The Gift of the Givers have been working tirelessly to fight the spread of the Coronavirus epidemic.
Through the launch of a campaign on BackaBuddy, the Gift of the Givers have raised a total of R 1 908 064.41 with contributions from 1380 donors, to provide medical practitioners across the country with much needed support.
Please see below, a brief update on this campaign by Dr Imtiaz Sooliman from Gift of the Givers.
With support from the public, The Gift of the Givers has intervened in the Covid-19 challenge in several decisive approaches:
1. Focused on front line health care workers by providing protective materials and essential equipment.
“In addition to the procurement of one million masks, we have ordered or already have in stock coveralls, Hazmat suits, reusable and disposable surgical gowns, scrub suits, latex gloves, head covers, shoe covers, goggles, visors, thermal scans and sanitiser. Thus far we have distributed protective supplies to 160 hospitals and clinics nationwide and the list is expanding. ” – says Dr Sooliman.
2. Set up 30 triage tents at key hospitals to limit virus contamination to the outside of the hospital.
3. Carried out Covid-19 testing. Over thirteen Covid-19 testing sites have been set up and over 5000 patients have been tested. The Gift of the Givers team members have been actively involved in the testing process. Gift of the Givers has partnered First Care Courier Pharmacy to provide a mobile Covid- 19 testing team that travels distances for mass testing. The testing team covers parts of Gauteng, Mpumalanga, North West and Limpopo. Gift of the Givers has purchased six ILEX pcr test machines which will be set up in specially designated Covid-19 lab facilities to speed up the testing process.
4. Provided over 70 000 food parcels to vulnerable individuals and supported over 100 feeding centres nationwide.
“Food intervention is an absolute necessity. We envisage a much greater intervention in these areas in the coming days.” – says Dr Sooliman.
5. Provided water in drought stricken areas.
“Our water tankers deliver 530 000L of water per week in the Eastern Cape. In addition we have 400 fully functional boreholes drilled over an 18 month period which provides clean drinking water daily.” says Dr Sooliman.
6. Produced and distributed material re-usable masks.
“Material masks have been donated to us as well as rolls of material. Various women sewing groups have participated in sewing masks for us. These are being provided to the health department Covid-19 contact tracing teams to hand out to high risk individuals.” – says Dr Sooliman.
7. Supplied over 40 000 maternity and baby packs to mothers on the verge of delivery.
8. Provided a toll free line to give feedback on testing and related Covid-19 information – 0800 786786
9. Provided a toll free counselling service to assist individuals with domestic and other counselling matters.
10. Placed medical volunteers on standby to intervene in a major crisis.
“Our core volunteer teams are ready to intervene in the face of a major crisis, are reviewing and studying Covid-19 information on a daily basis, and are playing a major role in testing.” – says Dr Sooliman.
11. Provided protective material for SAPS.
“Supporting SAPS has become an important consideration seeing that they are so vulnerable being exposed to those positive patients in various communities. Gift of the Givers has been supplying SAPS headquarters, various divisions of the police services and various regions with protective supplies as well as food and water at checkpoints.” – says Dr Sooliman.
12. Fifteen video laryngoscopes for ICU have been bought. The first five have been delivered to Steve Biko, Tshwane General, Charlotte Maxeke, Rahima Moosa and Sebokeng Hospitals.
13. Gift of the Givers will be supporting the eThekwini Municipality homeless shelter by paying for registered nurses to attend to 2700 individuals.
A key thread in all successful crowdfunding campaigns is a well-written, emotive, and informative story that connects with its audience.
Before setting up your campaign, take a look at BackaBuddy’s advice for good story writing.
Practical considerations
Keep your campaign message short (no longer than 200-500 words)
Use Paragraphs and comfortable spacing to separate your ideas.
Highlight important information by bolding, underlining, italicizing key phrases or words.
Keep your tone friendly and conversational.
Don’t forget to do a quick spelling and grammar check.
Add additional information to your campaign through hyperlinks.
Online media articles or blog posts relevant to your cause.
Additional photos or video content to support your campaign on YouTube, Facebook, Dropbox, Google Drive.
Link to a social media page or group that posts regular updates about your campaign.
Your campaign copy should answer the following questions:
Who are you fundraising for?
Tell us about the person you are raising funds for – what is their name, age, where are they from, what is their background, what are some of their achievements or struggles?
