Your Guide to Crowdfunding Successfully

YOUR GUIDE TO CROWDFUNDING SUCCESSFULLY

Tips, tools, examples, timelines, checklists, and everything else you

need to know to run a successful crowdfunding campaign

LoveAnimals.org – the only free nonprofit fundraising website for animal causes. It’s our mission to drastically increase giving to the animal sector using

crowdfunding technology

2 | Your Guide to Crowdfunding Successfully loveanimals.org

Introduction .......................................................................................................................................................... 3

Section One: Getting the Basics Nailed Down ........................................................................... 5

Timing and dates ........................................................................................................................................................................5

Decide what you are raising money for .....................................................................................................................6

Decide how much money you want to raise ..........................................................................................................7

Section Two: Building the Campaign Page ..................................................................................9

Write the narrative .....................................................................................................................................................................9

Photos ................................................................................................................................................................................................ 11

Video ..................................................................................................................................................................................................12

Donation Tiers and/or Gifts ...............................................................................................................................................14

Section Three: Building Campaign Collateral ...........................................................................18

Email campaign ..........................................................................................................................................................................18

Segment your list ...........................................................................................................................................................18

Plan a send schedule ..................................................................................................................................................19

Email content ....................................................................................................................................................................20

Social media campaign ........................................................................................................................................................21

Accounts to use ...............................................................................................................................................................21

Planning ahead ................................................................................................................................................................21

Facebook events ........................................................................................................................................................... 24

Press outreach ...........................................................................................................................................................................26

Other avenues ............................................................................................................................................................................28

Section Four: Launching the Campaign .......................................................................................30

Soft launch ....................................................................................................................................................................................30

Hard launch .................................................................................................................................................................................. 32

Keeping momentum ............................................................................................................................................................. 32

Closing the campaign ........................................................................................................................................................... 34

Table of Contents


I want to run a crowdfunding campaign on LoveAnimals.org… What next?

The next step might seem overwhelming. Where do you begin, how long will it take, what do you

have to do, and when do you have to do it? Don’t worry! Anyone can crowdfund, and once you’ve

done it once, you and your donors will be hooked.

As you work through this guide, think of your fundraising campaign like a new restaurant opening.

If you wanted to open a successful new restaurant, you would not simply put some tables in a

room, hire some staff, and the next day open your doors and hope for the best. At best, a few

random people might stumble upon your new restaurant. If they did they’d see it was empty and

assume it was no good. Imagine when you’re on vacation and you look into an empty restaurant –

do you go in or move to the one next door which is packed full of people?

Now imagine opening night where the owners have: prepared a great menu, planned an opening

party, which they’ve promoted, are running a special offer to get people to attend, have reached

out to press, and even recruited a local celebrity to appear. They’ve also planned out the menu

and promotions for the first month to ensure the restaurant looks professional and polished.

Opening night comes and all the pre-planning pays off; lots of people show up! And people

walking by on the street see all the activity and come inside to see what’s going on. Everyone has

a great time so they tell their friends about the cool new restaurant. Those friends in turn visit the

restaurant. They receive a similar great experience because the management planned for the first

month. Word spreads and the restaurant gains momentum. Very quickly it becomes a huge

hit – you can no longer get a reservation. Before they know it people are willing to wait an hour for

a table!


This analogy applies to your campaign. If you throw something up and launch it right away, few will

visit your page. Those that do visit will see no activity or momentum and will assume it’s no good.

But plan well and you can be sure people will bring their friends to your campaign page!

RESTAURANT R E S T A U R A N T

PEOPLE WALKING BY ON THE STREET

Share experiencewith their friends

OPENING NIGHT OPENING NIGHT


Section One Getting The Basics Nailed Down

STEP ONE: TIMING AND DATES

The first thing to decide is when you want to make your fundraising campaign “live.” In other words,

when will it start and when will it end.

Once you’ve picked that date, you can plan accordingly. It takes 2-4 weeks to plan a campaign

and get it ready for launch, depending on how much you’re trying to raise and whether this is your

first campaign or not. If you don’t pick a deadline, then the launch of your campaign is likely to be

significantly delayed. This means it will be longer before you start to see the all-important money

roll in.

T O P T I P :

PICK IT AND STICK WITH IT!


STEP TWO: DECIDE WHAT YOU ARE RAISING MONEY FOR.

