Crowdfunding for Farmers

Chris Michael and Perry Baptista – May 2015 – info@brightagrotech.com - Confidential – Do not distribute.

5 lessons from successful crowdfunding campaigns

@BrightAgrotech

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@UpstartFarmers

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Crowdfunding for Farming:

Successful Lessons from the Field

May 2015

a community to power good food & farming to the tipping point

Marie SaylesDirector of Projects & Partnerships

a crowdfunding and social community dedicated to

powering the good food & farming movementand the people who are changing

how we farm, eat and live.

We have successful farm projects from Seattle to Indiana,

Florida to the Carolinas, Minneapolis to Nebraska, the

Sierras to New York City.

Funding a project or venture by raising money from a

large number of people, typically via the internet.

Essentially, it is asking people to invest, lend, donate or

contribute to a person, org or business they believe in.

WHAT IS CROWDFUNDING?

Lending Gift / Reward Equity

The “crowds” provide the

capital for loans/micro-

loans

The “crowds” contribute

to a project and may

receive incentive

rewards.

Collections of qualified

investors provide a

network for

investments.

BENEFITS of REWARD CROWDFUNDING

FLEXIBILITY & SPEED

PUBLIC AWARENESS

BUILDS COMMUNITY & CUSTOMER BASE

Crowdfunding allows the public the chance to eliminate

traditional funding barriers, and to change our food

systems by supporting innovators of good food & farming.

WHY BARNRAISER?

75% success rates for farming projectscompared to below 35% on large general platforms

who align themselves with health & sustainability and are looking for new champions of the movement and new products

Connecting you to 41 million Americans

campaigns average over $12,000 raisedcompared to below $4000 on other platforms

MORE ATTENTION AND SUPPORT

It is our job to drive additional exposure the innovators like you who are reshaping how we farm and eat.

Your project will not be one of 50,000.

It is founded by people with years of experience in the food & farming movement. We have

farmers, chefs, nutritionists, educators, gardeners and food experts on our staff.

We are personally committed to your success.

This is your place.

Personalized advice from people with experience.

Marie Sayles

Keys to

Crowdfunding

Success

1. Tell a Compelling Story

2. Find your Community

3. Set the Right Goal

4. Give Great Rewards

5. Be Fearless with the Ask

KEYS TO CROWDFUNDING SUCCESS

TELL a COMPELLING STORY

Tell us YOUR story and why you are the

person to make this project happen.

Make it personal & share your passion.

Tell how your story is relevant to the food

& farming movement to go beyond your

local community.

Does your story have broader impact?

A short and direct video connects you to

your audience - both homemade &

professional can be effective.

Show your face and make the ask.

FIND your COMMUNITY

family, friends, customers, fans, clients,

online groups, business contacts,

community groups, membership orgs

Who is your audience?

email, Facebook, farmer’s markets, phone

calls, word of mouth, posters, community

events, stores and restaurants

How do you reach them?

Set up a circle of advisors, find a project

manager, or recruit volunteer interns

Build a team of supporters

SET the RIGHT GOAL

Set your goal based on your proposed

budget and the size of your community.

A typical range is between $5000 - $25,000.

Make it Attainable

Email is the BEST way to reach people

about your campaign.

Use social media - Facebook, Twitter and

Instagram - to spread the word.

Stretch and Dream

Add STRETCH goals to reach higher.

“Going viral” only happens with advance

planning.

Activate Your Network

Learn from OthersDo your research by checking out current

projects & pledge $5 to a farmer today.

Easy to use Tools & DashboardReview our campaign guides beforehand

& follow the daily tasks on the DASHBOARD.

Outreach Starts NowThe audience does not find you,

YOUR efforts starts the momentum.

PLANNING for SUCCESS

GIVE GREAT REWARDS

give thanks, give something, give

recognition, give an experience

Four ways to give

Offer rewards ranging from $10 - $25 -

$50 - $100 to $5000

Most people give around $20-$25 dollars,

– the average pledge is $78.00

Appeal to a Wide Range

Build on your expertise and offer a service

Add value with gift baskets, vouchers, &

gift certificates

Include sponsorships & direct donations

Get Creative

“Best of” REWARDS

BE FEARLESS with the ASK

YOU are your own biggest cheerleader, so

get the word out.

Get your whole team on board – everyone

needs to be ready to promote and push.

Speak Up!

Crowdfunding is not a handout! It is a give

and get exchange and you are promoting

your business.

Be Direct

Some of us have friends or relatives that

have “offered” to help with the business.

Now is the time to make that call.

Time to ask Uncle Henry

Start a project draft today for 10% fee discount.

Launch your project within 30 days to get a total of 25% fee discount.

Go to https://www.barnraiser.us/projects/new

Contact the Barnraiser Project team for your

FREE project consultation and planning guide.

projects@barnraiser.us

Let’s raise some barns together!

Brian EdwardsHalo Greens

Charleston, SC

“People don't trust a beggar. And as I learned, older

generations don't understand donations to a busines

s. They seem to believe that if you want to start busi

ness you must sacrifice, risk, and sweat to make it h

appen.

Some don't like to give unless they receive somethin

g

in return. The "what's in it for me?" type.”

“The major things that I did right was getting my Kic

kstarter campaign seen by as many people as I coul

d, I

had people sharing it on Facebook/social

media/newspapers everywhere I could. Because of t

hat I was able to reach a much wider group of peopl

e than I could of. I was pretty new to the idea of

crowdfunding when I started my Kickstarter, which i

s why my videos looked like how they were, now tha

t I have had some more time to reflect back on it I w

ould of dedicated more time and energy to editing th

em.”

John PietschPeach Boys Farms

Portales, NM

“I put up fliers, with little pull-tabs at the bottom that

included a link to my website and Kickstarter, at loc

al grocery stores and gyms. I was surprised by the

response at first, but it makes sense. People going t

o

grocery stores instantly witness how horrible the

current selection of produce is and have a desire

to do something about it.”

T.J. DeaconFable Foods

Hudson Valley, NY

Q&A:Crowdfunding for Farmers

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@Barnraiser

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