How to Promote

Raise izzy Foundation - Fund Raiser

Creating early momentum

Day 1:
Make sure you post your crowdfunding campaign on all your Social Media pages - like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc., with the link to your campaign page.

Spread the word
Your inner circle  - Get all your project team members, your family and your circle of friends to share your crowdfunding campaign online and offline to their own networks both in India and across the world. Get your friends and family to fund you early in the campaign. Keep track of the contributions from your network to make sure you hit the 30-40% of funding goal at the earliest. Campaigns that get such a good start increase their chances of attracting more interest from the crowd, and hence, reach their target faster!

Offline 
Although the Internet is powerful and makes a greater audience impact, you could also think of ways to promote your campaign offline if you have access to low cost media. If you have a large fund raising requirement, then traditional media both in India and abroad can always help. Continuously search for media / PR stories who might be interested in your crowdfunding campaign - any mention by them will lead to more visits & more chances of contributions

Social media
Social Media and online networking is the basis of crowdfunding. You need to engage your audience online to spread awareness & receive contributions. Social Media makes it easy to connect to your pre-existing network and get them excited about your campaign and also share it with their own networks across India and the world. Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Instagram can all be used. Get your website updated so that it reflects the campaign story. Reach out to other communities on social media, that you had identified as having a natural affinity with your idea or cause - inform them of your campaign launch and get them excited enough to contribute and spread the word.

You are not only asking the crowd to contribute to your crowdfunding campaign but also to join you in this endeavour of yours. There are a number of things you need to consider for your social media strategy:
  • Choose the right medium: When you plan your crowdfunding campaign, make sure to choose the social media channels that are most effective for you. Pick medium where you have the most friends/followers. This ensures that your posts are shared to a wider network.
  • Pick a hashtag for your crowdfunding campaign: A unique hashtag that can be used universally for all your posts related to your campaign. This allows you to organize all your posts under one page and also makes it easier for people to see all the posts. Encourage your friends and followers to use the hashtag as well
  • Create a Facebook Page: A campaign-specific Facebook page can play a central space for all your posts and updates. You can engage with your existing community and expand it through outreach. Every Facebook page comes with Facebook Insights. This provides you with the necessary analytics to monitor your crowdfunding campaign’s performance based on age, demographics, shares, reach etc.
  • The perfect content mix: The aim of using social media is to increase awareness of your crowdfunding campaign & drive funders to your campaign page. Use a mix of informative & sales-type posts.
  • About 80% of posts related your crowdfunding campaign should be informative and should educate the crowd. There are people out there who will be interested in your product or NGO or idea or event that aren't aware of your campaign on RaisEizzy, the aim is to reach out to them as well. These types of posts will drive engagement & make people come to your page to find out more. For a product based campaign, post interesting photographs & videos of your product.
  • Sales-type posts: The other 20% of your posts should drive the reader to contribute to your crowdfunding cause. A call to action creates a sense of urgency and drives readers to contribute. 
  • Track results of your social media strategy: Keep a constant eye on the results of your social media strategy. There is always more that can be done but it needs to be done right. Don't flood your campaign page with unnecessary updates.
  • Share stories from your supporters. 
Social media: Checklist

Twitter

•  Use popular and trending hashtags to raise awareness for your crowdfunding campaign.
•  Always include your campaign link whenever you tweet about it.
•  Ask for retweets to help spread the word.
•  Tweet at people (even those you don't know) who might have an interest in your campaign.
•  Gain followers by following others and actively engaging them.
• Be careful not to tweet too much - nobody likes spam.
• Make sure your teammates also tweet to their followers about the campaign.
• Tell people about your rewards if they are innovative - be specific. Facebook
• Use both a personal and a campaign-specific profile to send regular crowdfunding campaign updates.
• Always include a link to your campaign story whenever you write about it on Facebook.
• Ask people for feedback and engage them with questions.
• People are more likely to "Like" and "Share" media, not just text.
• Use pictures & videos to show your campaign, rewards, sneak peeks & more
• Tell people about your rewards - be specific

Instagram

• Take pictures documenting your campaign journey.
• Take pictures of events relating to your campaign.
• Follow people on Instagram who may be interested in your project or work in the industry.
• Tag words that relate to your project.
• Tag your pictures with a link to your campaign.
• Use photos to show your rewards, campaign and more.