Chances are that your organization has multiple funding needs, so which one works the best for

crowdfunding? Here are some tips:

A. Be specific: Rather than general overhead, focus on a specific project and even a

specific animal, if possible.

B. Be tangible: the completed project will have easy-to-report results.

C. Be emotional: tug those heartstrings.

D. Be urgent: a project that must be completed quickly and will pay off within a few

months after the end of the campaign is always a good choice.

E. Do research: View the past and live campaigns on LoveAnimals.org. What tone do

they use? What kinds of campaigns are most frequently funded? Which campaigns

frequently fail?

T O P T I P : TODAY’S DONORS WANT TO KNOW WHAT THEIR MONEY IS

BEING USED FOR – SO TELL THEM.

The more general the campaign (e.g. “we are raising money for

general support of our horses”), the less interesting it is to the

public and the more likely that it won’t meet the goal. Never be

ashamed to tell people what it costs to do your life-saving work.

You might run a campaign to buy 60 $6 bales of hay to feed

Jimmie for the winter. Of course, you’d want to tell Jimmie’s

story and include lots of photos of him.


STEP THREE: DECIDE HOW MUCH MONEY YOU WANT TO RAISE.

1. If it is your first crowdfunding campaign, start smaller.

2. Use previous fundraisers that you've done as a guideline (include all fundraisers, not

just online fundraisers). If you have never raised over $2,000, don’t expect to raise

more than that with your first crowdfunding campaign.

3. How much you can raise is dependent on the size and engagement of your network,

and to a lesser extent how contagious your campaign is. It’s also dependent on how

much work and planning you put into your campaign.

4. There is a strategy to it. Some groups run several small campaigns, e.g. $1,000, in

quick succession since they require less effort and the goal is easily met and usually

exceeded. A good example would be raising money for veterinary care for specific

animals with a campaign posted every month (or even running different campaigns

at the same time). Some groups, on the other hand, choose to run much larger

campaigns ($10,000+) just once or twice a year. You know your donor base; decide

which will get them mobilized the fastest.

5. Remember that nonprofit crowdfunding campaigns (regardless of sector or fundraising

platform used) raise on average $4,000-$7,000 per campaign.

Smaller fundraisers often exceed their goals, which tends to build momentum and

result in more raised overall.

T O P T I P :

ASK FOR A LOWER AMOUNT AND BE PLEASANTLY SURPRISED!


HOW DOES YOUR TEAM STAY ON TOP OF TASKS? CONSIDER A PROJECT MANAGEMENT PROGRAM

LIKE TRELLO OR ASANA TO STAY ORGANIZED

TOOL BOX

SECTION CHECK LIST

Set your start and end dates

Choose what you’re raising money for

Set your fundraising goal

READY FOR THE NEXT STEP?Once you’ve checked the boxes above you should proceed to Section Two!

https://trello.com/

https://app.asana.com


Section Two In Section One, you nailed down the basics.

Now you can build the campaign page.

LOG IN TO YOUR ACCOUNT HERE TO GET STARTED.

STEP ONE: WRITE THE NARRATIVE A.K.A. TELL YOUR STORY!

Log in to your account and click “Start a campaign”. You’ll then begin building the page that will be

seen by the public.

1. The narrative should not be lengthy – 3 to 5 paragraphs is plenty. Let it be the length

it needs to be to tell your story, but remember, people do not read much copy

(text) online. Use photos and videos to tell the story (see below). All but the most

committed supporters will likely skim what you write, so don’t get caught up in making

your narrative a Pulitzer Prize winner.

2. Don’t copy and paste content from elsewhere (unless that content is tailor-made for

your campaign). It’s rarely engaging and rarely mobilizes crowdfunders.

126%126%RaisedRaised

Amount Raised: $6,285Of $5,000 Goal | 99 Donations Received!

COMPLETELY FUNDED!This project was funded on March3rd, 2015. Your help may be neededelsewhere. Please check out ourfeatured projects!

We need to upgrade our shelter washer and dryer to keep our bedding clean!

Clean Sheets for Cats! by Rocky Mountain Feline RescueLocation: Colorado | Campaign Contact

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https://www.loveanimals.org/customer/account/login/referer/aHR0cDovL3d3dy5sb3ZlYW5pbWFscy5vcmcvP19fX1NJRD1V/%5D


3. Keep it simple; describe the problem and how your project will fix that problem.

4. If your project is wide-ranging, take a moment to focus on an individual animal

- it will help. If you are raising money for something “non-sexy” like a trailer to

transport animals, remember you can still tell the story of an animal that needed to

be transported, or an issue that arose for a particular animal because your current

transport is not fit for the purpose.