Keep in mind that when you write your story, your campaign will reach, friends of friends on social media as well as the public- at a glance, the person reading your campaign text should know exactly who you are raising funds for.
Tip: Donors typically support crowdfunding campaigns in their area – if you can, mention a local hospital, school or church you attend to make your campaign more localized.
What are you fundraising for and how will funds be used?
It’s important to articulate the extent of your various needs and how funds will be used to support the beneficiary of your crowdfunding campaign.
Depending on what you are fundraising for, try to find a clear, tangible way to communicate your needs:
For example, Porky’s People created a campaign to purchase 100 digital food vouchers to the value of R250, to feed vulnerable families in Pietermaritzburg affected by the lockdown.
You can also provide a brief breakdown of the costs involved in your campaign to provide transparency and a full picture of what your needs are.
Focus on the positive impact of donations
Mention how funds raised will be used to support the beneficiary and the positive impact it will have on their life or their current situation.
According to the 2018 Trends in Global Giving Report, by Non-Profit Tech For Good, 91% of donors are motivated to donate to causes when they feel positive emotions such as hope and empathy and only 9% respond to negative emotions such as fear and sadness.
What lead you to crowdfund?
Develop your story by proving background information about your life and how your needs arose.
Why have you decided to crowdfund now?
What was the turning point in your journey to crowdfunding?
What is your time frame?
If your campaign is time-sensitive, include that information in your campaign text to let donors know if you have a limited amount of time to the funds you need.
To save their children’s home from closure, Home of Hope, needed to raise funds to cover their operational costs for 3 months with their campaign.
How will funds be administered?
Will funds raised by paid into your personal account or be paid directly to a relevant supplier such as a medical practitioner, school, church, non-profit organization?
Donors tend to support causes more generously if they are certain funds will be used for their intended purpose and paid directly to the relevant institutions.
Take a look at these inspiring stories on BackaBuddy
Using her wonderful sense of humor, Mandy Lottering, a hairdresser from Pietermaritzburg, penned a personal message about her struggle with breast cancer and the treatment she needed.
Zanele Hlatshwayo from Soweto, told a very powerful story and personal story when raising funds for the South African Depression and Anxiety Group (SADAG) in honor of her late father.
Leilani Kuter (46) from Roodepoort, pledged to walk 27km per day, for 27 days, covering a distance of 729km, 27 years after her rape ordeal. Funds raised were used to purchase rape kits and comfort packs for young women affected by sexual assault and gender-based violence in South Africa.
Find a friend to tell your story
In the crowdfunding community, we often say, your friend’s megaphone is louder. If you can get a dedicated friend to set up your campaign on your behalf, this is often more emotive to donors, will increase your visibility on social media and your campaign is more likely to reach its target.
Take a look at these inspiring stories on BackaBuddy, set up by a friend.
Michael Dickerson (42) from Limpopo, took on a 161km endurance race to raise funds for Daniël Otto (6), a boy suffering from Congenital Muscular Dystrophy (CMD). In his campaign text, Michael wrote how he was inspired by Daniël’s courage despite his many challenges and that he would be carrying a photo of Daniël in his pocket on the day of the race.
When Tannie Poppie Van As, an elderly lady from Laingsburg who runs a roadside ‘roosterbrood’ stand in the Western Cape was invited to Italy to show off her cooking skills, her personality instantly captured the hearts of donors both locally and abroad. Her campaign was set up by a close friend by the name of Stan Engelbrecht who sang her praises.
From living as a homeless man on the streets of Pretoria, Llewellyn Barnes (59) defeated all odds to participate among professional players in major golf tournament. With his crowdfunding campaign, set up by non-profit organization, Fearless Love, Llewellyn shared his life story and how golf got him through the most difficult days of his life.
When Amahle Zenzile (11) was unable to attend the South African Junior Chess Champions Closed in Johannesburg, her best friend and fellow competitor, Trinity Van Beeck (12) set up a crowdfunding campaign on her behalf. In her story, Trinity wrote about their unique friendship and motivated why Amahle deserved the opportunity to show off her skills at the tournament.
More stories that inspired us:
Wave surfer and marine activist, Frank Solomon created a campaign to support two street surfers, Thabo and Mokete, who live on the streets of Johannesburg.
Monet van Deventer created a campaign to surprise petrol attendant Nkhosikho Mbele after he performed a kind deed to keep her safe.
Mother and daughter, Michelle and Kerryn Hugo created a campaign to build a home for their domestic worker, Antonia Mtambo.
