Your crowdfunding campaign will only be successful if a lot of people find out about it. Your community and network need to be activated – ideally in such a way that they not only donate but also actively share the campaign. The success of your campaign depends directly on how many people see it.
That's why we'll explain to you step by step how to share your donation campaign in the best possible way and reach more people. We have divided the article into two parts:
Part 1 gives you tips for the start, while
Part 2 shows strategies for the later stages of the campaign.
Part 2 shows strategies for the later stages of the campaign.
Part 1: Tips for Starting Your Crowdfunding Campaign
Activate the People Closest to You
Start with your immediate family, close friends and acquaintances. They are usually the most motivated to make the first donations and share the campaign in their own networks. They know you well and often have an emotional connection to you or the project you are supporting. This emotional closeness is a crucial factor in motivating them to support you.
1. Personal Connection:
Tell them why this campaign is close to your heart. Is it for someone else? Explain what motivated you to support this person and how urgently their support is needed. Is it for yourself? Be honest and say that it's not easy for you to ask for donations. This openness comes across as authentic and often motivates those around you to support you for that very reason. Share why you see no other way forward.
2. Personal Approach:
Instead of generic messages, write individual messages or call directly. A personal conversation shows appreciation and builds trust. A handwritten letter with a QR code or a short link (e.g. GoodCrowd.org/HelpMarco) increases the chances of success, as it makes your personal commitment visible and allows readers to access the donation campaign quickly and easily.
Share Your Campaign with Your Extended Network
Once you have collected your first 5-10 donations, you can spread the word about your campaign more widely. These initial donations signal to your extended network that support already exists, which strengthens the credibility of your campaign.
Share your campaign with:
- Colleagues, club members, neighbourhood groups: They may not know you as well as your close circle, but shared interests or affiliations create a connection.
- Your social media network (Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, TikTok, etc.): Here you can reach a wide audience with appealing images, short videos or emotional texts.
- Messenger services such as WhatsApp, Signal or Telegram: Direct messages in groups or to individual contacts often seem more personal than public posts. You can also add the crowdfunding campaign to your status.
Use Different Channels
To reach as many people as possible, you should use different communication channels:
- Email: Send personal emails to friends and acquaintances. Personalised messages often have a greater impact than mass emails.
- Social media: Post regular updates, stories or videos. Vary the content to keep interest high – sometimes an emotional appeal, sometimes a sense of achievement, sometimes a nice comment from donors or a show of solidarity from crowdfunding supporters.
- Offline: Hang posters in cafés, bakeries, community centres or the gym and briefly tell people there what it's about. This way, they can provide information if someone asks. Make sure you use an eye-catching design and provide easy access options, such as QR codes. You can easily download a poster with the campaign image, link and QR code in the admin area of your campaign under ‘Share campaign’.
Tips for Your Call for Donations
To make sure your call to share is seen, we'll give you a few more tips on how to structure your texts well and which points you should include in any case:
- What is the problem? Describe briefly and concisely why you are collecting donations. Avoid too many details, focus on the essentials.
- Is there an urgency? If so, explain why it is urgent and by when the money is needed. Urgency can lead people to take action immediately rather than thinking about it later.
- What is the impact of the donations? Show the difference they make. Concrete examples help to make the importance of support tangible.
- Why are you launching the campaign? Share your personal motivation. Authenticity is convincing.
- Concrete call to action: For example, ‘20 people have already donated. Join them and help us make ... possible’ A direct request increases the willingness to donate.
Part 2: Tips for the Later Stages of the Campaign
Once the first phase of your fundraising campaign is over, it often takes new momentum and fresh ideas to maintain interest. Here are a few ideas for how you can attract new donors in the second phase of crowdfunding.
Use Press Relations
Press work can help to make your campaign known to a wider audience:
- Local media: Send press releases to regional newspapers, radio stations or blogs. Local stories often have a good chance of being published.
- Personal stories: The media loves emotional stories. Explain why the campaign is important and offer interviews. Authentic stories spark interest.
- Corporate press: If you work in a larger company, ask if an internal announcement is possible, for example on the intranet or in the company magazine. Companies are often happy to support projects of their employees.
Here you can find more information on how to successfully get your crowdfunding in the press.
