Crowdfunding final spurt: How to mobilise for the final donation target
How to overcome the last hurdle of your crowdfunding campaign: tips for mobilisation, creative fundraising and community power for the final donations!
Redaktion
GoodCrowd.org
Reading time: 6 min
Updated: 15.04.2025
You have already reached 70 or 80 percent of your fundraising goal, but donations are slowly decreasing? This is often where the decisive hurdle lies: mobilising the last supporters can be a particular challenge. With targeted measures and creative ideas, you can successfully master the final phase of crowdfunding. We will explain how!
1. Transparent communication and urgency
The most important thing now is to communicate transparently the urgency of the crowdfunding. Inform your existing supporters and potential donors about what has already been achieved and why it is so important to collect the remaining amount. Make it clear what impact can be achieved and what the consequences would be if the final donation target is not reached.
For example:
‘Thanks to YOU, we have reached the first stage of our goal: in mid-December, we were able to purchase a new vehicle that not only offers more space and comfort, but also the perfect basis for the conversion! But without the conversion, we can't do anything with it – because the vehicle is not barrier-free. That's why it's so important that we reach the full donation goal – we still need to raise 16,000 euros!’
A call like this motivates people to get involved and achieve the goal together. You can send an update to all of your existing supporters via the ‘News’ function in the admin area. You can also share your update via social media or email and encourage supporters to forward your campaign to friends, club members or colleagues.
Why updates are so important and how to find good wording can be found in this article.
Social media tip: actively follow the crowdfunding countdown on your social media channels. You can share screenshots from the donation page to call for a final push – or you can create your own graphics with the campaign photo and the donation status. Make it clear by when the target amount is needed and emphasise the last opportunity to donate.
A sample post:
🚗 We only have 4 days left – mobility for Leo! 💛
Leo is 12, loves books, diggers and his talking tablet. What he also loves: being on the road – but that's exactly what is becoming increasingly difficult. His previous wheelchair bus is broken, and converting it into a car suitable for the disabled costs a lot of money.
Thanks to your help, we have already achieved so much, the car is bought – now we just need the money for the wheelchair lift and its installation – we are on the home straight! 🙌
We have a great offer for a wheelchair lift. But it's only valid this week! There are only 4 days left to reach the donation target and give Leo the mobility that others take for granted.
👉 Donate now so that we can buy the wheelchair lift – or share the link with your network:
Let's show Leo together: we can do it together! 💛"
2. Creative actions to mobilise the last donations
Use creative ideas to raise awareness and collect additional donations for your social crowdfunding. Here are some examples of successful ideas:
Organise charity events: Plan a small event such as a bake sale, a benefit concert or a flea market where the proceeds go to your campaign. You can organise such an event for your own campaign, but of course also for the campaigns of others! Campaign starters are grateful for any support.
Activate the community: Ask friends, clubmates or colleagues to collect donations in their networks or share your campaign.
Contact local supporters: Approach people, groups or companies in your area, city or region who can make your crowdfunding campaign visible through their reach or commitment. Ask them for support.
Donation-based challenges: Encourage friends or teams to take on fun challenges:
- either as a milestone commitment: ‘Donate now! If the campaign reaches 10,000 euros, I'll shave off my beard’
- or as a competition: ‘Donate now and support our team in the charity run for the campaign’
- Or as individual actions for the visibility of the campaign: ‘I'm doing 20 push-ups every day in solidarity with my friend, who is raising funds for her lipedema treatment. Every day you can watch me live and I'll tell you why the lipedema treatment in Germany is not covered by health insurance.’
Creating a flyer: Put up a small flyer with a QR code that leads directly to your crowdfunding campaign and a short story about your call for donations in cafés, bakeries or community centres. An example text could be:
"I am [insert name and short description] and I am collecting for [explain the purpose of the donation]. So far, I have been able to achieve a lot, but I still need your support to reach [goal]! I would be grateful if you would donate or tell others about my appeal.’
You can download a simple poster with a campaign image, link and QR code from the “Share campaign” section of the admin area of your campaign.
3. Press work for more visibility
Press work can make a decisive difference, especially in the final phase of your campaign. Many journalists are open to inspiring stories that offer added value for society. This works particularly well in the local press.
When is press work worthwhile?
- If your call for donations has a local connection, i.e. your campaign is helping a person in a specific city or wants to change something in a city or region.
- If your campaign highlights a current problem in society: for example, poor funding for disability access renovations, lack of coverage for medication for rare diseases, or lack of funds for your social cause.
- If the project's story is highly emotionally moving or well-known or popular people have donated or called for donations, such as influencers or local personalities.
Practical tips:
- Contact local editorial offices and share a short press release describing your campaign and its success so far. Also describe your motivation for starting the campaign and offer the editorial offices an interview with you or other campaign initiators.
- Contact not only local newspapers, but also local radio stations, bloggers or podcasters from your region or those who cover the campaign's topic.
- Use a memorable link to the campaign, e.g. goodcrowd.org/UmbaufürTom. Please explicitly request that the link be printed as a reader service. For radio or podcast contributions, please request that the link be mentioned at least once and, if necessary, included in the show notes. This way, you ensure that people who hear about your campaign can easily find it.
You can find further tips on media work, including sample press releases and practical templates here.
4. Involve the community and ask for help
Sometimes, especially towards the end of a crowdfunding campaign, you may run out of steam. You have already put so much time into the campaign and you are running out of ideas. Have friends, club mates or acquaintances already asked you how they can further support your crowdfunding? Don't be afraid to ask friends or acquaintances actively for ideas and support. Use their willingness, suggest specific actions or think together about what other steps can be taken to achieve the ultimate goal. Be open to ideas from those around you: Often you no longer come up with new ideas yourself or don't have enough capacity to implement them.
Whereby others can support you well:
- Organising online game streams with donation appeals
- Joint handicrafts projects in return for donations
- Sharing your crowdfunding in relevant social media groups
- Organising seasonal activities such as a fundraising event at the Christmas market
- But also support in organising the campaign, for example in formulating updates or designing a flyer
Together you can achieve much more than alone!
Conclusion: achieving your goal together
The crowdfunding countdown is the perfect opportunity to pull together and mobilise the community. With clear communication, creative actions and targeted press work, you can ensure that your crowdfunding campaign is a success. Tell your story, motivate your supporters and stay tuned – together you can do it!
The most frequently asked questions and answers about your crowdfunding countdown
1. How do I effectively follow the crowdfunding countdown on social media?
Follow the home stretch with regular posts and stories. Make it clear how long the campaign will run for and emphasise when the last opportunity to donate will be. For example: ‘Only a few days left to reach our goal – every contribution counts! Support us now and share the link with your network!’
2. What creative actions help in the final push?
- Charity events: Organise a bake sale or a small concert to raise funds.
- Local flyer campaigns: Distribute flyers with a QR code for your campaign in cafés or community centres.
- Activate your network: Ask friends or club members to share the campaign or collect donations in their area.
3. When is press work worthwhile for my countdown?
Press work is particularly worthwhile if your campaign has a local connection or offers particular added value for society. A press article or radio report can motivate additional supporters to support you.
4. How can the community help in the final stretch?
Activate your community by asking for ideas and suggesting specific tasks: plan charity events, ask for multipliers in networks or motivate your environment to share the campaign.