5. Remember to include a call to action. Such as “Help us raise $xxxx to find a loving

home for Martha” or “Save a life. Donate today!” This is where you offer visitors to your

page the opportunity to bring your project to life with their donations.



COMPLETELY FUNDED!This project was funded on January 24th, 2015. Your help may be neededelsewhere. Please check out ourfeatured projects!

Building a Fence for Rescued Dairy Calves Ferd & Friends

Fence For Rescue Calves by Wildwood Farm Sanctuary Location: International | Campaign Contact

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COMPLETELY FUNDED!This project was funded on March 14th, 2015. Your help may be neededelsewhere. Please check out ourfeatured projects!

Bunnie suffered a leg injury before being rescued. Now she needs your help to stand tall and strong once again!

Save Bunnie's Leg by Cape Ann Animal AidLocation: Massachusetts | Campaign Contact

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STEP TWO:

SELECT THE PHOTOS (OR TAKE THE PHOTOS) AND WRITE THE ACCOMPANYING CAPTIONS

1. Visitors like visuals – try to select 10 photos if

possible.

2. Visitors love to go behind the scenes of your

organization. Think about how often you’ve given

a major donor a behind-the-scenes tour. Do the

same for your smaller donors with photographs.

Take a snap shot of the veterinarian performing the

surgery, staff patching your old trailer, or volunteers caring for cats and

dogs. People want to see real people.

3. Choose photos that communicate the story behind your project.

4. Select a high quality main photo to represent your campaign. Never use

stock photos - they are impersonal and donors want to see the real story.

5. Add captions to the photos to help the donor understand what they are

looking at.

6. Add new photos throughout the campaign (or switch photos out) to keep

things interesting for visitors and donors.

7. Should you use “graphic” or "disturbing" photos? This depends. Think

about your audience – are you targeting parents and kids? Do you

generally use graphic photos? If you don’t, then don’t start now. While

graphic photos can drive donations, they can also drive people away. We

like to raise money through stories of hope and achievement!

8. Photos on LoveAnimals.org are cropped to squares. Make sure that the

photos you choose look correct in that format.


Don’t worry if you don’t have a professional photographer on staff. Think of

all those funny photos and videos you’ve liked on Facebook – were they all

professional grade photos? No!

T O P T I P :

GRAB YOUR SMART PHONE AND SNAP!!!

STEP THREE: SELECT THE VIDEO (OR FILM ONE)

1. Campaigns with videos are more likely to be successful.

2. Grab your phone and film what you’re raising money for - show people

behind the scenes - they’ll love it. Upload it to YouTube then embed the

YouTube video on your campaign page. It’s a good idea to keep the video

short, under four minutes.

3. Zero in on your audience – Get very specific and talk directly to each

person. Don’t use words like “Everyone, People, Everybody, Anybody.”

Use personal words like Mike, Sally, You, Me, Us – everything is personal.

4. Lead with the problem – This is the reason for your project. Focus on the

problem your project will solve.

5. Sell the solution – transition from problem to hope.

6. Call to Action – Be personal and ASK for the funds! Don't beg, remember

you are giving donors the opportunity to help with something they care

about.


Most nonprofits don’t have the resources to pay for someone to film a special

video. If you plan to run a major fundraiser, then budget some funding to produce

a video (remember: it takes money to make money). However, if you are going for

a smaller goal, you don’t need to be Stephen Spielberg to appeal to animal lovers.

Check out the campaign video LoveAnimals.org staff built for free IN JUST ONE

HOUR using free software that records video conferences called Zoom!

T O P T I P :

DON’T BE INTIMIDATED BY THE VIDEO!!!

https://youtu.be/BAqZaAoBHrw

https://zoom.us/


STEP FOUR: SELECT THE DONATION TIERS AND / OR GIFTS.

The purpose of donation tiers is threefold. First, they are used to further break down the

fundraising goal so that small donors can better see how their donation can help animals. Second,

they increase the campaign's transparency, increasing donor confidence. Third, they can be used

to encourage a donor to increase the size of their donation. If they were going to give $25, they

might give $50 once they see the good that $50 can do.

