5 GoFundMe Mistakes To Avoid

More often than not, success in the personal crowdfunding arena comes from avoiding costly mistakes rather than using some kind of secret outreach technique.

The reason I say that is because many of the mistakes that I’m about to mention can turn off donors, stop donors from giving money once they’re on your campaign page, or prevent them from paying attention to you on various social media outlets.

You’re trying to build, what in marketing terms, we call a “sales funnel.” Let’s say that you post this message on Facebook, “Please, please, please give me money to help me pay bills __link__.”

If 100 people view this update about your crowdfunding campaign on social media, 5 of those 100 check it out, and 1 person gives, you have a conversion problem.

The way you solve this problem is to figure out where in the process your numbers are off. Maybe you try some different messaging like, “I’m SO thankful for the 25 people who are helping me in this difficult time, especially ___, ___, and ____. Every dollar counts and $25 will get you a free batch of my delicious homemade cookies.”

Let’s say of those 100 people that view this update, 50 people check it out and 10 contributes to the fundraiser. You’ve identified that the initial messaging you sent was coming off as “begging” or “pleading” and people didn’t like that. Your new messaging worked better!

Obviously, you’re not a marketing expert and you don’t have the time to keep running tests like this to figure out the best practices for a fundraising campaign. That’s why I’ve put together these common outreach mistakes. Avoid them at all costs!

#1: Don’t spam your link on social media or on the web

If you go on my blog, CrowdCrux, or my , you’ll see hundreds, in some cases thousands of people spamming the link to their personal crowdfunding campaign. Here are three examples:

“Anything will help ___link____.”

“Please donate to ____link____.”

“___link___”

Yes, some of these pleads or spammy posts just have the link to the individuals’ personal crowdfunding campaign. This is not an effective strategy, and you’re simply wasting time. Strangers are not very likely to go to your campaign, particularly if you’re spamming your link all over the web.

This rule also applies to your own social network. Don’t just send update after update or tweet after tweet asking for money, linking to your campaign, and pleading your friends to help (I’ll get more into that in the next point). Not only will you come off as desperate, but you’ll alienate any supporters that you COULD have attracted.

As strict as I am about this rule, I am 100% empathetic. I understand why people do it. It’s really because they don’t know what else to do, are desperate, and they’re panicking because they haven’t received any donations. I’m not here to criticize your fundraising need. I’m here to show the effective way of getting attention and donations for it.

#2: Don’t plead, beg, or show desperation

This applies mainly to crowdfunding campaigns related to medical, emergency, or personal expenses. The reason I highlight this mistake is because desperation is the number one turnoff in all areas of life. It will turn people off from wanting to be your friend, date you, or in this case, give money to your fundraising campaign.

The reason that desperation has this effect is because it’s absolutely clear that you’re focused on the transaction. You’re only thinking about what you want. You have no confidence in your own value or self-worth. You come off as having no self-respect. People don’t want to be associated with this type of energy or the feelings of guilt and awkwardness that this energy creates.

You also don’t have any social proof. By that, I mean that if you’re begging, it’s unlikely that many people have helped you or taken a second to help you. Therefore, anyone who was on the fence about helping you is more likely to scroll past the message in their newsfeed.

If they saw that 10 of your mutual friends had given to your campaign, they’d be more likely to stop and give to your fundraiser, because it’s the socially acceptable thing to do. Here’s social proof explained:

“Social proof is a type of conformity. When a person is in a situation where they are unsure of the correct way to behave, they will often look to others for cues concerning the correct behavior.”

I know that what I just said in the last two paragraphs sounds harsh. But, it’s human nature.

#3: Don’t just post on Facebook or other channels and ASSUME your messages are seen.

Due to Facebook algorithm changes and the sheer volume of content on social media, it’s highly unlikely that every one of your friends is going to see your status update or message when you share it. Therefore, direct outreach is crucial for getting donations. You have to be willing to call, text, message, and talk to your family, friends, and local network.

Any time that you are trying to engage in broad messaging or “talk to a group,” it’s less likely that you’ll get donations. Although group messaging does have its place, the most reliable way that you’re going to get contributions to your fundraiser is to message each person on an individual basis.

When you take the time to personally message a friend, it makes them feel valued, respected, and special. If you’re just posting the message on Facebook, they could scroll past, because they assume that other friends that you have will donate to the campaign.

Direct outreach will also give you the opportunity to handle objections or worries that donors might have about contributing money to your campaign.

#4: Failure to share your campaign

I don’t even think I need to make this point, but I do get questions about it, so I’ll include it. You MUST share your personal crowdfunding campaign with your social network. This is the only way that you’re going to get funds.

You have to be willing to talk about your campaign, explain it, and share it with your friends, family, and local community. If you’re not willing to do that out of embarrassment or fear of what people will think, you have two options.

First, you could combat these fears, do some internal work, and push through them. Second, you could quite simply not do a personal crowdfunding campaign. There are other options out there to raise funds.

But, there is hope out there for you if you have a very dedicated friend or group of friends that are willing to help you with this campaign. They could put up the personal fundraiser FOR you and raise money on your behalf. This is how many successful fundraisers have started. It adds social proof to the campaign, makes it come off as less self-indulgent, and it’s more socially acceptable.

#5: Skimping on your campaign page

The last mistake that I’ve seen time and time again by individuals trying to raise money with crowdfunding is failing to put themselves in the shoes of those people viewing the campaign.

Just because you know that this need is genuine, that you’re a good person, and that you’ve contributed a lot to your friends and local community doesn’t mean that other people will make that connection.

You really have to spell it out for them. You have to tell your story. You’re going to be doing this with your campaign text, images, and video. Don’t be afraid to toot your own horn, because no one else is going to!

I’d recommend showing your campaign page to one or two of your friends and getting their honest feedback. What parts seem confusing? What questions do they have? How do you come off? I admit, it’s really hard to get outside of your head and view your fundraising page with a fresh set of eyes. But, it’s going to pay huge dividends.

These are some of the mistakes that you should avoid when putting together your campaign page. But, the real secret sauce of crowdfunding comes when you have to market your campaign page. That’s what I’m going to cover here, along with some specific tactics and techniques that you can use to get more donations.