Crowdfunding – A Powerful Tool for Causes
Crowdfunding is perhaps one of the most popular and impactful ways to raise funds for a given cause. As a form of online fundraising, crowdfunding causes are typically promoted through channels such as social media, paid advertising, and email marketing, amongst others.
Regardless of the focus of your crowdfunding – be it a cancer charity, a business concept needing startup funds or a community cause – promoting it online is a powerful and impactful way to reach even the toughest fundraising goals. Here, we’ve outlined some of the specific benefits of crowdfunding and how you can increase the impact of your crowdfunding efforts.
Benefit 1: Really Expands Your Reach
Connecting with a Global Audience
Thanks to social media, crowdfunding campaigns can quickly reach a vast audience beyond just your local community. Not only that, but a well-timed post on social media can land on the feed of someone who your cause will really resonate with. This expanded reach means a higher chance of reaching those who may not have otherwise heard about the cause or initiative, and therefore increases the likelihood of a donation.
Leveraging Social Networks
Platforms like TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, and Reddit are used by billions of users every single day, and with every piece of content you share, there’s always a chance it may go viral. For a great cause or idea, it’s not unheard of for a crowdfunding campaign to go viral and hit fundraising goals relatively quickly, particularly if the cause resonates with the users interacting with the content.
Be sure to produce genuine and informative content about your cause for your social channels. This will help users understand what your cause is about and why they should care. That genuine tone is what will help your campaign gain traction and resonate with your target audience on social platforms – honesty is the best policy!
Benefit 2: Provides a Platform for Storytelling
Sharing Your Story
Crowdfunding platforms have made it easy for anyone with an internet connection to create a campaign and reach out to potential supporters. Essentially, it’s now possible to tell your own story, in your own words, in order to garner the support and backing you need. There are no rigid guidelines and no rules – meaning you can share your story and be explicit about where support is required in an open and honest way that chimes with people.
Building an Emotional Connection
The ability to tell stories through crowdfunding platforms – whether through your words on the funding page, your social posts, or the video content you produce – will help people connect with your cause on a more personal level.
Building that emotional connection with an audience increases the likelihood that the crowdfunding link will be shared and that the fundraising goal will be met. People are more likely to support a cause that also matters personally to them.
Benefit 3: Facilitates Impactful and Quick Fundraising
Fast and Efficient Fundraising
A Crowdfunding page can be created and launched within a few minutes. And once donations begin rolling in, the funds can also be accessed almost immediately. This efficiency is perhaps one of the biggest advantages in comparison to traditional fundraising.
Not only that, but crowdfunding is fast. The power of social sharing, immediate accessibility, and storytelling ensures your cause has the potential to be seen and supported by a lot of people in a short time frame.
Instant Updates on Fundraising Progress
Crowdfunding campaigns often provide regular updates on the overall progress, the milestones, and the achievements of the campaign. These updates can create a sense of transparency, trust, and even urgency with those who have already donated or are considering donating. It demonstrates how their contributions are directly impacting the cause.
Some campaigns also have time limitations such as one week or a few months. Providing potential donors with updates on when the fundraiser is closing may also create a sense of urgency and encourage them to donate before it’s too late.
Benefit 4: Allows for Multipurpose Fundraising
Fundraising for Various Needs
The beauty of crowdfunding is that it can support a variety of causes and isn’t limited to registered charities. These include entrepreneurial ventures, creative projects, social causes, personal challenges, community projects, product development, education and research. Ultimately, if you have a cause you wish to promote and you can connect with an audience that’s willing to get involved and back you, it can be done through crowdfunding.
Maximising Your Efforts with easyfundraising
With the right set up and ongoing promotion, your crowdfunding campaign can make a big difference for the cause, idea, or initiative you are promoting. However, with easyfundraising, that effort can be even more impactful.
Alongside your crowdfunding campaign, you can register your cause with easyfundraising. Your supporters can then shop with more than 7,500 major online retailers. Each time they do, the retailer will make a donation to your cause out of the money spent and at no extra cost to your supporters. It also doesn’t cost you anything either.
By making this option available alongside your regular donations on your crowdfunding page, your supporters can choose to donate cash or use easyfundraising to support your cause. Many may do both.
Benefit 5: Builds Community Spirit
Encouraging Community Engagement
Crowdfunding encourages a lot of transparency when it comes to fundraising (from the onset and through to the end). Donors are able to really understand even the most niche and personal causes. And from there, they can see the direct benefit and impact their donations have had. For this reason, crowdfunding can facilitate a sense of community amongst supporters of a particular cause.
Not only that, crowdfunding is often used for community projects like parks, wild spaces, and community centres. Therefore, it can also help tighten an already established local community and lift their spirits and enthusiasm for getting involved.
Nurturing Ongoing Relationships
Maintaining communication with your supporters during your crowdfunding campaign and demonstrating the impact of their donations can help nurture strong, supportive relationships.
By engaging early adopters, showing appreciation throughout the campaign, sharing news, engaging supporters and taking their ideas on board, you can increase the chances of continued future support.
Harness the Power of Crowdfunding for Your Cause
Ultimately, crowdfunding has numerous benefits. These include easy accessibility, the democratisation of funding, the potential for broad reach and high engagement, the ability to resonate with key or niche audiences, and the potential to attract a very large pool of supporters.
This makes crowdfunding a quick and easy way to hit specific fundraising and awareness goals, all the while engaging supporters and building long-lasting relationships that can benefit your future causes. Overall, crowdfunding empowers individuals, businesses, and communities to achieve their goals and support important causes with the help of virtually anyone in the world.
When combined with services such as easyfundraising, the impact of crowdfunding can be even greater and more accessible, as it gives individuals the ability to support a cause in a way that’s beneficial and practical for them. Discover more information about how easyfundraising can help boost your crowdfunding efforts and maximise donations at no cost to you or your donors.