crowfund your nonprofit website

By

Redesign Your Site Without Breaking The Bank

http://www.startsomewhere.com

It’s safe to say that for most nonprofit organizations, funding is

a continual effort. Nonprofits’ ability to fulfill their mission – and

ability to keep the lights on – is contingent on grants and

donation appeals, an effort made harder by difficult

economic times.

In today’s environment, smart organizations are leveraging

new ways to fundraise, enabled by technology – namely,

crowdfunding.

Crowdfunding basics

How smart nonprofits are using crowdfunding

Crowdfunding providers

How to run a successful crowdfunding campaign

At its most basic level, crowdfunding enables groups of indi-

viduals to pool their resources to fund projects initiated by

other people or organizations. Crowdfunding platforms like

Indiegogo, Kickstarter or GiveForward enable people to fund

a wide range of projects like building a museum, to

creating a product, to paying for medical bills. In

2011, crowdfunding platforms raised $1.5 billion

and successfully funded more than 1 million

campaigns.1

Every nonprofit worth its salt allows online

fundraising and has a “donate” button on its

website. But crowdfunding is different:

crowdfunding campaigns raise money for distinct

projects within a specified time frame, and with a goal of

raising a specific sum.

People give to crowdfunding campaigns not to receive a c3

donation, but to actively engage with you and your cause. In

exchange for their backing your project financially, they get

to be a part of you and your project. They also get something

fun – a perk – like a small gift or thank you. It’s an exchange

that marks the start of a new relationship with your

organization.

1 Crowdfunding: $1.5B Raised, 1M Campaigns Funded In 2011; Figures Set To Double In 2012. http://techcrunch.com/2012/05/08/crowdfunding-state-of-the-union/

2 Crowdfund Your New Website: Redesign Your Site Without Breaking The Bank


Crowdfunding can raise funds for specific projects and goals.

There are tons of benefits, which fall into two main areas:

raising funds and building your list.

Crowdfunding can raise money for operational improvements

that grantmaking organizations won’t fund, like a new website,

without dipping into your operational budget.

It give funders something tangible and specific to fund,

instead of a general issue.

It brings a sense of urgency for the campaign, because

crowdfunding campaigns have a set time limit.

Crowdfunding allows you to build your list, by allowing people

to find your project according to topics they’re interested in,

and by leveraging social media in a new way to attract new

people to you. And you get to keep the names.

It can newly mobilize your existing list with fresh messaging.

For nonprofits with geographic fundraising restrictions, it can

reach audiences outside your geographic area, without you

actively communicating to them.

Crowdfunding campaigns allow supporters to follow

your success throughout the campaign, build a

relationship with the organization, and

continue to support your work beyond the

campaign.

For nonprofit organizations, crowdfunding

pays dividends far beyond the actual dollar

amount.



Your website is a perfect opportunity to crowdfund. It’s a great

way to not only reach new donors, but to invest in one of the

most important parts of your organization.

Websites need to be refreshed every two years to keep

up with the growing needs of your organization,

design and functionality trends, and the online

browsing behavior of your audience. Because

of this, your website is a continual work in

progress.

Additionally, your website is your most visible

public asset. Most people may never interact

directly with your organization or benefit from your

services. But they will see your website, learn about your

organization, and make a decision to engage with you by

signing up or donating.

Crowdfunding for your website, and then redesigning your site

and doing a public launch, is the best way to not only keep

your organization current and fresh, but to reward campaign

donors by engaging them in the most important public part of

your organization: your website.

Improve your Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

Enable social sharing on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and other sites

Stay ahead of the competition

Make it easier to update and add content

Integrate seamlessly with forms and your CRM

Show where you’re headed, not where you’vebeen

Create a mobile- and tablet-friendly design

Optimize to drive newsletter sign-ups anddonations

Serve up the key information your audience islooking for

Make a great first impression!


More nonprofits are using crowdfunding than ever before. Here are a few

examples of nonprofits using crowdfunding successfully, for projects large and

small.

Samasource raised $52,000

from 123 contributors to build

a site called Samahope, which

funds life-saving surgeries and

health interventions in poor

parts of the world.

Raised 104% of Goal!

http://www.indiegogo.com/samahope

Autostraddle beat their goal of

$40,000, raising a whopping

$116,000 from over 1,800

contributors.


http://www.indiegogo.com/autostraddle-website


NCLR raised $60,000 through

offline events, to do a redesign

of their website in 2013.

Raised Funds Online & Offline

The Chainlink raised $16,000

from over 200 contributors for

their website redesign.


http://www.indiegogo.com/TheChainlink-website-tuneup

These campaigns aren’t for websites, but they show what nonprofits

can do with the power of crowdfunding.


IDEO.org, the nonprofit from

acclaimed design firm IDEO,

raised over $27,000 for project

worldwide.

Beat Their Goal!

http://ideoorg.causevox.com/

Re-volv raised $15,000 from 178

contributors, for Our Solar Seed

Fund: a sustainable seed fund

that invests in solar projects.


http://www.indiegogo.com/solarseedfund


Project for Awesome partnered

with YouTube stars to raise

$397,000 for charity from over

15,000 funders.

Over 15,000 Contributors!

Well Aware raised $77,000 to

provide clean water to 40,000

people.

Raised their goal in one week!

http://www.causevox.com/case-studies/well-aware/

http://www.indiegogo.com/p4a2012


As with any campaign, thoughtful planning and coordination

is key. Here are a few things to think about for your campaign:

Your crowdfunding campaign will require 2-3 months of

preparation, including creating a video and other

communications materials, and developing a

communications program. The campaign itself can

last from 30-60 days.

