I just released a new guide! Check it out here. It’s all about crowdfunding personal expenses. Get Funding for Education,Travel, Volunteering, Emergencies, Bills, and more.
GoFundMe is a crowdfunding website for charity projects and personal causes. People have used the platform to raise money for medical expenses, animal care, college costs, and more. If you are new to GoFundMe, be sure to check out our list of personal cause crowdfunding websites and the GoFundMe reward ideas we’ve put together.
You can use GoFundMe to make a personal donation campaign, a charity fundraising campaign, or an all-or-nothing crowdfunding campaign (similar to Kickstarter).
In this article, I will be focusing on personal donation and charity fundraising campaigns.
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First Look at Other Projects and the GoFundMe Resources.
Before starting your own GoFundMe project, it’s important to get a feel for how others in your category have structured their campaigns. How many social shares did their campaign receive? Did they include a video? Pictures in their updates? Over what span of time did they raise the money?
For example, if you are thinking of raising $100,000 on the platform because you’ve heard of some major campaigns in the media, like the homeless man who returned the $40,000 he found in a backpack and ended up getting pledges from around the world ($159,000+), then it might surprise you to learn that the vast majority of campaigns on GoFundMe are for less than $1,000.
The GoFundMe “How to Fundraise” page and Help Center are great resources to start with to getting your questions answered.
Directly Reach Out to Your Personal Network
You might be hoping that strangers will find and donate to your GoFundMe campaign, but the sad truth is that the majority of funding on GoFundMe comes from personal networks.
“Sharing your campaign with friends and family is a part of what makes GoFundMe work so well. Not only will the people in your life support your campaign, but they will also help spread the word to their friends as well. GoFundMe users should not expect to receive support from strangers.” – GoFundMe Team.
Therefore, outreach to your personal network is crucial! I’d recommend directly reaching out to each individual in your social network. Explain to them why you are doing the campaign, how their contribution could make a difference, and how much you would appreciate their support.
Your social network could include: Friends, family members, loved ones, coworkers, and classmates.
Try Grassroots Marketing and These Fundraising Ideas
Your local community can be the second powerful force behind your personal fundraising campaign. Contacting your local paper, charitable organizations, non-profits, and setting up a community fundraising event can help you expand the reach of your GoFundMe campaign.
Check out the links below for some fundraising ideas to engage your local community:
50 Fundraising Ideas – Creative and Easy Ways to Raise Money for Your Organization
100 Student Fundraising Ideas.
Best Fundraising Ideas In America – Broken down by Sports, Churches, Non-Profits and School Fundraisers
17 Fundraising Ideas via GiveForward
If you’re expecting your story to spread via social media, I’d recommend examining how social media centric publications like BuzzFeed generate social shares.
In order for your story to appeal to media outlets, it must first be inline with the type of content that the outlet produces. Second, it must resonate emotionally with their readers.
In my article, “Getting media attention for your crowdfunding campaign,” I explain how it’s crucial to identify how your story fits into the overall media discussion and the angle that you will use to persuade journalists that your story will drive traffic or sell copies.
A good place to start when studying how charity/cause campaigns get picked up via social bookmarking sits like Reddit is to examine these inspiring gofundme campaigns, which have raised five to six figures.
Does this make you feel uncomfortable?
I agree – it can be tough to ask your personal network for fundraiser donations. However, if you’re unwilling to do this, it might save you a lot of time and headache to just forego setting up a GoFundMe campaign. The vast majority of campaigns do not go viral. Most pledges come from the user’s social network and their local community.
Be sure to share your feelings about GoFundMe below. I’d love to hear some of your thoughts about the platform and your experience fundraising!
