In July 2020, Shaun and Bianca Pretorius from Benoni, Johannesburg, learned the devastating news that their son, Shaunie (11), a bright and happy young boy, was diagnosed with a rare, aggressive, and terminal type of brain cancer called Brainstem Glioma.
A devastatingdiagnosis
At the beginning of lockdown, Shaunie was struggling with fatigue and constant vomiting. Thinking that his condition was perhaps brought on by school stress and adapting to online learning, his parents took him to a number of doctors to see what was wrong.
Matters soon got worse when the antibiotics he was given did little to remedy his condition. Shaunie began struggling with his eyesight, had difficulty moving around and battled to communicate.
Shaunie having a CT scan at Linmed Hospital
To determine the cause of Shaunie’s rapid decline, he was taken for CT scan at Linmed Hospital in Johannesburg. The heartbreaking results of the x-ray determined that Shaunie has a cancerous tumour in his brain stem, a fatal condition known as Brainstem Glioma, which has a median survivalrate of only 9 months.
With doctors unable to operate on Shaunie, he underwent 12 aggressive Radiation Therapy sessions to shrink his tumour and alleviate some of his pain.
To shelter Shaunie from the severity of his condition, his parents haven’t told him that his tumour is cancerous, but he understands why he has begun losing his hair and that he is unwell.
“Hearing that your child, who has always been perfectly healthy, is fighting a deadly disease and only has a few months left to live is devastating. We don’t know how to tell Shaunie that he is dying. We still have hope that God will hear our prayers and that he will make it through” – says Bianca
As there is no cure for Shaunie’s condition, he is currently being treated symptomatically with cannabis oil and steroids to help the swelling on his brain and increase his appetite.
Shaunie’s Birthday Wish
As only 1% of children diagnosed with Brainstem Glioma live up to 5 years, the Pretorius family are focused on keeping Shaunie as healthy, as pain free and as comfortable as possible so he can enjoy the time he has left with his parents and his little brother, Mattie (3).
Shaunie with his little brother, Mattie.
Focusing on all the things that spark joy for a young boy, Shaunie’s uncle Juandre Botha has launched a crowdfunding campaign on BackaBuddy, to fulfil Shaunie’s ultimate dream of owning a Playstation 5, just in time for his 12th birthday on the 9th of March.
“Sadly we do not know exactly how much time we have left with our little man, so we really want to make every single day as special and as comfortable as possible for him. As I’m sure anyone can imagine this battle is really hard on him but he’s a very strong-willed little fighter and we are so proud of him.” – says Jaundre
With generous support, Shaunie’s campaign has already raised over R 9000 towards his fundraising target of R12 000, with contributions from 16 donors across the country.
Additional funds raised will be used to cover Shaunie’s additional medical expenses, specialized food and living expenses.
Using instant messaging apps such as Whatsapp, Facebook messenger and WeChat is a great way to launch your crowdfunding campaign to your immediate network, share positive updates, thank donors, and promote your campaign in a creative way.
In this guide, we will discuss the power of Whatsapp Marketing and walk you through some practical tips that you can use to promote your cause.
Why use WhatsApp to promote your crowdfunding campaign?
90% of internet users in South Africans are active users of WhatsApp, according to a report by Hoodsuite.
98% of WhatsApp messages are both opened and read according to Dynmark. Hoodsuite also reports that Whatsapp messages are opened within the first 3 seconds.
Over 450 million Whatsapp users make use of WhatsApp stories, surpassing even Snapchat, a report by Business Of Apps finds.
84% of online sharing now takes place through instant messaging according to RadiumOne.
Constructing your message
When putting together a WhatsApp message, make sure to keep your message short (no longer than 80 characters), personal and informative.
Remember to introduce your campaign in a friendly way to attract donors, make sure to summarize what you’re crowdfunding for and mention the positive impact donations will have on your beneficiary.
Don’t forget to include your BackaBuddy link at the end of your message, so potential donors will be able to make a contribution. It is also a good idea to ask your contacts to share your campaign with 5-10 of their contacts to help you reach a wider audience.
An example,
Hi Monique, I hope you are well!
I have created a crowdfunding campaign on BackaBuddy to feed 100 families in Pietermaritzburg who are unable to provide for their families during the lockdown.
We have so far raised R 15 000 towards our fundraising target! Funds raisedwill be used to purchase digital food vouchers for those in need.
Please support us by making a small donation on BackaBuddy. If you’re unable to contribute, please be so kind as to share our campaign with your friends and loved ones. https://www.backabuddy.co.za/feeding-pietermaritzburg
Remember to add a Photo or Video to accompany your message.
Support your message with media
As they say, a picture says a thousand words. Support your introductory message with a few hi-quality images that illustrate what your campaign is about. Sharing videos or voice notes is also a great way to engage and share more information about your campaign!
