Several early adopters of crowdfunding globally, who generously shared their experiences as part of the research for the new book, Crowdfunding for Non-profits, that Erica Schofield, CEO of rewards-based crowdfunding platform, Thandafund, and I have just completed, agreed that many of their campaigns had flopped due to what they had tried to fund.

The reality is that some things appeal to people and others don’t – even within the same organisation. One person said, ‘Not everything excites people. As a volunteer, my toughest task was to balance the staff members’ prioritised needs and requests with what I instinctively felt that people would support. My filter was simply to ask myself whether I would fund office rental, the phone bill, or plumbing costs. I knew that new linen for the old folks’ home would trump their list of needs – and it did.’

Both what is needed to build a campaign around, and the target amount, should be carefully considered.

 People support crowdfunding campaigns. This is not the domain of the jargon-laden funding proposal.

There isn't a right or wrong amount for a successful crowdfunding initiative. The BackaBuddy team members (South Africa’s go-to donations-based crowdfunding platform) reported that their most successful NPO campaign (vs one for a person or family in need) raised R2,219,236 and that many campaigns exceed their targets. Among the 3,000-odd new campaigns uploaded to BackaBuddy each month, some succeed, others don’t. On average, local donors give R300 and international supporters R900 to each campaign. This means that numerous supporters are required! And that substantial planning is needed before a campaign goes live.

Part of the reason why those experienced in crowdfunding globally suggest starting with smaller, more manageable amounts (and for something emotive, if possible) is to experience a first success. It can be demoralising for a campaign to fail. Many people from organisations where early campaigns were unsuccessful, reported that either they (the fundraiser), their manager or trustees would not allow a second attempt.

A good test to decide on what to crowdfund for is to separate oneself from the organisation and think like a member of the public. What would appeal most? Consider a few needs. Which stand out? Does a specific need or issue evoke feelings of excitement or anger? People support crowdfunding campaigns. This is not the domain of the jargon-laden funding proposal. It’s simply about a problem, need or crisis and the opportunity for people giving (often small) amounts to collectively enable the outlined solution.

To successfully crowdfund, one needs a crowd. Simply uploading a campaign, to float somewhere in cyberspace ... is likely to result in a failed or poorly supported campaign. 

In the same way as the year’s fundraising events should be planned, well in advance, and each potential event idea assessed on its merits before being discarded or adopted, it’s a good idea to undertake a similar exercise when deciding what to crowdfund for – unless it’s an emergency. It’s advised to ask for suggestions and, in a meeting, assess each of them based on criteria such as the extent of the organisation’s networks, how likely each campaign is to appeal to people – or not, the urgency of the need – and whether people will agree with the stated urgency, whether there are or could be compelling photos and/or a video, one geographical area might attract more supporters than other areas, the ‘story’ accompanying the campaign is generally critical to its success, the amount needed or wanted – does it feel reasonable and achievable? This clear thinking and unemotional process offers the best chance of success. 

Remember too that to successfully crowdfund, one needs a crowd. Simply uploading a campaign, to float somewhere in cyberspace alongside thousands of others, and neglecting to share with a structured layer of supporters and friends – and friends’ and contacts’ friends and contacts, is likely to result in a failed or poorly supported campaign. 

Crowdfunding is exciting, innovative and deeply rewarding when done properly. It also has long-lasting benefits such as new supporters to an organisation, volunteers, board members and, vitally, friends. 

"Crowdfunding for non-profits: A guide to activating support networks" by Jill Ritchie and Erica Schofield offers an in-depth exploration of how crowdfunding can transform the way NPOs fundraise, drawing on the latest data, case studies, and behavioural science insights. Discounted pre-orders and innovative offers are available via a crowdfunding campaign (naturally!) for this South African-focused guide to resourcing NPOs via known and yet-to-meet crowds. Find out more.