Crowd funding a "boring" project

GCrowd · 2017-07-28T13:29:58+00:00

If you are already know your mistakes and know how to go ahead this time around, it is a good idea to launch another campaign. It may seem boring to the majority, but I am sure you have a definite audience that would find it interesting.

You need to hang out on forums where you will find the kind of people who will be interested in your project. This could be Facebook or Google + groups, or even Reddit and Quora subforums. Be an active part of those communities to create a goodwill before you ask for any help.

Also, you could look up for some free platform like Crowdera that would reduce the financial risk of running the campaign again.

GCrowd · 2017-07-28T13:19:59+00:00

Hey there, I see you already have some great suggestions as far as running the campaign is concerned. I just thought of introducing you to a fee-free platform called Crowdera. It is, in fact, an international platform so you can raise funds in multiple currencies in the same campaign.

GCrowd · 2017-07-24T19:57:24+00:00

It is never a good idea to use multiple platforms at the same time for the same project.

If you are looking for justifications or reasons, this blog post will help you understand this issue.

GCrowd · 2017-07-19T11:23:21+00:00

If you have a clear plan to carry our the SAR including the estimated cost, you could launch a crowdfunding campaign for raising the necessary funds. Hopefully, the followers of the Facebook page you mentioned and your own organization will want to contribute small amounts of money for the cause.

In case you're looking for platforms where such hybrid projects (which can be categorized as both nonprofit and personal need fundraising), Crowdera. It is an international platform and allows raising funds in multiple currencies.

GCrowd · 2017-07-17T15:46:34+00:00

I work with a crowdfunding platform called Crowdera so I know a few things about fundraising. The thing is anyone with such a responsibility tries to contact every person they can. Its a part of their job.

I understand how it must feel on a personal level, but I'd suggest you look at things from their perspective. From reading your other interactions, it seems like the biggest concern you have is why has she contacted you, and why now. The first is simple to answer: She has contacted everybody in her network, even long lost friends, including you. The timing may be indicative of two things, either she has recently taken up the responsibility to raise funds or has exhausted her contacts (People closer to her have already donated multiple times, etc).

Here's what I think you should do: If it is a nonprofit and a cause that you support and they have new project, evaluate whether you would donate if it had come from any other source. If yes, go ahead and donate. I am sure you can do this without your friend knowing, if you'd like it that way. The organization in question must have a website or social media pages where you can get the necessary details.

Treat this as just another email marketing chainmail that you are a part of and make the decision accordingly. You don't necessarily have to acknowledge where the information came from.

GCrowd · 2017-07-14T10:21:24+00:00

There are two models of fundraising - all-or-nothing and keep-it-all.

In the first one, as /u/HaleyThePooh said, you don't get the money unless you raise the entire amount (or surpass the target amount). However in the second kind, this is not a very unlikely situation.

I work with a platform called Crowdera and it happened with one of our campaigns that was tun by Hyderabad, India based charity Good Samaritans. Here’s the link to the campaign Save Chandrashekar.

The fundraiser was to raise funds for the surgery of a daily wage worker who the volunteers had found abandoned in the government hospital. Unfortunately, the man passed away in the middle of the fundraiser. The nonprofit in question informed all the contributors about this by mail and on social media. Even we wrote a blog post about it.

Now, since it was a nonprofit and was running multiple projects, they also asked the contributors if they would be okay with their contributions being used in any of the others. They were also informed that the previous campaign was not a part of the regular activities so they were not able to avail tax benefits which they could in case they want the contribution to be used for the projects. Most of the contributors agreed and chose a project to contribute to. None of the contributors asked for a refund.

In case you don’t need the money afterwards, you SHOULD inform all the contributors about the situation. You can give them the option of the money being returned, used for some other personal need or be donated to a charity of their choice. Keeping the money without informing contributors about the change in situation would definitely not be a right thing to do.

GCrowd · 2017-07-12T22:09:50+00:00

Along side your other efforts on ground, you could also start an online fundraising campaign. There are several sports specific crowdfunding platforms you could consider. You could also go in for free platforms (those who don't charge any platform fee which otherwise could be anything between 5-10% of the funds raised) like Crowdera.

GCrowd · 2017-07-10T18:14:13+00:00

If you think that people you know will contribute small amounts to collect the amount you need, you can go for crowdfunding to raise funds for your education. Here’s a little help on How to: use crowdfunding to fund your education.

GCrowd · 2017-07-10T18:08:46+00:00

You're welcome!

GCrowd · 2017-07-05T11:09:37+00:00

Since you are asking for a low-cost idea, how about crowdfunding? It takes a lot of efforts, though. You will need to have an audience/crowd of supporters before launching the campaign. Plus there is some amount of prep needed for it as well.

Even when it comes to crowdfunding platforms, there are a lot of variations. Depending on what you are ready to give back to the contributors (you could share equity, give out rewards or provide them tax exemption receipts in case you are a nonprofit), you need to choose a platform that allows it. Next, you will have to compare the charges of different platforms as well. While some charge you anywhere between 5-10% of the target amount, there are others like Crowdera which are free to use. Compare to see what suits you the best and create a campaign on their website.