Practical ways to use WhatsApp to share your crowdfunding campaign
Forward a message
Create a short message to introduce your campaign and forward your campaign privately to 5 friends at the same time.
Here’s how:
In an individual or group chat, tap and hold the message you want to forward, then tap Forward.
To forward multiple messages, you can select additional messages after you select the first message.
Tap Forward.
Search for or select the individual or group chats you want to forward the messages to.
Tap Forward.
Create a broadcast list
Create a broadcast list to share your campaign as mass message to an unlimited number of contacts. Once the list as been created, you will be able to revisit it to share more messages with the same group of people.
Search for or select the contacts you want to add.
Tap the check mark .
Create a group
Create a group chat to share your campaign with your WhatsApp contacts. Smaller groups are recommended, but if you have a big network, you are able to add up to 256 contacts in a single group.
Use WhatsApp groups to send campaign updates and motivate your immediate network to promote your campaign and find new potential donors.
When you have created a group, all participants will be able to interact with each other and will be notified of incoming messages.
Search for or select contacts to add to the group. Then tap the green arrow.
Enter a group subject. This will be the name of the group that all participants will see.
Optionally, add a group icon by tapping the Camera icon.
Tap the green check mark when you’re finished.
Create a WhatsApp Story/Status
WhatsApp Stories are a great way to share updates, engage with your close network of supporters and ensure your campaign maintains momentum throughout your crowdfunding journey.
Here’s How:
Tap Status.
Tap:
Camera or My Status to take a photo, record a video or GIF or choose an existing photo, video or GIF from your gallery. Remember to include a caption to introduce your campaign. Tap send .
After you have posted a photo in your status, the next steps is to share your BackaBuddy link using the Text icon.
Tap on to write a short message about your campaign and copy to your BackaBuddy link for donations. Tap send .
This will allow your contacts to click from your status onto your BackaBuddy campaign to make a donation.
We hope you enjoyed our tips for WhatsApp Marketing! While WhatsApp is a great tool to use to reach a wider audience, it should not be used in isolation.
Click Below for more tips on how to run a successful crowdfunding campaign on BackaBuddy:
According to BusinessTech, over 3.8 million South Africans use Instagram.
With over 1 Billion users globally, Instagram allows you to reach a wide audience of supporters through sharing beautiful photos, engaging videos and trending hashtags.
In this guide, we will discuss the power of sharing your crowdfunding campaign on Instagram and share practical tips you can use to promote your cause.
Why use Instagram to share your crowdfunding campaign?
Instagram boasts 58 times more engagement per follower than Facebook, According to ecommerceCEO
60% of Instagram users use the platform once a day, according to Sprout Social
Before posting on Instagram, consider these key factors:
Put your crowdfunding campaign link In your bio
Whether you are creating posts, stories or IGTV videos to promote your campaign, it’s important to give your followers a call to action to donate to your campaign.
How to post a link in your Instagram Bio
When posting on Instagram, direct your audience to click on the link in your bio for more information and to make a donation!
When to post on Instagram
According to Hubspot, the best time to post on Instagram is between 2pm-3pm. There is also an increase in engagements on Thursdays 5am, 11am and between 3pm-4pm.
Quintly also states that interactions are 22.29% higher on Saturday and Sunday.
Please note: You can post your campaign on any day, see what works the best for you! We recommend sharing your campaign at least 2/3 times a week across your social media platforms for the best possible result.
Visual content
Photos and videos are the language on Instagram, you will need to upload visual content in order to create a post with a caption.
Photo
Instagram images get on average, 23% more engagement than Facebook images, according to Business of Apps.
Post hi-quality photos that tell your crowdfunding story. Avoid shocking or graphic content, as this might discourage Instagram users engaging with your content.
Video
Video posts get up to 38% more engagements than image posts, according to Mention.
Post short, informative videos on your Instagram timeline to introduce the aim and importance of your crowdfunding campaign and direct users to your campaign link in your bio.
For videos longer than 60 seconds, you will need to upload your video to IGTV (more information below)
Writing your Instagram post caption
Keep your message short and specific
While you have more than 2000 characters at your disposal when writing your post caption, Sprout Social, suggests 138-150 characters will get you the most engagement (shares, likes, comments)
If you want to ensure that your full caption is visible and is not cut off by the “see more” tab, keep your post within 125 characters.
What information should your post include?
To introduce your crowdfunding campaign, make sure you answer the following questions in your post.
Whoare you raising funds for? (name, age, location)
Why are they in need of funds? (what has lead you to crowdfunding?)
What will funds raised be used for? (in a tangible way mention how funds will be used, for example “We are raising funds to purchase 100 pairs of shoes for 50 children”
Where can people make a donation? (Direct your audience to click on the link in your bio to make a donation to support your cause)
#Hashtags
Make use of hashtags to make your post more discoverable – this will allow you to reach more people who are interested in your topic.