1. Select between 3-9 tiers.

2. Include a tier for the lowest donation amount - $2. to make it clear that

you welcome participation at any level.

3. Include a tier near the average donation amount, which for crowdfunding

is $55

4. Pepper a few other tiers in between. When deciding what these tier

amounts should be, consider the purpose of the tiers as discussed above.



COMPLETELY FUNDED!This project was funded on October 23rd, 2014. Your help may be neededelsewhere. Please check out ourfeatured projects!

An anonymous donor will match every dollar raised to support victims of domestic violence and their beloved pets.

Support Pets in Crisis by Mayor's Alliance for NYC's Animals Location: New York | Campaign Contact

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Food and Treats

$25.00You’ve bought food and treats for cats and dogs at a

family co-sheltering unit!

Cat Supply Kit

$50.00Provide for one cat’s stay with a litter box, bedding,

scratchpost, and food and water dishes.

Dog Supply Kit

$100.00Provide for one dog’s stay with a leash and collar, bedding,

baggies, towels and food and water dishes.


GIFTS – TO GIFT OR NOT TO GIFT.

A gift differs from a donation tier in that you must offer some tangible "reward” in return for the

donation. This practice is used predominantly with for-profit crowdfunding but has spilled over

to nonprofit crowdfunding. Gifts may be offered to donors at various giving levels, and you can

certainly get creative.

1. If you use gifts, only offer gifts that increase feelings of altruism and/or that are

meaningfully related to the project. Example of a gift that increases feelings of

altruism: Stickers with your educational message on them, so that the recipient donor

can involve themselves personally in your awareness campaign. An example of a gift

that is meaningfully related to your project: Artistic desktop wallpaper with an image of

the animal they helped save.

2. Never gift yourself into a hole. Have a plan that includes what to offer at what level,

how, and when you will deliver on donor gifts. Remember, when the campaign is over,

you are responsible for fulfilling the gifts – that means ordering the right number and

sending to all the campaign donors.

3. Try to offer rewards where you do not have to provide something that costs you

anything. Be creative with your gifts; a membership to an exclusive “virtual” club, an

exclusive meet and greet with the Executive Director, the opportunity for the donor’s

beloved pet to be the face of the campaign page for one day, etc.

75%75%To GoTo Go

25%25%RaisedRaised

Amount Raised: $7,543Of $30,000 Goal | 25 Donations So Far!

Help fund and participate in a Canine Study with Drs. Dodman (Tufts) and Serpell (UPenn) to help give all dogs a better chance for a home for life.

The Gift of Life by The Simon Foundation Incorporated - Center for Canine Behavior Studies Location: Connecticut, International, National | Campaign Contact

� $Your Donation

Donate Now!

Project Followed

32Days Left


Why to skip gifts: Offering gifts can potentially harm your fundraising efforts by diminishing donors’

feelings of altruism. For more details: Forbes summary of Yale study

Puppy Love

$10.00

The Good Human

$100.00

Super Supporter

$1,000.00

We will think the words “THANK YOU” in your generaldirection, into the ether.

A Certificate of Appreciation from Dr. Nick Dodman ANDAeowyn’s Canine Treats Recipe Portfolio (e-version so that

you, too, cans share the love!)

A 30 min. personal phone call with Dr. NIck Dodman (Note:he cannot prescribe or treat over the phone) AND anautographed book AND A spot at the webinar AND

Aeowyn’s Canine Treats Recipe Portfolio.

Make It Official

$25.00

Dr. NICK UNLEASHED

$250.00

Vets Who Fax

$2,500.00

A Certificate of Appreciation from Dr. Nick Dodman.

Join an exclusive (20 person limit) webinar by Dr. Dodman:a full 60 minutes of Q&A! You will be emailed an invitation

with instructions on the time, date and how to join thewebinar AND Aeowyn’s Canine Treats Recipe Portfolio.

Receive a VETFAX: a veterinarian-to-Dr. Dodmanconsultation service for any one animal’s behavior

problem. We will contact you with details! ~ AND anautographed book AND A spot at the webinar AND

Aeowyn’s Canine Treats Recipe Portfolio

Let’s Get Cooking!

$60.00

Book Hound

$500.00

Spot’s Savior

$5,000.00

Aeowyn’s Canine Treats Recipe Portfolio (electronicversion so you, too, can pass on the love!)

