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5 Steps to Launch a Successful Crowdfunding Campaign for Your Non-Profit (No Technical Skills Required)
September 28, 2023
When it comes to nonprofit organizations, crowdfunding is a popular way of raising funds. It involves collecting small amounts of money from a large number of people, usually through an online platform. A successful crowdfunding campaign can be a great option for non-profits that want to reach a wider audience, generate awareness, and engage supporters. However, there may be some difficulties, like the lack of technical expertise or resources to launch it and measure its reach.
Therefore, this article will break down the process of how to launch a successful crowdfunding campaign for your nonprofit into 5 easy-to-follow steps, from setting up a campaign to tracking progress, without requiring advanced or out-of-this-world technical skills.
Step 1: Choose a crowdfunding platform
The first step is to choose a platform that aligns with your needs and goals. There are many crowdfunding platforms available, each with different features, fees, and requirements. So, in order to choose a crowdfunding platform, you should consider factors such as:
- The type and scope of your project or cause.
- The amount of money you need to raise.
- The duration of your campaign.
- The fees and charges involved.
- The support and resources available.
- The audience and community you want to reach.
Additionally, you should do some research on the platform’s terms and conditions to make sure it is a good fit for you. In this blog post, we break down a few of the most popular platforms so you don’t have to, go check it out.
Step 2: Create a compelling campaign
The next step is to create an engaging campaign that tells your story and convinces people to support you. For this, your campaign should include:
- A catchy title and a clear description of your project or cause.
- A realistic and transparent budget and goal.
- A compelling video or images that showcase your work and impact.
- A list of rewards or perks that you offer to your backers in exchange for their donations (if your chosen platform is reward-based).
- A call to action that urges people to donate and share your campaign.
Also, make sure that your campaign is well-written, proofread, and formatted, otherwise, it will not look and feel trustworthy.
Step 3: Promote your created campaign
The third step is to promote your campaign and spread the word about your project or cause. To do that, you can use multiple channels and strategies to reach out to potential backers, such as:
- Email: Send personalized emails to your existing contacts, such as friends, family, colleagues, donors, partners, etc. You can use tools such as Mailchimp to create and send email campaigns.
- Social media: Share your campaign on social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, etc. This would give your campaign more reach and the possibility of going viral.
- Website: If your nonprofit has a website, add a banner, link, or widget that leads to your campaign page.
- Press: Write a press release or a blog post about your campaign and send it to relevant media outlets, such as newspapers, magazines, blogs, podcasts, etc. There are tools such as PRWeb or HARO that can help you distribute your press release or find media opportunities.
- Events: Host or attend events related to your project or cause, such as webinars, workshops, conferences, etc. We recommend tools such as Eventbrite or Meetup to organize and promote your events.
Step 4: Measure the performance of your campaign
It is very important to also monitor and measure the performance of your promotion efforts. Some platforms already have built-in performance management tools, but these services are usually too expensive. Instead, you can use tools such as Google Analytics or Facebook Insights for this purpose.
In our opinion, these are the metrics you should track:
- The number of views and clicks on your campaign page.
- The number of donations and backers.
- The amount of money raised and the percentage of your goal.
- The sources and channels of your traffic and conversions.
- The engagement and feedback from your audience.
Step 5: Update and thank your backers
The final step is to update and thank your backers for their support and trust. Especially, you should keep them informed and engaged throughout your campaign and beyond. By keeping them informed even after reaching your goal, you are promoting a sense of community and trust in your nonprofit project. Our recommendation is to do it as follows:
- Send regular updates on your campaign progress, challenges, milestones, etc.
- Respond to comments, questions, and feedback.
- Deliver your rewards or perks as promised.
- Share your impact and outcomes after your campaign ends.
- Ask for their feedback and testimonials.
Remember that the goal is to show your appreciation and gratitude to your backers and make them feel like a vital part of your project and mission.
Overall, crowdfunding can be a powerful way of raising funds and awareness for your non-profit project or cause. Nevertheless, it requires planning, preparation, and promotion to make it a success. By following these steps, you can now create and launch a successful crowdfunding campaign that attracts and engages your supporters, without needing any advanced technical skills but rather your creativity and compromise.