November 11, 2016
When nonprofits face budget crises like the past state budget impasses in Pennsylvania and Illinois, crowd funding campaigns become the go-to problem solver which helps organizations raise dollars. Crowd funding is defined as the practice of funding a project or venture by raising small amounts of money from a large number of people, typically via the internet. Crowdfunding originally was designed for entrepreneurs, but the nonprofit community quickly adapted the concept. Several charitable organizations have seen success through crowdfunding campaigns. With platforms such as Kickstarter, Indiegogo, Razoo and CauseVox, the art of fundraising is becoming more social, amplifying local nonprofits and their message louder than ever. Here are a few crowdfunding tips to help your organization’s next big fundraiser.
Clearly laying out the precise purpose for raising money eliminates any questions or hesitation donors may have. Be transparent and let it be known where the money donated will be working. It is also helpful to include specific organizational information about past successful fundraisers.
Some of the best crowd funding campaigns have a killer story behind them. A heartfelt and captivating story will resonate with donors and activate the spirit of giving. Robert Wu at CauseVox.com says there are 4 classic storylines that perform well with nonprofit crowd funding: 1) Overcoming the monster, 2) Rags to riches, 3) Quest, and 4) Tragedy.
Many times, nonprofits think they can just put up a campaign and the dollars will automatically just start rolling. That couldn’t be further from the truth! For a successful crowdfunding campaign, it takes some strategic planning. Start getting the message out to your donors through email, in person, or through social media about a specific new campaign to raise funds. Build a strong base prior to any campaign by leveraging current donors to ensure a successful campaign.
These are just a few tips to assist in creating a successful crowdfunding campaign. When used correctly, crowdfunding can be a great resource to mobilize donors in a short amount of time for a worthy cause. Giving Tuesday is right around the corner! Take the time to build a solid crowdfunding campaign for your nonprofit and let us know if any of these tips were helpful.
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Throughout our membership in the Unemployment Savings Program, First Nonprofit understood our demands, community dynamics, and the importance of seamless services; that allowed us to serve our constituents better.
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The Ensight Skills Center has enjoyed working with First Nonprofit for several years. We are enrolled in their Unemployment Savings Program and although we have not required a lot of intervention, there have been a few times. I know others have dealt with the same problem of unemployment fraud over the last year and in our case, a call to First Nonprofit (they actually answer their phones) cleared up the issue. They also sent us a letter to send to all our employees telling them what they needed to do to prevent this in the future and protect themselves. What a relief! Over the years if I have questions or concerns, they are happy to listen, advise and help if they can. Another BIG advantage of using First Nonprofit is that all the money that is paid into the Unemployment Savings Program lives on my balance sheet as an asset. The money continues to be Ensight’s not the governments. First Nonprofit has certainly given me peace of mind.