Nonprofit crowdfunding is a rising trend for organizations looking to boost their online fundraising initiatives. And this trend is here to stay!
Nonprofit Crowdfunding — Perfect Fundraiser
Nonprofit crowdfunding is the perfect fundraiser for organizations because it’s cost-effective and simple to create, and it helps nonprofits build awareness for their cause.
With so many organizations creating crowdfunding campaigns, it’s especially important for nonprofits to create a campaign that’s a cut above the rest.
In addition, organizations need to market their campaign from start to finish so that they can continue to receive donations even after the initial buzz dies down.
That’s why we’ve compiled a list of five expert tips to help you promote your crowdfunding campaign:
- Encourage mobile donations.
- Build a killer crowdfunding page.
- Create an event tied to your crowdfunding campaign.
- Post crowdfunding updates frequently.
- Track your crowdfunding progress.
Keep reading as we dive deeper into these essential marketing tips.
1. Encourage Mobile Donations
One of the best ways to market your crowdfunding campaign is through mobile communication. Let’s face it: supporters are using their smartphones to learn about organizations and, ultimately, contribute.
The convenience of mobile giving is already a strong motivator, and when donors are informed about the mobile giving options available for your crowdfunding campaign, they are more likely to give.
Of course, in order to offer mobile giving features, you need to find a crowdfunding website that is mobile-responsive so that your fundraising page can be accessed on any device.
In addition to a mobile friendly design, you can also encourage mobile donations by communicating with donors via text message. Texting is a proven strategy to promote fundraising because 90% of text messages are read within the first 3 minutes.
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As a result, you can rest easy knowing that a large percentage of your donors will see your content and become more informed about your crowdfunding campaign.
Other elements such as links to your crowdfunding page, videos, and encouragement to pass along your content will motivate people to learn more about your campaign, which may lead them closer to your end goal: donation.
Keep in mind that text messages aren’t the only way to promote mobile giving during your crowdfunding campaign. Many people access their social media and email accounts on mobile devices as well.
Post simple instructions on how to give via mobile devices and include a link to your mobile-optimized crowdfunding page on Facebook, Twitter, and email to cast your net even further.
Takeaway: More and more supporters are gravitating toward their mobile devices to learn and engage with nonprofits. Use this to your advantage by marketing your crowdfunding campaign on mobile outlets.
2. Build a Killer Crowdfunding Page
If you’re familiar with crowdfunding campaigns, you might think you have this step figured out. But before you skip it, remember that your crowdfunding page is more than just a place to explain your cause.
Your crowdfunding page is a powerful marketing tool that can help increase your campaign’s visibility on search engines as well as motivate undecided supporters to take the next step.
With every campaign, there are three crucial components that can excel your marketing efforts.
Nonprofit Crowdfunding Description
It’s no surprise that crowdfunding descriptions are an essential part of marketing your campaign. When nonprofits have a crowdfunding description with a word count that hits the sweet spot (between 300-700 words), their campaign is more likely to appear on the first page of popular search engines.
Moreover, a great crowdfunding description can help donors empathize with your cause and the people or communities you support.
A strong description should tell a story (preferably from the perspective of a volunteer or person you serve) and express why this project is important to the community.
It’s also important for organizations to be transparent about why they need the funds. Donors will appreciate your honesty and are more likely to support your cause—whether that’s through sharing your crowdfunding page with peers or contributing.
Visuals
Generally, most crowdfunding platforms are designed to feature an image—and with good reason! First, photos, videos, and graphics help supporters gain a deeper understanding of your cause.
The type of visuals you post will depend on your organization’s resources, but here are some examples of the types of images you can include:
- Photos of your volunteers in action at one of your events.
- Video of the people and communities you serve talking about their experience with your nonprofit.
- A graphic that conveys key statistics related to your cause.
Additionally, if you post a link to your crowdfunding campaign on certain social media sites, an image from your page will appear on the post. These images can help make your posts pop and grab the attention of your supporters.
Consistent Branding
Every nonprofit expert will tell you how important branding is to your nonprofit’s online presence. The same goes for crowdfunding. As you promote your campaign, it’s likely not every donor that comes in contact with your campaign will know your nonprofit.
With the right branding on your crowdfunding page, donors will have a better understanding of what your nonprofit hopes to achieve.
Brand your crowdfunding page by placing your logo in a prominent location, incorporating your brand’s core colors, and making sure all your images look consistent.
Takeaway: Creating a high-quality crowdfunding page is essential to your marketing plan, so make sure that you write a strong description, use visuals, and brand your page.
