Here are a few things to keep in mind for your crowdfunded campaigns

Don’t be over optimistic- It’s easy to get overwhelmed with the level of exposure that the power of internet brings with it. Set realistic goals. Not all your page views will translate to donations. It’s all right. Trust your network and empower them to promote your campaign. Everything will eventually come along and you will find your donors.

Work on your content- Most of the times your content can convert undecided visitors to willing donors. Success stories, Undertaken projects, plan of action, vision, mission all show a clarity of thought thereby generating confidence in the campaign. Use photos and videos as they add dimension to your content. After all the donors want to know how you’re putting their hard earned money to use.

Embrace technology- Whether it is about promoting your campaign, organizing your content, staying connected to your donors – Technology can make things easy for you.

Contrary to the popular belief, packaging is almost as important as content. Even willing donors will eventually give up if your website is heavy / difficult and navigate.

Finally keep your donors in loop. Express your gratitude after receiving donations. Keep them updated. Tell them what good their money helped you do. All this would motivate them to donate more to the cause.

Volunteer or Supporter Engagement

Volunteers are like the cogs to your crowdfunding machinery. The most common error made by first-time campaign organizers in this space is not giving enough attention to volunteer needs. The campaign owners should realize that the engagement with the first level network of these well-wishers and supporters, which their friends, family and co-workers is the most potent force to propel the campaign to its success.

Right from the first contact, to co-ordination during in-between an ongoing campaign, define clear roles and how everyone’s contribution (in terms of resource or time) matters. This gives a sense of entitlement and achievement to the volunteers and you hit the ground running for your campaign from day one. Experts say that a good start helps achieve numbers and attracts more attention. Define set targets for the day, communicate with team. The potential of being viral among networks is the most in the initial days.

Do not forget rewards. Showing appreciation and a vote of thanks is often more important than monetary rewards in cases of charity. This is going above and beyond you covering the normal expenses that are incurred by volunteer during the life of the event. You cannot expect volunteers to pay for travel expenses or food or supplies. If that is the case, it should be clearly communicating from the very start.

Is it important to meet the needs of all the stake-holders. Collect feedback from your supporters. Not only will it help you be better with future events, the data can also be used to match volunteer interests with the events you plan to organize.

While there are several other things that affect the success of a campaign, most of them are campaign specific. The above points can provide a very basic guideline to crowdfunding, but at the end it’s up to you to keep improving, to keep improvising and keep delivering.

Crowdfunding is a solution that involves financing a cause by engaging the general public through specialized Internet platforms. To be successful, a crowdfunding campaign requires a great deal of communication and energy, especially if the collection goal is high.

Here are 19 tips for a successful crowdfunding campaign for nonprofits.