Instagram allows users to post 30 hashtags in a single caption, to avoid your post looking like spam, it’s recommended to use no more than 10 relevant hashtags in your post.
Even including one hashtag in your post can increase your engagement by 12.6% according to PR Daily.
Creating a hashtag
To Create a hashtag, simply type # and your keyword in your post caption.
Popular hashtags to use when sharing your crowdfunding campaign
When creating a post, Instagram allows users to mention/tag other users and influencers, their location, organisations and businesses. This will notify other users to view and interact with your post.
Location is key
By tagging your area location in your Instagram post can increase your engagement by 79% according to PR Daily.
Research also shows that crowdfunding campaigns are typically supported locally – be sure to let Instagram users know where you are from!
Not sure what to say? Use this template:
We have created a crowdfunding campaign on @backabuddy to raise funds [to/for]. Funds raised will allow us to [positive impact]. Click on the link in my bio to make a donation. #crowdfunding #backabuddy #donations #fundraising #southafrica
Include:
Other relevant/trending hashtags
Tag your location
Tag Instagram users/organizations that relate to your cause
Post multiple images/videos
By creating a carousel on Instagram, you can post up to 10 images to tell your crowdfunding story and increase engagement.
Make use of these Facebook tools to promote your crowdfunding campaign
Direct Message
Make use of Instagram’s direct message option to reach out to close friends and family, influencers and organisations who might be interested in supporting your cause.
With Instagram Direct, you can send messages, photos and videos to one or more people. Messages won’t appear in Feed, search or your profile.
Instagram Stories
Posting stories is a great way to create awareness about your campaign, share updates and ensure your campaign maintains momentum.
Instagram stories are typically about 15 seconds long and stay on your profile for only 24 hours.
Why post Instagram stories to share your crowdfunding campaign?
According to The Mobile Media Lab, Instagram stories receive 2-3 times more engagement than regular posts.
According to Social Media Today Instagram stories boast over 300 million active daily users.
Before posting a story on Instagram, consider these key factors:
Place your text toward the center and bottom of the screen and keep your message short and clear.
Mention other Instagram users and organizations in your story, to allow your story to be re-posted.
Use 1 or 2 relevant Hashtags on your Instagram story to increase your visibility.
Save your story to your highlight reel, so your campaign updates can be viewed longer than 24 hours.
Share your Instagram story to Facebook
Add your story to your highlights
IGTV
With the introduction of IGTV, Instagram users can post 10 minute long videos and increase their visibility by appearing on the “Explore” tab on the platform.
Need advice for putting together your video? Read Our Guide.
GO Live on Instagram
Instagram now allows users to post 60 minute live videos. Just like Facebook live, your followers will be notified when you’re live and will be able to interact with you in real-time.
Sharing live videos is a great way to introduce your campaign, share campaign updates and milestones, conduct short interviews and provide additional information about your project.
We hope you enjoyed our tips for sharing your crowdfunding campaign on Instagram!
While Instagram is a great tool to use to reach a wider audience, it should not be used in isolation.’
Crowdfunding is the practice of funding a project or satisfying a need in your organization by raising money from many people who each contribute a small amount to your cause.
Crowdfunding is growing rapidly in South Africa, giving non-profit organizations an opportunity to raise more money through tapping into power of the crowd.
It is a way fundraise that doesn’t rely on sponsorships from big businesses or the government, but rather relies on many small contributions from those around you who are inspired by your cause.
Although over R59 million has been raised on BackaBuddy for various causes, our most successful charities, The Smile Foundation and Rainbows and Smiles for example, will tell you that crowdfunding is not easy.
If you understand that crowdfunding requires a lot of effort, speaking to your networks and isn’t a quick fix for your organization, then you’re in the right mindset for a successful campaign!
In this article, we will cover the following:
Do you have the necessary tools to run a campaign?
Managing your Crowdfunding Expectations.
What are your needs?
Do you have access to a crowd/network?
Who is going to be in charge of your campaign?
Do you have the tools you need to run a campaign?
For a successful crowdfunding campaign you need access to a couple practical tools such as a Computer, Smartphone with an Internet connection. If you are unable to connect and talk to your potential donors, it will be difficult to raise funds online.
Have you created social media accounts for your organization? Do you have a mailing list with email addresses or database of your supporters?
Do you have previous success stories or testimonials from past projects in the form of videos, photos, articles etc will bring credibility to your campaign.
Managing your Crowdfunding expectations
Are you crowdfunding for a quick/large cash injection to save your organization or do you need to secure funding for a certain need within your organization?
Although crowdfunding can be rewarding, success does not come easy to those who expect a large amounts of money in a short space of time, particularly you are a new charity.
The chance of you reaching your target shortly after you go “live” is rare, our big, high networked charities, would be able to tell you that it doesn’t happen often!