3. Create an Event Tied to Your Crowdfunding Campaign
Events are a great way to draw attention to your crowdfunding campaign. Your organization can plan an event as part of the launch of your campaign, to boost funds during your campaign, or after you’ve hit your goal. The choice is up to you!
With a fundraising event, you can get all your supporters in one location, celebrate your current progress, and encourage additional donations.
Some events that work well with crowdfunding campaigns include:
- Walkathons and marathons
- Kick-off events
- Benefit concerts
- Themed parties
If you want even more event ideas, MobileCause has a full list of awesome fundraisers that will go great with your crowdfunding campaign.
At your event, staff and volunteers can engage with guests, thanking those who have already contributed and motivating those who haven’t given yet.
Moreover, you can use this opportunity to get input from your guests by asking what factors encouraged them to give as well as the elements that didn’t work.
Your event is also a great opportunity to have key speakers (think: major donors, volunteers, staff, etc.) discuss the importance of this campaign and encourage guests to make donations at the event.
Additionally, you can showcase some of your donors to show your appreciation and have them present their case for supporting your cause. In fact, having a supporter explain why they’re passionate about your nonprofit can help other donors see the importance of your mission.
Takeaway: Organizations looking to boost their crowdfunding campaign should consider hosting an event. This will give nonprofits the chance to present their pitch and thank those who have already contributed.
4. Post Crowdfunding Updates Frequently
One of the most underused features of any crowdfunding platform is the crowdfunding updates. However, this feature is an essential part of marketing your campaign because it can attract new supporters to your cause and keep existing donors updated on your progress.
Think about it this way: donors are much more likely to give to your crowdfunding campaign if they receive updates and see that you’re close to reaching your goal.
Plus, keeping your supporters in the loop is a proven marketing strategy that attracts even more supporters to your cause.
Nonprofits can post updates that:
- Highlight donors and thank those who have already given.
- Celebrate the campaign’s progress and showcase significant milestones.
- Ask for donations and encourage donors to share your updates.
Even after the campaign has ended, organizations can post updates to show donors how their money is being used.
In addition to writing updates on your crowdfunding platform, you can post on social media and send emails.
For instance, your organization could create an e-newsletter specifically for your crowdfunding campaign where you let supporters know about important milestones (when you reach the halfway mark, for instance) and events related to your campaign.
Your organization should create a calendar to help track what types of updates you’re going to post and when you’ll publish them. Make use of the social media scheduling features so that you can create multiple posts in advance.
No matter your organization’s size there are plenty of tools available that can help make posting updates easier. In fact, Double the Donation has a list of affordable marketing tools that organizations can use to help promote their crowdfunding campaign and save time.
Takeaway: Posting updates is a great way to raise awareness and encourage additional donations from your supporters.
5. Track Your Crowdfunding Progress
Staying updated on your campaign’s progress is essential if you want to improve your marketing before it’s too late.
Most crowdfunding campaigns have some type of analytics tracking feature or will allow you to transfer the information to your nonprofit CRM.
Through analytics, your organization can pinpoint which marketing tactics were most effective in motivating donors to give.
For example, if your hospital created a crowdfunding campaign as part of your healthcare fundraising initiative, you may find that when you post on social media about grateful patients, you see a positive spike in donations.
As a result, you might want to continue to post about grateful patients or take it one step further and create a video of patients telling their stories.
Tracking results can help you improve your future campaigns as well. You’ll be able to make adjustments based on the information you collected so that you can launch stronger, more successful campaigns in the future.
To get the best results, you’ll need to track more than just names and donation amounts; your nonprofit will need to keep an up-to-date record of the:
- Number of donations including the dates they were submitted.
- Average gift size.
- Page, post, email, etc. that lead donors to your crowdfunding page.
Use these results to test different variations of your updates, social media posts, and emails to fine-tune every element in a way that helps you generate more contributions.
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Bottom Line
It’s important for organizations to track their crowdfunding progress so they can make improvements to their marketing strategies as they go.
Now that you’ve learned five ways to market your crowdfunding campaign, you can launch your online fundraiser and start sharing your cause. Good luck fundraising!
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Steve Page is a blogger, marketer, and webmaster for MobileCause, the world’s leading mobile and online fundraising platform. MobileCause helps organizations reach their goals with a full suite of mobile-friendly solutions that allow donors to connect and give to your cause from any device. When he’s not working at MobileCause, Steve can usually be found helping organizations with their websites, learning the latest marketing trends or working on his golf game.
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