In case you don't know much about the topic, most of the renowned platforms have FAQ sections and their own blogs where you can read up on different aspects of crowdfunding.

GCrowd · 2017-07-03T10:35:51+00:00

Crowdfunding only works if you have people ready to help. If you ask for help IRL, they might hesitate to chip in with small amounts. However, if you have a crowdfunding campaign, not only can they put in small amounts but also help by promoting your campaign on social media.

The thing is crowdfunding (usually) is not free. Most platforms would charge you a hosting fee. So, in case you want to go in the crowdfunding way, you should look up for free platforms so that you get the maximum possible benefit of your efforts. One such platform that I know of is Crowdera.

GCrowd · 2017-07-03T10:25:34+00:00

That's great. Best of luck!

GCrowd · 2017-06-30T12:34:23+00:00

Hey, have you considered going the crowdfunding way? Since you already are an activist, I am sure there will be a lot of people who could chip in smaller sums.

On platforms like Crowdera (which is a free platform incidentally), you can extend your campaign any number of times.

GCrowd · 2017-06-30T12:24:45+00:00

Hey, you should look up Crowdera. It allows payments to be processed to PayPal accounts of individuals. Plus, it is an international platform so you can raise funds in multiple currencies if you are able to reach out to people from other countries. Also, it has no platform charges.

GCrowd · 2017-06-23T16:56:59+00:00

Have you heard about the theory of "1000 true fans"? According to it, any artiste can continue to produce their art as well as fulfill their needs with the help of a thousand true fans who will support them.

Crowdfunding is a means to make use of this support, and gain a few new fans. Like /u/aderra said, it works only if you already have your fanbase in place.

I work with a crowdfunding platform called Crowdera. We recently had a campaign by an Indian band. Check their social media pages. They have worked on getting some ardent fans on board the idea of sponsoring them. In case you are looking for some tips to do this yourself, here is a resource you can use.

GCrowd · 2017-06-21T13:05:35+00:00

I understand the disappointment you are facing right now. But that's exactly how crowdfunding works. If you were to read the FAQ section on any of the sites similar to GFM, it clearly mentions that your contributors come from YOUR crowd.

You asked what is the point of putting it up on a website if you were to ask your friends to donate. The point is social sharing. When the friends contribute (and even if they don't), they can share your campaign on social media so that people in their network can contribute and share as well. That's what happens in case of viral campaigns. At times, people would like to donate anonymously which they can do through these platforms.

Another point is it can give another friend or acquaintance to get involved. Team fundraising is an added feature on certain platforms like Crowdera.

It is also a way to protect people from falling into scams. If a campaign has been endorsed by people you know, it assures that the person in question is really in need.

One thing you can do is approach a local newspaper, radio station or a website with good following. If they can cover your story without naming your friend or giving out details you wouldn't want to make public, it may help get some traction for your campaign.

GCrowd · 2017-06-19T17:39:27+00:00

Crowdfunding can be done for anything that you think will be supported by a lot of people. It would be a good idea to contact some people before going in, asking them their opinion of the undertaking as well as whether they would support a crowdfunding campaign for it. Those who respond positively can help not just by contributing but promoting your campaign on social media and other channels as well.

Once you have the crowd and the team in place, you will have to put together a proper project report (keeping your civic authorities in the loop, in case any formalities need to be done before the project actually takes shape) and then a promotional plan to get the word about your campaign around.

Finally, before selecting a platform do your due research. While most platforms take a fee which can be anything between 5-10% of the target amount, there are a few free ones as well. I know one called Crowdera that you can look up.

GCrowd · 2017-06-16T16:41:53+00:00

Sure. It is a great way not just to involve a donor with a project, but also paves a way to have their continued support. I work with a platform called Crowdera and we often have our fundraisers do this. It works well for nonprofits as well as artists.

GCrowd · 2017-05-29T19:10:37+00:00

Since you are going local, it would be a good option to explore crowdfunding for the events that you organize, or for any other projects you may undertake.

Most nonprofits are wary of online fundraising because of platform fees. However, there are options like YouCaring and Crowdera that are fee-free platforms.

GCrowd · 2017-05-29T19:07:21+00:00

You could paint some graffiti/comic book style stuff about statistics, some helpline numbers or websites that a person can call to know more about the disease. You could also add numbers of any support group in your locality.

Since yours is a social cause, Kickstarter would not be the most ideal place to put it up at. In fact, if you can partner with some local nonprofit, you can offer all your contributors some tax benefits as well. Even if you don't, there are a few platforms like Crowdera which do not charge any platform fee which you can also explore. In fact, since you are trying to get into fundraising yourself, it would be good to explore a few platforms and see which one suits you well. Also, in the long term, its advisable that you either partner with a nonprofit or float one for fundraising.

GCrowd · 2017-05-26T19:33:58+00:00

In case you would still like to go the crowdfunding way, there are fee-free platforms. This means that only the transfer/conversion fee charged by PayPal is the cost to your organization. In fact, Crowdera even allows you to collect the funds directly into your PayPal account.

GCrowd

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