Crowdfunding alone can't work miracles. Even with the best project in the world, if you launch your fund-raising campaign and then forget about it, failure is guaranteed. Raising funds isn't easy (otherwise you'd know!), and a crowdfunding campaign is intense. You have to come out of it exhausted, otherwise you haven't done your best.

Before launching the campaign

Ideally, start preparing your fundraising campaign a few months beforehand. Expand your community by regularly publishing quality content about your project. Work on high-quality, personal photos and videos. Announce the launch date on your networks a few days or weeks beforehand, to build momentum around your campaign.

Communication needs to be prepared in advance. You need to know exactly what you're going to do each day in terms of communication: what, when, how. Don't be surprised, no day should go by without at least one action to boost your fund-raising.

During the campaign

Before being about money, crowdfunding is first and foremost about trust. You need to inspire confidence in order to attract maximum support. To build this trust, you'll need to convince 3 successive circles of people:

 

Circle 1: Family and friends

These are your first supporters.By contributing among the very first, they help get your fundraising off the ground and create the momentum you need to reach your goal.With their contributions, you start to have credibility with the rest of the world about your ability to rally people around your project.

 

Don't underestimate the work involved in mobilizing them: just because they're close to you doesn't mean they'll automatically donate. Contact them in advance of the fundraising launch and explain your project and your objective, show them that you're motivated, and tell them how important your cause is to you.Don't just write to them, call them, go and see them if you have to.Some people will say yes and then forget, so work hard at it!The more they know about your project and are convinced by it, the more they'll become ambassadors for your fund-raising campaign within their own network - that's where the magic of virality comes in!

 

Don't make your campaign public until you've exhausted your Circle 1. Keep your collection counter as high as possible, so that you can present yourself in the best possible light to your circle 2. Put yourself in the shoes of someone who doesn't know you. Even if they like your project, why would they contribute if you haven't managed to get them to contribute first?

 

Circle 2: friends of friends, colleagues, acquaintances

You've focused on your circle 1 before and during the first few days of your fund-raising campaign. Now it's time to widen your circle to include friends of friends, colleagues and acquaintances. How do you do this?

 

First, make those closest to you your best ambassadors.They'll spread the word to people in their own network, who will in turn trust you.They'll never be there before your loved ones, but they can be there after.

Next, you can think about organizing an event around your fundraising campaign and inviting as many people as possible from this circle 2 to accelerate the campaign momentum. Answer their questions, thank them, involve them as much as possible in your project.
 

A crowdfunding page is like a restaurant: you always want to go to the one that's full.A visitor arriving on the platform will always be more likely to contribute to a fundraiser whose gauge is full than to one whose gauge is still empty.

 

Circle 3: the rest of the world

Circles 1 and 2 are sometimes enough, but when you have an ambitious goal, circle 3 can be indispensable. Circle 3 is all the people you don't know. It naturally has the greatest fund-raising potential, but it's also the hardest to reach.
 

All communication relays are good to take: for example, look for influencers who can relay your campaign or, if you have the means, media where you can publicize your cause.

If you have a community or a strong presence on social networks, make a post every day.Don't be afraid of tiring people out, involve them in your adventure by proposing quality content.Plan content that's broad enough to interest as many people as possible, and then funnel it around your cause. Interact with web users, answer their questions, thank contributors, and be responsive.

 

Rely on original, unique photos and videos that tell the story of your project and, above all, who you are.Much more than any text, a short video will be your best vector for creating an emotional connection with those who don't know you but who will be sensitive to your cause and inspired by you. 

 

Can't afford to make a professional video? Film yourself with your phone, show who you are and introduce your team. 

People value authenticity above all else.

Kiwi Collecte can help you reach this circle 3 with natural visibility on the platform and exposure through various means, but it won't do the job for you, because nobody really knows your project better than you do. And we can't stress this enough: make sure you've completely exhausted circles 1 and 2 before throwing your efforts into circle 3.

After the campaign

When someone contributes to your project on our platform, they don't expect a financial return, but they do expect an emotional return - the satisfaction of seeing your project come to life thanks to their support. Keeping contributors informed of your project's progress is a collaborative and transparent approach that ensures an alignment of interests:
 

For the contributor: to see the results and impact to which they have contributed

For you, the project leader: to gain credibility and build loyalty among your contributors, so that you can call on them again for another project.

 

Information must be communicated to contributors at intervals to be determined by you, taking into account the duration and size of the project, and at least every six months until complete. The first project update must be made available by the project owner 3 months after the start of the project.