{"id":6262,"date":"2020-02-24T12:14:00","date_gmt":"2020-02-24T18:14:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bluecotton.com\/blog\/?p=6262"},"modified":"2020-03-10T12:17:22","modified_gmt":"2020-03-10T17:17:22","slug":"3-common-nonprofit-crowdfunding-mistakes-you-need-to-avoid","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bluecotton.com\/blog\/articles\/charity-fundraising\/3-common-nonprofit-crowdfunding-mistakes-you-need-to-avoid\/","title":{"rendered":"3 Common Nonprofit Crowdfunding Mistakes You Need to Avoid"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

When Hurricane Harvey struck Houston in August 2017, Houston Texans athlete Justin Watt set up a crowdfunding campaign on GoFundMe<\/a> to provide relief to victims of the flooding. When all was said and done, he managed to raise over $37 million, which was distributed to various nonprofit organizations. It was a beautiful example of the good that can be done with the Internet and social media.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It was also proof positive that crowdfunding is not only a viable tool for nonprofit fundraising but a powerful <\/em>one. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It’s our firm belief that if your nonprofit is interested in raising money for a good cause, a crowdfunding platform is one of the best ways to do so. However, crowdfunding isn’t a tool you can use without proper research and planning. We see a lot of nonprofits forget that, and make a ton of easily-avoidable mistakes in the process. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here are a few of the most common crowdfunding mistakes we see them, and how you can avoid them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Going in Without a Plan<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

As with any fundraising campaign, planning is the first thing you need to do before getting involved in any <\/em>crowdfunding platform. The most important part of this process is to set clear, achievable goals. While it’s certainly possible <\/em>that you might go viral and raise millions, the number of crowdfunding campaigns that achieve this are few and far between.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You need to manage your expectations and focus not just on how much money you want to raise, but what you want to do with that money. 
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ignoring Marketing and Communication<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

It’s true that crowdfunding can greatly increase your nonprofit’s reach, putting your message out before a far larger audience than might otherwise see it. But if you haven’t put in the necessary effort to first refine <\/em>that message, it’s likely going to fall on deaf ears. This starts with understanding your nonprofit’s culture and using that understanding to refine your voice across your marketing channels.<\/a> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Beyond that, it’s also important to put in the necessary work to keep in touch with your donors. You need to have a communication plan in place that you can use in the weeks ramping up to your campaign’s launch, one to use during <\/em>your campaign, and one after it’s complete. The idea is that you want to remain in constant contact with your audience, providing them with regular updates about milestones and progress. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not Researching a Crowdfunding Platform<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

We see a lot of nonprofits gravitate towards Kickstarter. While it’s possible <\/em>to host a nonprofit fundraiser on this platform (or any consumer crowdfunding site), it’s not really what they’re intended for. Instead, we’d advise choosing a nonprofit platform that’s specifically<\/em> geared towards nonprofits, such as Rally<\/a>, Causes<\/a>, or GoFundMe Charity<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not only are they likelier to have nonprofit-specific tools and metrics for you to leverage, but they’ll also see you promoting your campaign to an audience that’s far likelier to be onboard with charitable giving.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Smarter Fundraising. Better Giving<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Crowdfunding is a powerful tool in the repertoire of any nonprofit. Sure, there’s a bit of a learning curve, but you shouldn’t let that stop you. Do your homework, understand where the most common mistakes occur, and you’ll do just fine.
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Crowdfunding is a powerful addition to any nonprofit’s toolkit. However, it isn’t something that guarantees success, nor is it a tactic you should dive into unprepared. Plenty of nonprofits forget that and make totally avoidable crowdfunding mistakes in the process. Here’s how you can avoid doing the same. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":38,"featured_media":6263,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[654],"tags":[879,878],"class_list":["post-6262","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-charity-fundraising","tag-crowdfunding","tag-nonprofit"],"yoast_head":"\n3 Common Nonprofit Crowdfunding Mistakes You Need to Avoid | BlueCotton<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Don't make these mistakes with your nonprofit crowdfunding.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bluecotton.com\/blog\/articles\/charity-fundraising\/3-common-nonprofit-crowdfunding-mistakes-you-need-to-avoid\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" 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