Receive a copy of Good Old Dog: Expert Advice forKeeping Your Aging Dog Happy, Healthy, and Comfortableautographed by Dr. Dodman AND and invitation to join Dr.Dodman’s webinar AND An Appreciation Certificate AND

Aeowyn’s Canine Treats Recipe Portfolio.

Receive an In-Person Clinic Appointment At Tufts AnimalBehavior Clinic Including: 90 consultation with Dr.

Nicholas Dodman; diagnosis, behavioral explanation,prognosis, and treatment plan for your pet’s behavior

problem; A 6 month follow-up period to help youimplement the treatments. AND an autographed book AND

A spot at the webinar AND Aeowyn’s Treats Recipes.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/rogerdooley/2012/08/08/donor-gifts/


Write the narrative

Take and upload photos

Make a short video

Choose donation tiers or gifts

SECTION CHECK LIST

Your Campaign page is ready to launch when you are - well done!

Proceed to the next step


Section Three: Build campaign collateral: Email, Social Media, Press and More

In Section Two, you built your campaign page. Now you can promote your campaign! Read on for

tips on email promotion, social media campaigns, outreach to the media, and more.

BUILDING AN EMAIL CAMPAIGN

STEP ONE: SEGMENT YOUR EMAIL LIST

Imagine approaching individual supporters to tell them about your campaign. You would pitch the

project differently depending on who you are talking to. Follow that logic to greater success with

email promotions. Segment your list and use different content for different audiences. We suggest

you segment into three groups based on past involvement:

Major donors You will call upon these donors for important soft launch

help (see Section Four).

Small donors.

Anyone else, including volunteers or others who are unlikely to give

money but can help in other ways. The “anyone else” segment should

receive a special appeal. Engage these people in the campaign by asking

them to share the campaign on social media. Ask them not only to post a

link to their own social networks but also to include in their post a comment

about why the campaign is important.


STEP TWO: PLAN A SEND SCHEDULE

Emails can be broken down into 4 phases:

1. Those that go out before the campaign has launched i.e. during “soft launch” – see

Section 4.

2. Those that go out on the official “hard” launch date.

3. Those that go out throughout the campaign.

4. Those that bring the campaign to a close.

As an example, if you were planning a campaign launch date of February 1st with a campaign end

date of February 28th, your email calendar might look like this:

January 28th February 1st February 7th

February 14th

Send a pre-launch email tailored to each

of your segments

Send a launch email where you make your first ask, also tailored

to each of your segmentsSend an update email (no need to segment)

Send an update email (no need to segment)

February 21st

Send an update email (no need to segment)

3 days remaining

Preparing to close the campaign

(no need to segment)

24 hours remaining

Rallying the final donations

(no need to segment)

Post Campaign

Thank you email (no need to segment

– but large donors should receive a call)


STEP THREE: WRITE EMAIL CONTENT

1. Don’t bury your ask in a newsletter - keep your audience’s focus with a

dedicated email message. And keep it brief. Most people only skim a

paragraph or two at most. A paragraph of text, some photos, and a link to the

campaign page are all you need for each email!

2. Come up with a fun subject line to get people to open your email.

3. Make the donor the hero of your story - let them know how they will change

the lives of animals in need.

4. Remember to ask for donations! If you don’t ask, they won’t do. Include a big

button in your email with the words ”Donate $25 now.” Change the amount

depending on the segment.

T O P T I P S :

ADD SPECIAL FEATURES TO YOUR EMAILS AND MANAGE EMAIL LISTS MORE EFFICIENTLY WITH A LOW-COST OR FREE EMAIL

MARKETING SERVICE.

Check out MailChimp, Constant Contact, or Vertical Response.

TOOL BOX

http://mailchimp.com/

http://www.constantcontact.com/index.jsp

http://www.verticalresponse.com/


BUILDING A SOCIAL MEDIA CAMPAIGN

STEP ONE: GET YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA ACCOUNTS READY

Does your organization have an account on all primary social media sites? If not, this is the time to

open them! Currently Facebook and Twitter are essential for any organization, but you should also

consider accounts on:

Instagram (photos)

Pinterest (photos and lifestyle tips)

LinkedIn (professional networking)

YouTube (your campaign video has to be uploaded there, anyway!)

It’s easy to sign up. And don’t forget to share your new networks on your website, in email, and on

Facebook!

STEP TWO: PLAN YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA CAMPAIGN

Don’t just post links to your campaign page asking people to donate. Try to come up with a fun

social media campaign that takes your followers on a journey. The goal is to get them more

engaged than simply posting a link and asking for donations.