Did you know? Campaigns with video content, tend to raise 4 times more funds and are 7 times more shareable on social media. Read more about creating a video to support your crowdfunding campaign here.
Create your own crowdfunding campaign
BackaBuddy has supported more than 10 000+ individuals and charities in setting up crowdfunding campaigns for medical fees, tuition and various other causes in South Africa.
Crowdfunding campaigns centered around a creative concept tend to capture the attention of potential donors and typically raise more funds.
In this article, we will show you how to make use of various fundraising opportunities throughout the year and even how to raise funds to support a cause on your birthday!
Coming up with a creative concept
Whether you are raising funds for a person or to support a charity, crowdfunding allows individuals the freedom to come up with their own creative ideas to relay their message and promote their cause.
Take a look at these creative BackaBuddy campaigns that went the extra mile
In 2018, Andrew Patterson pledged to climb Table mountain every day for a year with his 365 Ubuntuclimbs campaign to raise funds forHabitat for Humanity, One Life for Kids and The Sunflower Fund. By sharing daily video updates on his social media and inviting members of the public to join him on his hikes, Andrew managed to raise over R380 000 on BackaBuddy.
Andrew Patterson
In 2018, founder of Rise18, Zanele Hlatshwayo from Soweto, participated in 18 marathons, totaling over 648km to continue The South African Depression and Anxiety Group’s national suicide toll-free hotline in honor of her late father who took his own life due to depression. Read more.
Zanele Hlatshwayo
In 2017, American intern, Joseph Payne, supporting the DOCKDA Rural Development Agency, climbed Devil’s Peak, Table Mountain, and Lion’s Head with his campaign to purchase bicycles for disadvantaged students in the Northern Cape who walk the same distance to school every day.
In 2019, Leilani Kuter from Roodepoort, pledged to walk 27km per day, for 27 days, covering a distance of 729km, 27 years after the rape ordeal that changed her life.
Wearing yellow, the colour her attacker wore, Leilani broke her silence to empower sexual assault and gender-based violence survivors and free them from the stigma it carries. In sharing her very personal story, Leilani was able to crowdfund over R250 000 to purchase rape kits and comfort packs for those in need.
Her bravery also caught the attention of the national media and opened up a dialogue around the ‘taboo topic’. Read more.
To raise funds for Emil Erasmus’ cancer treatment, Zane Groenewald from Pietermaritzburg, pledged to shave his hair live on Facebook when he reached his crowdfunding campaign target of R5000. Through many small donations from close family and friends, Zane exceeded his initial target.
In 2020, Ross Hindle took on the Iron Man 70.3 with his campaign to raise funds for his friend, Prince Chikezie, to complete his medical degree
Prince Chikezie
Byron Leggett and 5 of his closest friends took on the Comrades Marathon to raise funds to purchase a highly specialized eye tracker to allow Isabella Beck, a young girl diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy to access her communication system through her eye movements. Read more
Byron Leggett, Bryan Hellon, Teran Peyper, JP van Zittert, Greg Kilfoil and Craig Pike with Isabella Beck before the Comrades.
Supporting a cause on your Birthday
In lieu of gifts, it’s becoming a popular trend for individuals to crowdfund for various causes on their birthday.
Founder of Animal Rescue and Rehabilitation Org Trust (ARRO), Juanita Aitkenhead created a crowdfunding campaign to raise R4800 for her organisation on her 48th birthday. Highlighting the importance and positive impact of donations in a short, emotive video, Juanita came very close to reaching her fundraising goal.
Upon learning that the Umgeni River Bird Park, was under strain due to the COVID-19 outbreak, Romario Valentine (8) nobly asked his mum, Delsha Moodley, if she could help him set up a fundraiser on his 9th birthday to support the sanctuary’s “Inspire to Conserve” program. Read more.
Important fundraising days to remember
Mandela Day – 18th July
Every year on International Mandela Day (18th of July), we celebrate not only the birth of Tata Madiba but his 67-year commitment to social justice and servant leadership.
By volunteering 67 minutes of our time, we are encouraged to act in kindness, amplify the voices of those that often go unheard, serve our local communities, churches, and charitable organizations or offer kind donations to support causes in need of support.
Taking on the mammoth task of rescuing and maintaining the Shongweni Resource Reserve, Greg Vogt and Sara Agostini paddled 67 km on Mandela day with their crowdfunding campaign which raised over R63 000. Read more.