Approach Influencers and Content Creators
Influencers and content creators can introduce your campaign to a large audience in a short time:
- Look for suitable micro-influencers for your topic/campaign. They often appear more authentic and closer to their community than large accounts.
- Write to suitable influencers or content creators in person. Explain why your campaign fits with their topics. Show the added value that support can bring for both sides. You can do this via a direct message on social media or by email. Most influencers indicate how they can best be contacted.
- If you are collecting donations for yourself, choose influencers who have a connection to you, e.g. because they live in the same city or are themselves also affected by the topic of the campaign.
Charity Events
Events can attract attention, generate donations and creatively help to get more people excited about your fundraising campaign. You can organise them yourself, or supporters can do it. A few ideas and examples:
- Creative actions: yoga classes in exchange for donations, benefit concerts, bake sales or auctions. Such events offer the opportunity to connect with people directly.
- Birthday donation: Ask your friends to donate to your campaign instead of buying them a present. This is an easy way to collect donations.
- Use events: Community festivals, city festivals or local concerts are ideal platforms to present your campaign.
You can also find more creative ideas for the final stretch of your crowdfunding in this blog article.
Cooperation with Companies
Companies can not only donate, but also act as multipliers. Look for companies that fit your topic or have a local connection to your crowdfunding. Small and medium-sized companies in particular are happy to help. By supporting your crowdfunding, companies show that they care, establish themselves as an attractive employer in the region (important in times of skilled labour shortage) or give (potential) customers additional reasons to choose them.
- Corporate donations: Ask local companies if they will donate or share your campaign. They are often willing to support social projects.
- Employee initiatives: Some companies actively support employee fundraising campaigns. Ask about internal networks or newsletters.
- Donation box: From the bakery to the local café, small local businesses can get involved with initiatives or simply with a donation box that they advertise. You can provide them with a small poster with information about crowdfunding and a QR code.
Updates and Follow-ups
You can send messages to donors via the platform. Stay in touch with your supporters:
- Regular updates: Keep your donors informed about progress. Show what has been achieved thanks to their solidarity. Some campaigns develop very quickly and reach their goal in just 5-7 days. Then you can give a daily update on the campaign.
- Celebrate success: Give public thanks for the support. Success stories motivate others to donate, e.g. when a company has donated a large sum or a friendly restaurant owner has donated a day's profits. This motivates others to start similar solidarity campaigns.
- Another appeal: Please ask existing donors to share the campaign again. Often, a little push is enough to get you moving again – especially when you're on the verge of reaching your goal. You can find out more about mobilisation just before you reach your fundraising goal here.
Conclusion
The secret of a successful crowdfunding campaign lies in active communication. From personally addressing your closest circle to using press work and charity events: every share helps your fundraising campaign a little further.
The Most Common Questions and Answers about Sharing Your Crowdfunding Campaign
1. What Is the Most Effective Way to Share My Crowdfunding Campaign?
The most effective way is a combination of personal messages and public posts. Start with your close circle and expand the circle as soon as the first donations come in. Use different channels such as e-mails, social media, messenger services and offline methods such as posters with QR codes. Make sure to make your messages emotional and authentic.
2. When Is the Best Time to Share My Crowdfunding?
The start of your campaign is particularly important to generate an initial boost. Share the campaign with your closest contacts first. After the first 5-10 donations, you can share it more widely. Also, use important milestones (e.g. 50% of the donation target reached) or updates as an opportunity to communicate about your campaign again.
3. How Do I Motivate Others to Keep Sharing My Campaign?
Ask your supporters to actively share the campaign with their own network. Provide them with simple templates or clear messages. Show how important their contribution is, not only by donating, but also by reaching new people. Success stories, urgency and updates can provide additional motivation.
4. How Often Should I Share My Fundraiser without Being Annoying?
Regular updates are important, but make sure you vary them. Every update should add something new. Don't just share the same link; instead, supplement your posts with new information, stories or achievements. A good rhythm is every few days, depending on how the campaign is going. Some campaigns develop very quickly and reach their goal in just 5-7 days. In that case, you can provide a campaign update every day. Posts about current milestones or urgent appeals are particularly effective.
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