1. Plan your posts.

2. Prepare your photos. Using photos or video can help demonstrate your

story and potential impact. You can use the ones from your campaign

page.

3. Research and reach out to 10-20 “influencers,” partners, and supporters

that can help spread the word. For example, a local blog related to

animals, or the Facebook business page of an important donor. Use text

from your email campaign to ask them to share your link. Provide them

with the link and sample content to share.


4. Plan your hashtags. If you are going to promote your campaign on Twitter

and/or Instagram, hashtags are essential. Example: #Boston #animals

#rescue. The more hashtags you include, the better.

a. Come up with 5-10 phrases, stories, examples, etc. that you can

share with your followers as part of the crowdfunding campaign.

b. Variety! Include both success stories (so your followers can

see the good work you have done in the past) and examples of

why your project is needed. This way followers stay engaged

throughout the campaign.

c. Consider sharing the following story angles: personal story of

the leadership, testimonials, impact that their donation will have,

emotional stories, and why the funding is important.

d. If your organization has a blog post, share it.

e. Include urgency in your content, such as “XX days left” or “$XX to

go!”


#2

#2

#1

#1

#3

#3

#4

#7

#8

#9

#10

#5

#6

MESSAGE CONTENT

Have you seen the latest episode of Shelter Me this weekend? You can

watch it <<HERE>>. Stay tuned and we’ll show you how YOU can get

involved and make a difference!

SM General: KICK-OFF

Fly Us Home #1mileatatime

It costs $11,000 to fly XXXX dogs to their new home in [insert state]. Together

we can do it #1mileatatime! Let's get this plane up in the air today!

We have a surprise for you! For first time ever you can make an impact and be

rewarded! Stay tuned and keep checking our posts! We will announce soon!

Thanks to you the plane is fueled up and up in the air! Ready? Off we go!

Help us get these pups to their final destination [insert shelter name]. Each

mile is worth $7.00. Together we can do it! Buckle up 'coz here we come!

With 2 days left to go and xxxx miles to fly, we need your support! Please,

Fly Us Home! Donate just $7.00 #9 today and help us fly the last xxxx miles

home!

A new way to contribute! In just a few days we will show you how you can

be a part of a great cause, and be rewarded. It’s a win-win! Don’t miss!

We have raised $xxxx , $xxxx more to go to get this plane full of pups

home! $7.00 flies a mile! Help us go one mile further!

As they say "If you want to go far, go together." We are ready! 1 mile = $7.00

Fly Us Home!

We are getting home #1mileatatime, thanks to YOU! We have xxxx miles to

go! Help us raise enough money to get home before the Holidays!

Each $7 you donate brings us 1 mile closer to our new home! We have xxxx

more miles to go! Please, Fly Us Home!

At $7 per mile, we only need to raise $xxxx more to get these pups home!

With 6 days left, we need YOUR help to make it happen! Donate today!

General and Sweepstakes - thank you to everyone who participated and

made this campaign a success! Now our pups can find a good home!

(pic of Lucy) It costs $7.00 to fly a mile. Lucy and her friends are xxx

miles closer to their new home! Will you help us raise enough money

to cover their trip home?

PR

E-L

AU

NC

HP

OS

T-L

AU

NC

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EXAMPLE OF A SOCIAL MEDIA CAMPAIGN


STEP THREE: CREATE AND PROMOTE A FACEBOOK EVENT

You can set up the event during your soft launch and then promote it after the launch date.

1. Under Events, create an Event. Enter some details and a link to your campaign.

a. Date: Launch date

b. Location: Virtual Event (see the link in the event description!)

c. Public Event

d. Add a photo

a. Share on your Facebook page, then “Boost” (promote) the event

in the week before Hard Launch. Even $1-2 for advertising can

make a big difference.

b. Ask your team and friends invite people to the event.

2. Invite people to the event! Since Facebook doesn’t let Pages send invitations,

you can:

Social media is about conversations. Make sure that you are responding to your

followers.

1. Check Notifications on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc. and respond.

2. Thank people who: share, retweet, comment, and of course, donate!

3. Update your followers. Get mentioned in a blog or news article? Share it! The

same goes for hitting big milestones like reaching a weekly goal or unlocking

a matching grant.

T O P T I P : BE ATTENTIVE!


