Do you want to use GoFundMe to raise money for travel expenses, medical bills, education costs, or other personal needs?
Think crowdfunding could be a way for you to get the funds you need to solve a problem in your life and accomplish a goal?
In this article, we’re covering some of the tips and advice that you’ll need if you want to use GoFundMe to raise funds for ANY project. This will help you to raise more money and be better received on the platform.
Did you learn anything from this video?
Got a better idea of what it’ll take to run a successful GoFundMe campaign?
For more informative content like this, make sure to subscribe to the Youtube Channel! There, the founder of CrowdCrux Salvador Briggman gives you all the insights you need to know about crowdfunding and entrepreneurship.
For now, let’s get into how you can build a GoFundMe campaign that helps you to achieve your goals.
Your GoFundMe Cause
Typically, the most successful projects on GoFundMe are charity-based.
That means that if you want to raise funds for a business, you’d probably be better suited using a platform like Kickstarter or Indiegogo, where that’s more of the expectation.
When thinking about your cause, it’s easy to think about yourself. And that’s fair enough — this campaign, after all, is about you.
But it’s not enough just to make a plea. In some cases, that can come off a little bit needy.
The most successful GoFundMe campaigns don’t just think about the person being fundraised for, but also the target audience.
Let’s say, for example, that you are raising money for education-related funds. You’ll want to spend some time talking about why you need the money to pull that off, of course.
But further, and perhaps more importantly, you’re going to want to talk about how this education funding will eventually impact others. What are you going to do with that education?
How are you going to change the world with this new knowledge? The answers to those questions are what will really separate you from the pack and entice donors.
The same goes for charities and non-profit ventures. Feel free to focus on the company itself for a little bit, but make sure to deliver the message as to how your mission is going to change the world.
Also, make sure to draw a direct line for potential donors as to what their money is going to. Outline the monetary, time-based, and emotional costs of the money, then give them a compelling reason to give over their hard-earned dollars.
Storytelling for GoFundMe
When building out a successful GoFundMe campaign, you can think about the cause as the ‘research phase.’
Now you want to move on to telling your story. This is a key element of any campaign that allows you to communicate the importance of your cause to other people — including strangers.
What we’re talking about here is conjuring empathy.
People encountering your campaign will be put off by a begging tone. You have to do more than just make yourself a victim — you have to build a story around:
- What happened to lead to this call for money
- Why the money is important to you
- How you are going to use the money to better yourself / others / the world going forward
This is done through the use of visuals (such as video content, images, gifs, graphics), as well as your campaign text.
At the end of the day, you are trying to make your campaign as humanized as possible.
You want people to feel what you’re feeling so that the cause is as important to them as it is to you. Make people feel like they’re having an impact — and when you do — donations will start to roll in.
Marketing and Promotion for GoFundMe
A lot of people out there don’t like the idea of ‘marketing’ their GoFundMe campaign. It can be a little unnerving and uncomfortable to blast this thing out publicly, especially because you are asking for money.
But we’ll put it to you simply: it’s impossible to raise through GoFundMe without blasting your project out to your network.
While it is possible for you to attract some strangers, the majority of funds are going to come from people you already know.
It’s easy to fall into the trap of believing that you are asking for money for nothing in return. But that’s exactly how you don’t want to market your campaign.
Here are some ways you could frame what people are getting in return:
- An opportunity to improve your life
- An opportunity to make an impact in the world
- An opportunity to give back to what matters most
Share it on your social platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Reach out to people via email with your pitch and a link to your campaign.
Send out text messages and make phone calls to those that are closest to you.
When you target people with your promotion and outreach, make sure to contact them with your story first (as discussed in the previous tip). You want to hammer that empathy right from the start.
If you don’t, people aren’t going to feel that emotional tug they need to actually make a donation.
For more in-depth, specific analysis on how to promote your GoFundMe campaign, make sure to check out this video.
Key Conclusions and Takeaways
Running a successful GoFundMe campaign requires three steps
- Identifying / building out your cause
- Telling your story to evoke empathy
- Marketing your campaign to attract donors
If you do these three things right, you’re much more likely to reach your funding goal.
Still feel like you could use some help?
Check out our audiobook: Crowdfunding Personal Expenses. That book will take you through A to Z guidelines for launching a campaign that can lead to success.
CrowdCrux is committed to helping people like you raise funds for causes they care about most through crowdfunding.
Make sure to subscribe to the Youtube Channel and check out the blog for more killer insights as you move towards launch!
We wish you the best of luck with your campaign. Use CrowdCrux as a resource if you need us!