If you understand that crowdfunding is a process that requires the correct marketing message, a target that isn’t too high and lots of communication with your supporters, then you have a clear view of what to expect!
What are your needs as a charity?
Simply put, WHAT are you crowdfunding for and WHY.
Crowdfunding is the most effective, when you focus on a certain need that you can measure.
Sit with your fundraising team and your finance department to identify specific needs that are “tangible” and easy for the public to understand.
This step is very important in determining how successful your campaign will be, general phrases should be avoided.
Your donor wants to know exactly where their money is going to in order to connect with your cause.
What doesn’t work:“The funds will be used for social upliftment”
What works: “The funds will be used to build a free-clinic in Mitchells plain that will support a community of 200 people”
What doesn’t work: “To help children reach their potential”
What does work: “It costs R30 000 to put one child through a coding course, we hope to put 5 children in through this course at Buddy Coding School in Blouberg by 2019.
What doesn’t work:“ Raising money for awareness”
What does work:“We plan to visit 10 Government schools to educate students about Gun safety”
Tip: Be the first person to support your own campaign. No one wants to support a project that has 0 funds raised.
Setting a realistic, target is an important part of setting up your crowdfunding project.
If your target is too high, you will discourage donations in smaller amounts, because your donor might think their R100 donation won’t make your barometer go up.
As a non-profit, you most likely have a number of important needs in your organization, for the purpose of crowdfunding, it is better to tackle one need at a time.
For example, You might need 5 new vehicles for your organization that will cost R500 000, which might discourage the average donor, but if you crowdfund for 1 vehicle that costs R100 000, your campaign seems a lot more achievable.
Finding your crowd.
Crowdfunding can be a great way to raise money, build your donor database and communicate with your donors on a more personal level.
Where is my crowd?
Your existing Donor Database. (List of names and contact information of those who have donated to your charity in the past)
Your Social Media followers
Your website or blog subscribers.
Past & Present Volunteers/Interns.
The Media: Your local radio station/local paper
Your family & Friends
Who will be in charge of the campaign?
A successful crowdfunding campaign, can’t be done alone.
Rainbows and Smiles have raised over R2 Million rand on BackaBuddy. Click here to see how.
You will need at least one person in your organization who will be in charge of all the crowdfunding activities.
Sit down with your team and determine who will be responsible for the following:
Setting up the campaign.
Marketing the campaign by creating interesting things to post online.
Engaging with your supporters.
Who will run the Facebook/Twitter page.
Updating donors on how successful your campaign was and thanking them for their support.
… so do you think you have what it takes to run a successful campaign?
Listen to our COO, Catherine Du Plooy’s advice to new charities using crowdfunding here
From a young age, Ethan Palagangwe (10), a talented singer from Mitchells Plain, Cape Town has been drawn to music.
Inspired by his songstress mom, he can often be heard around the house, singing songs by his favourite musicians such as Chris Brown, Michae Jackson, Bruno Mars and Justin Bieber.
“Ethan started singing around the house at the age of 8. When he started singing for our friends and family at gatherings, we realized that he has a God given talent that we needed to nurture.” says Ethan’s mom, Candice.
When Ethan’s parents saw that the prestigious Drakensberg Boys Choir School in Kwa-Zulu Natal was having an open call to auditions, they signed him up, in hopes that he would be given a once in a lifetime opportunity to sharpen his singing skills and receive a world-class education.
Performing one of his favourite songs, “Ben”, by Michael Jackson, Ethan soaked up the spotlight and was one of only 30 students, out of 1600, to receive an acceptance letter to enrol at the private school.
Unable to cover the cost of his schooling, which amounts to approximately R 175 000 for his first year, Ethan’s parents launched a crowdfunding campaign on BackaBuddy that has thus far raised over R98 000 with contributions from 26 donors both locally and internationally.
The Palagangwe family from left are Cade, Kagisho, Ethan, Candice and Kaycee. Picture: Plainsman
With his acceptance fee and uniform covered, Ethan has already begun his first semester through online classes.
Starting on a high note, he has already received 92% for his first music theory assignment, despite never taking music studies. He is also excelling in his mathematics quizzes.
Needing additional funding for the remainder of his fees for the school year, Ethan’s parents hope the public will continue to support his dreams.
“We are going to miss seeing our little man everyday, but we know he will continue to make us proud and inspire others with his unique gift. A new and exciting journey lies ahead!” says Ethan’s proud dad, Kagisho
Ethan will officially arrive at his new school on the 1 February 2021.
.
> New group. 
. 
or My Status to take a photo, record a video or GIF or choose an existing photo, video or GIF from your gallery. Remember to include a caption to introduce your campaign. Tap send 
.
to write a short message about your campaign and copy to your BackaBuddy link for donations. Tap send .