MAKE INVITING FACEBOOK CONTACTS TO YOUR EVENT

LESS OF A CHORE WITH THE INVITE ALL PLUG IN FOR FACEBOOK

For Google Chrome | For Firefox

TOOL BOX

CONSIDER USING A TOOL LIKE GREENINBOX.COM TO DIRECT

MESSAGE ALL YOUR FACEBOOK AND TWITTER FOLLOWERS.

Warning: Only use this once per campaign.

POST REGULARLY ON SOCIAL MEDIA.

It’s essential that your organization post regularly during the campaign, not just at

the beginning and the end. But you don’t need to be chained to your computer!

• Did you know that you can schedule posts in advance in Facebook?

You can also do so on Twitter by using a tool such as Hootsuite (free to use).

• Connect Facebook and Twitter. This way, your Facebook posts will be

published on Twitter. How to: Go to www.facebook.com/twitter, add the

application, click Link a Page to Twitter, choose the Page, and click Link to

Twitter.

https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/facebook-invite-all/inmmhkeajgflmokoaaoadgkhhmibjbpj?hl=en

https://addons.mozilla.org/en-us/firefox/addon/facebook-select-all/

http://www.greeninbox.com/

hyperlink:%20https://hootsuite.com

www.facebook.com/twitter


BUILD A PRESS OUTREACH PLAN

Never done a media campaign before? It’s not as scary as it sounds! Here’s what you need:

1. List of media contacts (traditional and online)

2. Press release

3. Plan for press outreach

4. Optional: Press Page [Click here to see an example].

a. Include all media you have worked with before.

b. Local newspapers (find yours here).

c. Bloggers: local blogs and related animal blogs.

Search here

a. Use examples, such as the one LoveAnimals.org provides.

b. Prepare photos; upload them to a shareable link, if possible.

c. Prepare a pitch email (1-2 paragraphs) that introduces your press

release

a. Who: Designate one person to be in charge of outreach and

follow-up with reporters. Include their name, phone number, and

email address on the release. Prepare photos; upload them to a

shareable link, if possible.

b. When: Don’t begin contacting the press yet. Wait until the soft

launch of your campaign. (See Section Four)

c. Plan time for follow-up – reporters are unlikely to respond unless

you call.

a. A press page gives reporters more information making it easier

for them to cover your story, and therefore they are more likely to

do so. Include the following elements: Press Release, brief text,

hi-res photos, a video (use campaign video), some quotes, some

stats relating to your campaign, your nonprofit, and the animal

http://loveanimals.myinstapage.com/

http://www.ipl.org/div/news/

http://www.icerocket.com/

http://www.loveanimals.org/marketing-materials.html#Press_Release


ASSEMBLE PROFESSIONAL-LOOKING PRESS PAGES USING ONLINE TOOLS.

Look for nonprofit and free trial offers with UnBounce or Instapage.

TOOL BOX

species your campaign is helping, some Tweets and Facebook

posts and, of course, a link to the campaign page.

b. Consider building press page capability into your nonprofit's

website, or using an online page building service.

http://unbounce.com/

https://www.instapage.com/.


Other Avenues

DIRECT MAIL

If you’re running a big campaign, it’s worth sending a snail mail alert to people you only have

snail mail information for. Try to drive them to your campaign page so you can collect their email

addresses. They’ll then become an email donor and going forward it will be much cheaper to send

them information about appeals. Don’t underestimate the number of people who previously sent

checks but would be happy to give online.

Direct mail donors can also send checks to you directly to support the campaign. Remember to

enter them as an “offline donation” via your account page in order to show visitors to your campaign

the progress you are making.

WEBSITE

Put a link to your campaign front and center on your website! Remember that the goal is to get

your donors to support your campaign and then go and spread the word using social media among

their network. Your donors can’t do that if they simply make a regular gift using the donate button

on your own website. Your donors can “Share the Love” directly from your campaign page on

LoveAnimals.org. Before you know it they’ll have secured you donations from brand new donors,

FOR FREE!!!

Does your website have a blog? Don’t forget to write a post about the campaign!


Segment your email database

Plan email send schedule

Write email content

Get your social media accounts ready

Plan your social media campaign

Create and promote Facebook Event

Research and collect a media list

Write press release / assemble press page

Create a press outreach plan

Update your website and write a blog post (if applicable)

SECTION CHECK LIST

Well Done!