Which crowdfunding provider will you use for

your campaign? Check out the list in the next

section and select the right one for your needs.

A good pitch is direct, engaging and transparent. It’s

important to be yourself, to clearly communicate what you

are doing, show what you are raising money for, and explain

why it matters to your mission. Be proud of your endeavor and

let your enthusiasm show! Make a Pitch video to be more

personable and dynamic.

Successful campaigns include a 60-90 second pitch

video. This is a great opportunity to share an

emotional appeal and connect with the

audience. Check out successful campaigns to

see examples of great pitch videos.

In crowdfunding campaigns, each donation level

offers a different perk. Think through perks for your

campaign, choosing things that are attractive to donors,

but not costly.

Offer discounts or coupons

Throw a party for contributors

Signed editions of exclusive artwork

DVDs or MP3 downloads

Pre-sell tickets or services

Donated perks from local businesses

Personal thank you notes or call

Teach a class or host a tour

Free entry or membership discounts


Successful campaigns include a 60-90 second pitch video.

This is a great opportunity to share an emotional appeal and

connect with the audience. Check out successful

campaigns to see examples of great pitch videos.

How will you promote the campaign? How

often will you reach out to your list, and how

often will you post using social media? Plan a

coordinated communications schedule that

leverages each communication vehicle.

Are there influencers who can help promote the campaign?

Industry associations, magazines, blogs, and other influencers

can help spread your message.

Are there influencers who can help promote the campaign? Industry

associations, magazines, blogs, and other influencers can help

spread your message.


"This is going to take up a lot of time. You should plan to devote time

every day, or every other day, to make the campaign a success," says

filmmaker Theresa Loong, who successfully crowdfunded her film on

Kickstarter.

A crowdfunding campaign requires effort, but then again, what

effective fundraising campaign doesn't require a lot of effort? If you

compare the return on investment of your current efforts with the

potential return of crowdfunding, you’ll see that crowdfunding is an

efficient way to raise money quickly.



www.indiegogo.com

Kickstarter is a crowdfunding platform that has made a

name for itself in design and product development projects.

Though it’s a good place to look for examples of successful

campaigns, unfortunately it does not allow nonprofit

projects.

www.kickstarter.com

Indiegogo is one of the largest crowdfunding sites

empowering anyone, anywhere, anytime, to raise funds for

any idea—creative, cause-related or entrepreneurial. They

offer two funding options (flexible and fixed funding), giving

you more funding options if you don’t meet your goal.

FirstGiving is a platform for events and causes, and offers

tools for managing fundraising success beyond the

campaign itself.

www.firstgiving.com

CauseVox crowdfunding platform is for both nonprofits and

for profits, and offers a fully customizable fundraising page

for your campaign.

www.causevox.com


Crowdtilt crowdfunding awards raised funds if a campaign

"tilts" and offers tax deductible donations for 501(c)(3)

organizations.

www.crowdtilt.com

Razoo is a crowdfunding platform for non-profits and

charities that allows individuals, organizations, corporations,

and foundations to set up campaigns. Razoo also allows

team campaigns.

www.razoo.com


RocketHub accepts members from around the world. Many

U.S.-based sites limit their membership to users in the United

States, but RocketHub is one of the largest global

communities dedicated to crowdfunding.

www.rockethub.com


Loudsauce is crowdfunding for targeted advertising buys.

LoudSauce combines your crowdfunding with their

advertising buying power, to do video ad buys on national

TV and online.

www.loudsauce.com

Spot.us is a unique crowdfunding platform that supports

citizen journalists by funding their investigations of specific

topics. Spot.us can be a useful tool for organizations seeking

to raise awareness through hard-hitting investigative

journalism.

www.spot.us


For more information, check out the following helpful articles:

“How Crowdfunding Benefits Nonprofits and Donors”Geri Stengel, The Huffington Post.

“Crowdfunding Enters the Charitable Giving Tool Kit”Michael Fischer, AdvisorOne

“How to Use Crowd-Funding Sites to Raise Money forYour Non-Profit”Joe Garecht, The Fundraising Authority.

“11 Tips for Crowdfunding: How to Raise Money From Strangers”Rich Brooks, Social Media Examiner.


If you’re interested in doing a crowdfunding campaign for

your website or other project, let’s talk. We can help you plan

and execute the campaign, and spread the word beyond

your network to increase contributions.

We work with our clients on fundraising campaigns, website

design, message creation, social media, and bringing

best-in-class technology to organization operations. And

we’re here to help.

Start Somewhere is a branding, communications and fundrais-

ing agency for companies doing good in the world. We’re on

a mission: to help grow organizations that make a difference,

to bring best-in-class technology to team operations, and to

provide senior level fundraising strategy and execution to

organizations of all sizes.

Our backgrounds are in corporate marketing, brand building,

technology, nonprofit operations, database marketing and

donor and funder management. Together we develop

programs to build lists, manage audiences, and generate

revenue. And we wrap it in a beautiful package by presenting

your organization online in the best light possible, with clean,

modern website design.

Organizations like Tech Soup Global, Equal Rights Advocates,

National Center for Lesbian Rights and others trust Start

Somewhere for their communications, website and fundraising

programs.

Learn more about Start Somewhere at

www.startsomewhere.com.


Leanne Pittsford,CEO

Leah Neaderthal,Chief Marketing Officer

Sarah McCall,Chief Fundraising Officer

Shea Morrissey,Communications Director

Emily Martiny,Creative & Video Director

Caroline Hardoyo,Technical Lead

http://www.startsomewhere.com

crowfund your nonprofit website

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