Speaker 1: Want to harness the power of the crowd to raise even more donations to fund your mission? The idea of crowdfunding isn't anything new. It worked to the tune of $66,000 for rock group Merlion in 1997, funding their entire North American tour. Decades later, non-profits and other fundraising rock stars are using this method to change the world. In 2020, crowdfunding campaigns across the world raised an average amount of $66 per donor. This brought the average campaign total to $9,237 in just over two months. Impressive, isn't it? Let's take a look at how we can make this happen for your organization.

Speaker 2: First, we'll start by understanding what non-profit crowdfunding is, and then take a look at what it can do for your cause. Non-profit crowdfunding encourages as many people as possible to support your cause. It can be used for general donations, but is most effective for targeted campaigns, with a specific goal to be reached in a specific timeframe.

Speaker 1: So in theory, it's fast, cost-effective with no upfront fees, but crowdfunding is all about how many people you reach. Without a good crowdfunding platform, you will struggle to share your message and raise donations fast. To reach the numbers you need, you could use a crowdfunding site along with thousands of others, but how would you stand out in the crowd? Recognizing the potential for non-profits, DonorBox has created its very own crowdfunding feature to ensure that your organization benefits from this fundraising phenomenon. So let's take a look.

Speaker 2: DonorBox's crowdfunding feature maximizes every opportunity to turn visitors into subscribers and, crucially, subscribers into recurring donors. People follow the crowd. If others donate, so do they. This bandwagon effect is the meme in motion, exactly the trend-following behavior you want to trigger. A well-thought-out crowdfunding campaign, built on great storytelling, can attract the right attention from the right audience, brilliant for anyone's marketing budget. You can also test the crowd's reaction to your idea, using feedback to refine your appeal to get donations crowding in. With DonorBox crowdfunding, you have a dedicated crowdfunding page. Think of it as a storytelling mini-site to promote your specific campaign and a smart way to get crowdfunding exposure without the competition of a crowdfunding site. Start crowdfunding the right way today by going to your DonorBox dashboard, create a new campaign, and turn on the crowdfunding feature. Now engage your audience with a compelling story, supported by an inspiring, branded banner image. One that stirs up emotion and urges action. Your branding and social media links on the page make it easy to Number one, remember the campaign and organization driving it. And number two, allows subscribers to share your story with others. All donations received are displayed on your page's donor wall, together with the donor's positive messages. This kind of transparency, mixed with that bandwagon effect, is a definite hearts and minds winner. DonorBox's option to add videos, images, and descriptions lets you tell your story sincerely, and gives your supporters added peace of mind, knowing exactly how they are supporting a worthy cause. With DonorBox's easy-to-use crowdfunding feature, you can post regular updates on how far the campaign has come, and how far it still has to go. Keeping your cause as the focal point for your supporters is crucial, especially in our distracting digital age. Updates drive donations. To post an update on your campaign status, urgency, or events, head to your campaign's preview page and select the Manage Updates tab on the navigation bar. Crowdfunding campaigns can be short or long, so update timing is critical. Don't spam your subscribers. If the campaign runs for a month, update weekly. For one week, think daily updates. But stay in touch. Fill out the required fields, title, and description, and once you've finished, post the update. It will automatically be added to the Updates section of your crowdfunding page. It's also conveniently placed in the Unsent to Subscribers section of Manage Updates, waiting for the next step, an email follow-up. DonorBox is super aware that a subscriber is a potential donor. Their heart is in it, but they may need an extra little push to commit their hard-earned money. With DonorBox, your crowdfunding page welcomes all visitors, not just donors and subscribers. When a subscriber makes their first donation, they are automatically updated into your donor list. Updating your page will keep donors engaged, so once you've posted an update to your campaign page, be sure to also send that update to your subscribers. On your campaign page, click on Manage Updates. Then, under Unsent to Subscribers, you'll have the opportunity to either edit your updates or send them to your subscribers as-is. You can send all updates to your subscribers at once, or select individual updates by ticking the boxes next to each of them. Be sure to personalize them to keep your donors engaged. Follow the prompts to create an eye-catching subject line and an optional email text body to speak to your subscribers from the heart.

Speaker 1: Now that you're up to speed with crowdfunding, maybe it's time for you to update your fundraising strategy. Head over to our non-profit blog for more details on how to make the crowd work for you while rising above the noise with DonorBox.