You’re ready to LAUNCH your Campaign!


Section Four: Your campaign goes live: Soft Launch and Hard Launch

STEP ONE: SOFT LAUNCH

Start your soft launch 3-5 days before your hard launch.

1. Contact your most loyal supporters and ask them be the inaugural donors

to your special campaign! Make them feel special for jumping on board

first and tell them why you need their help. Remember to always focus on

them. These important supporters will help you get the ball rolling. The

more donations you’ve secured before the hard launch, the better. Think

of the restaurant opening analogy – if people show up and there’s no one

there, they might be inclined to go elsewhere!

You should contact donors you have a strong relationship with (both small

or major donors), members of your board and your most loyal volunteers.

Family members can also be asked for help. Consider calling donors

when appropriate.

2. Contact the media (press and bloggers). Tell them the date of the hard

launch – they will likely visit the campaign page and see that people have

already started donating. Showing this early success (before you’ve even

launched!) will help persuade the media to cover the story.

3. Send your teaser email to everyone not included above – don’t include

a campaign link yet. See the next page for an example of a teaser email.

You don’t want general traffic going to the campaign page until the loyal

supporters have made some donations to get the ball rolling. Use this

email to pique people’s interest that something fun is about to happen.


STEP TWO – HARD LAUNCH - START TELLING THE WHOLE WORLD

1. Launch your Facebook event.

2. Send your first round of emails and post your first wave of social media

posts.

3. Follow up with reporters and bloggers who have not responded

4. Change your Facebook banner photo to promote the crowdfunding

campaign,

5. Does your organization use an Auto-Reply email? Update it to promote

your crowdfunding campaign!

6. Add a link to your campaign page to your email signature.

7. Congratulations – you’ve just launched your very first crowdfunding

campaign!

STEP THREE – KEEPING MOMENTUM

The bulk of the work goes into the pre-launch phase. But once you launch the campaign, you don’t

want to just sit back and wait for the donations to roll in. The more momentum your campaign has,

the more people will hear of it and the more likely you are to exceed your fundraising goal and

attract lots of new donors.

There are two great ways to keep momentum going.

1. Send updates throughout the campaign


You can do this directly from your campaign page – they’ll be sent to everyone who donated and

every visitor to your campaign will see them.

" I visit LoveAnimals.org to find great campaigns to support. I always give to the campaign that has lots of updates as I love to see what’s going on"

What’s in an Update?

Try and post a paragraph of text and a photo (or new video if you have one). A great thing to do is

celebrate campaign successes, for example, if you’ve reached a milestone or reached a certain

number of donors.

2. Break the campaign down into mini campaigns

Celebrate the mini milestones! People are mobilized to act when they

think something is successful, particularly when trying to get that early

momentum at the start of the campaign. If you break the campaign down

it makes messaging easier:

“Our goal this week is to raise $2500 and we are very nearly there – will you be the one to push us over the edge?”

Versus

We’ve raised 20% of our goal – will you help us by donating?”


STEP FOUR – BRING THE CAMPAIGN TO A CLOSE

Now is the time to mobilize any supporters who have not yet given! Call upon that list of people

who are helping you spread the word and ask them to post on social media that the campaign is

coming to a close. This is the time to get a last-minute flood of donations!

Don’t worry if you haven’t met your goal. You can feel like you’ve failed but donors won’t see it

that way. They will be happy to have helped and been involved so send those thank yous and be

excited for what you did achieve. And shout about it from the rooftops because with the money

you have raised, you’ll be able to help animals, and that’s what donors care about.

You will have likely snagged yourself some new donors. Remember to reach

out to those new donors with a special welcome and thank you email. Those

new donors will likely give to your next crowdfunding campaign. So if you run

campaign after campaign, you’ll be growing your donor database every time.

T O P T I P :


SUBSCRIBE NOW IN ORDER TO TAKE PART IN OUR TWO UPCOMING TRAININGS:

1. Taking Your Campaign to the Next Level through

Celebrity Ambassadors and Influencers…

2. Getting your donors to fundraise for you!

Coming Soon!!

SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER

WE ARE MAKING A REAL DIFFERENCE IN THE LIVES OF ANIMALS

Together we can make a bigger impact!

loveanimals.org

http://www.loveanimals.org/nonprofit-signup

Your Guide to Crowdfunding Successfully

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Transcript of Your Guide to Crowdfunding Successfully