Charity Crowdfunding for Non-Profits: Are You Ready To Create a Campaign?

by Zane Groenewald | Feb 1, 2021 | Tips

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?

1. 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.

2. 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!

3. 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.

4. 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?

1. Your existing Donor Database. (List of names and contact information of those who have donated to your charity in the past)
2. Your Social Media followers 
3. Your website or blog subscribers.
4. Past & Present Volunteers/Interns.
5. The Media: Your local radio station/local paper
6. Your family & Friends

1. 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:

1. Setting up the campaign.
2. Marketing the campaign by creating interesting things to post online.
3. Engaging with your supporters.
4. Who will run the Facebook/Twitter page.
5. 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

Register your charity here:

Once your Charity Crowdfunding profile has been set up on BackaBuddy, you can start putting together your project!

How to write your crowdfunding campaign story

by Zane Groenewald | Jan 21, 2021 | Tips

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.

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.
• Raise funds for an individual or cause.
• Register your non-profit organisation.
• Create a crowdfunding campaign to fundraise for a non-profit organisation.

For more information email [email protected].

Learn more about crowdfunding here

Setting your crowdfunding campaign target

by Zane Groenewald | Jan 21, 2021 | Tips

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.

Crowdfunding Checklist

• Setting up your campaign
• Coming up with your crowdfunding idea & name
• Setting your fundraising target
• Writing your crowdfunding campaign story
• Creating a crowdfunding video
• Finding your donors & Getting started
• Sharing your crowdfunding campaign on WhatsApp
• Sharing your crowdfunding campaign on Facebook

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.

• Raise funds for an individual or cause.
• Register your non-profit organisation.
• Create a crowdfunding campaign to fundraise for a non-profit organisation

How to create a crowdfunding campaign in South Africa

by Zane Groenewald | Jan 21, 2021 | Tips