the rest will come by itself. You should plan for updates to be sent to lenders and your contacts throughout the campaign, ideally in video format for some key moments such as when you are halfway through your goal or are at 80%.
Method 5 of 5: End the campaign
Step 1. Thank everyone
At the end of the campaign you should thank everyone who funded you, ideally in a video. You should also celebrate! Have a big party and invite everyone who supported the campaign to join.
Step 2. Keep everyone updated
Make sure you add all the emails you have collected to your newsletter and keep everyone updated on the progress of production. If you do it right, a crowdfunding campaign can help launch your idea out into the world and ultimately allow you to quit your regular job. You can check out sites like Progressly for more information.
