Click on any non-profit’s web page. You’re sure to see a ‘donate here’ button prominently decorating each page of the website.
It’s a no-brainer. Donor support is the lifeblood of any non-profit!
However, while important, a few donate buttons sprinkled throughout your website will rarely be enough to keep your crowd of supporters engaged and contributing to your cause.
What, then, can you do to rally enthusiasm around your non-profit and get folks streaming your site to click that glorious little button?
In a word, you need a campaign.
Why are crowdfunding campaigns effective? How can your non-profit successfully launch your first (or next) campaign?
Causability is here with some pro tips on how to make the most out of untapped crowdfunding potential for your cause via campaigning.
Crowdfunding Campaigns - What are They?
As a non-profit or individual with a cause, you have already embarked on a special campaign.
You have a goal or cause that you will stop at nothing to support. You are feverishly working to raise awareness and get others on board, mentally and monetarily. You’re grateful for every $10 donation rolling in, and you’re hoping with all your heart that more and more people will notice your cause, and start supporting it too.
In this way, you are already campaigning and crowdfunding. It’s a great start!
Likely, though, you’re overall mission could be broken down into mini-missions, if you will.
Take a look at your cause, and see if you could break down your big goals into a few smaller goals or benchmarks. These sub-categories of your cause become your next little campaigns within your big-picture campaign.
What’s the point of organizing campaigns within your cause? It works, for multiple reasons.
Why Crowdfunding Campaigns Work
There are at least 3 important reasons to use smaller-scale campaigns to crowdfund your cause:
- Save yourself stress. Setting smaller-scale goals as a non-profit helps you focus on what you can do today for your cause instead of feeling like you’re drowning in the sheer scope of your cause.
- Celebrate real progress. Achieving those small goals gives you the ‘can do’ feeling you need to keep your cause moving forward.
- Generate more support. Launching periodic campaigns around an event or specific goal gets everyone involved, reminds your supporters to donate, helps raise awareness, and shows your donors what their support is accomplishing.
For example, say you are running a non-profit animal shelter. Rescue animals are your life! You know better than anyone, those sweet pets need all the support they can get.
Still, trying to wrap your mind around all the goals your shelter would like to accomplish is overwhelming for you and your supporters.
You have a few regular donors, but you feel forgotten by most in the community, judging by your non-profit’s last bank statement.
Launching a campaign is the perfect remedy for boosting morale and improving money matters?
How to Launch a Crowdfunding Campaign
A campaign can sound intimidating, but as with any goal, planning is the key. Gather the important players in your non-profit and get the ideas rolling.
To illustrate, let’s revisit our animal shelter example.
Here are some goal and event-related campaigns the shelter could plan:
- Plan a ‘Dog Food Drive’. Ask everyone in the community to bring a bag of dog food to the shelter or donate the equivalent to a bag of food on your website by a certain date.
- Plan an ‘Adoption Fest’. Host an event designed to help families meet their new best friend, while at the same time raising awareness and recruiting new volunteers.
- Plan a ‘Rescue Animal Awareness’ week. Each day of the week, you can feature a profile of a rescue pet at your shelter on social media. Tell his story! Plan fun activities each day at the shelter to get people involved. Set a goal of raising X amount of dollars by the end of the week.
Whatever campaign you decide to launch, make it practical, make a strategy, and make sure it is well advertised!
Crowdfunding is fueled by social media, so taking time to really communicate your campaign to your audience is crucial.
Creating a special brand for each mini-campaign is a great way to make it special and shareable.
For example, an ‘Adoption Fest’ logo printed on some classic swag, like a t-shirt or tote, will give supporters a good memento and turn them into a walking, free advertisement.
If your campaign is a smash hit, it can even be repeated annually, possibly becoming a community tradition full of good memories and big donations.
As a word of caution, however, be selective with what campaigns you host and how often. Too many or ill-planned campaigns may desensitize supporters to your cause or burn them out on donating. It’s best to keep them wanting more!
Of course, the most important part of any campaign is having an easy way for supporters to donate.
Causability offers a simple, customizable, peer-to-peer crowdfunding platform for non-profits who need dependable tools to help fund their cause.
Sign up today to see how Causability can help you make a success of your crowdfunding campaign.