Greg Vogt and Sara Agostini
Giving Tuesday – 1st December
On 1 December 2019, following the widely recognized shopping events Black Friday & Cyber Monday, #GivingTuesday kicks off the charitable season when many individuals focus on their holiday & end-of-year giving.
Harnessing the power of social media & collaboration, #GivingTuesdaySA encourages individuals and non-profits alike to reach out to their communities, with the aim of creating meaningful social changeand spreading goodwill.
During the festive season, there is a noticeable increase in giving as individuals and non-profits look to spread Christmas joy. Whether you would like to raise funds to purchase gifts for disadvantaged children or host Christmas parties for the elderly, consider creating a crowdfunding campaign during the holidays.
In December 2019, Porky’s People, created a campaign to purchase gifts to the value of R200 to give the children of Thandi House, a registered non-profit children’s home a warm and memorable Christmas. Read more.
Instagram: Porky’s People
Choosing your crowdfunding campaign name
An important part of establishing your crowdfunding concept is what you decided to call your campaign.
Your campaign name should be no longer than 5 words – think of it as a title of a book. Consider the most important elements of your story, the beneficiary, and the positive impact you will create.
A catchy title could be the difference between individuals scrolling past your post or clicking through to make a donation. Remember, your campaign name is your first impression, avoid generic statements and make it memorable!
Take a look at these BackaBuddy campaign names that caught our attention:
While it’s not impossible to crowdfund large sums of money through crowdfunding, these are often rare occasions that require a lot of time, dedication, a large network of supporters, and the use of social media.
In this article, we will guide you through setting your fundraising target and what you should consider when setting your goal.
Managing expectations
To investigate on average how many donors it typically takes to reach your fundraising target, we researched over 600 successful campaigns on BackaBuddy.
We found that campaigns that raise:
R10 000 typically have 15+ donors
R20 000 typically have 30+ donors
R50 000 typically have 40+ donors
R100 000 typically have 130+ donors
R200 000 typically have 185+ donors
R250 000 typically have 190+ donors
Small fundraising targets
Depending on your network of supporters, campaigns with smaller fundraising targets (R5000-R10 000) tend to reach their fundraising targets quicker and can be funded by approaching your close, personal network and making use of social media.
Smaller targets tend to be less intimidating to donors and often focus on one tangible need which makes the campaign more appealing to supporters.
A basic guide to Raising 10 000 and below.
A basic guide to Raising R20 000
Medium to large fundraising targets
If your fundraising target is significant (R50 000 – R200 000) or if you’re raising funds for ongoing costs, your campaign will typically take on a longer fundraising cycle.
To avoid donor fatigue, you will need to approach a wider network of supporters through social media and the press. (If your campaign is newsworthy)
Campaigns with large fundraising targets can be intimidating to potential supporters, as they often feel their contribution won’t make much of an impact on the barometer.
If possible, re-evaluate your campaign ask and structure your campaign around your most pressing need. If there is no way to decrease your campaign target, include a breakdown of your costs, so donors can see where the funds will be used.
A basic guide to Raising R50 000
A basic guide to Raising R100 000 and above.
Reasons to adjust your fundraising target
You have included too many needs in your fundraising ask
Your fundraising needs have changed
You have exhausted your personal network of supporters
There’s a lack of support at the start of your campaign
Storytelling is key:
Whether you’re raising a small, medium or a large amount of money through crowdfunding, make sure your campaign story is well written, informative and emotive. Read More.
If you can, introduce your crowdfunding campaign with a 1 minute video shot on your cellphone – as campaigns with video content tend to raise 4 times more funds. Read More.
Before setting up a crowdfunding campaign, make sure you have ticked off all the items in our advice checklist.
BackaBuddy has supported more than 10 000+ individuals and charities in setting up crowdfunding campaigns for medical fees, tuition and various other causes in South Africa.
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)
Take a look at this example below:https://www.instagram.com/p/B_MV0BgJhBk/embed/captioned/?cr=1&v=12&wp=500&rd=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.backabuddy.co.za&rp=%2Fnews%2Fsharing-your-crowdfunding-campaign-on-instagram%2F#%7B%22ci%22%3A0%2C%22os%22%3A14821.220000041649%2C%22ls%22%3A9928.710000007413%2C%22le%22%3A9972.820000024512%7D
#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.
Take a look at our other social media guidelines below