Pinterest

• Use your Pinterest account to build your campaigns vision.
• Pin pictures of your rewards & anything else visually interesting that relates to your project.
•  Pin videos & images that lead back to your campaign.
• Include a campaign link on your profile page

Raise izzy is open to everyone, from charities, community groups, to individuals, anyone can raise funds here.

Criteria for Individuals
• Indian nationals, 18 years or above, with identity proof (upload a Passport copy / Driving license /Aadhar card)
• Holding an Indian bank account in his or her name
• Having an active FB account in their name
• Mobile number

Planning your crowdfunding campaign

The ideal preparation time for your crowdfunding campaign depends on the kind of project you have. That said it should take you 2 to 3 months to put your crowdfunding campaign together and plan out the strategy you're going to use to get your message to the crowd, be it in India or across the world. There a number of things you have to consider at this stage such as the funding goal, expertise of your team, your reach through social networks and your funder acquisition plan of action. Planning ahead will give you time to begin building relationships with individuals and organizations that may be interested in funding you. 
 
1. Idea ::  Some Examples 
  • Like making a movie / music album
  • Technology ideas, like building a solar-powered car.
  • Publishing idesa, like a travel writer's first book. 
  • New Innovations that solve problems in real life. 
  • Fashion ideas, like for a new line of accessories, or even new ideas for Home/Office/Car
2. Causes::  (Individuals Supporting) Some Examples 
  • Hunger Eradication, like mid day meals programmes, brining low-cost healthy meals on urban streets.
  • Health related causes - like supporting research on Cancer or funding sight saving eye surgeries
  • Education related causes, like building a new education facility/digitization or library for disadvantaged community
  • Community related Causes like building a play park, sports facility, Gym, over an old garbage dumping site or building facilities of common need in an urban slum area.
  • Other causes related to Environment, Sports, Awareness for Good Health and Personal Hygiene
3. Charity::  (By NGO's, non-profit societies & CSR) Some Examples 
  • Supporting Child welfare, like Orphanages, Distitutes, Differently Enabled, or imparting livelihood skills, 
  • Supporting Women Welfare, like Self-Help groups that help generate incomes for them
  • Supporting disadvantaged community/groups like displaced tribals, vocational training for transgenders 
  • Animal related Charities like Save a Tiger, Save the Elephants from Ivory Hunting, or Building a sanctuary for stray animals and animal adoption programmes.
  • Charities that deal with Save-Planet, Environment, Soil, Atmosphere and Spreading Awareness for Conservation and usage of Natural Resources.
4. Recovery ::  (NGO's Working for Disaster Relief) Some Examples 
  • Food Relief
  • Earthquake Relief
  • Drought Relief
  • Tsunami Relief
  • Forest Fire Relief
  • Pandemic Relief
5. Events ::  Some Examples 
  • A Movie Premier Show
  • A Photography or Art Exhibition
  • Staging a Concert
  • A Theatre Festival or a Play
  • A Sporting/Gaming Competition
  • Organizing Run - Marathon-Walk-Ride for a Sustainable Cause
Defining objectives & setting your targets
  • Setting your target and funding model are important.
  • Once you launch your crowdfunding campaign, these cannot be changed.
  • You need to ensure that your target is realistic and can be at least 30-40% funded through your own network of friends and family.
  • A potential funder who happens to come across your campaign on RaisEizzy Foundation must be able to see some traction (E.g. 25% already funded in the first 72 hours) to be interested in funding you.
  • People want to be a part of campaigns that look like they could be successful or have received funding already.
  • This means smaller targets that can be easily funded. If you have a larger project, you might want to consider splitting them into smaller projects with smaller targets to attract more funders.
  • This does not mean that smaller projects can be expected to raise more than the target money. When setting the target amount, make sure you have taken into consideration the fees of the crowdfunding platform, the cost of running the campaign, cost of the rewards and their distribution, etc.
  • It is important that you understand the difference between the two funding models - Fixed Funding & Flexible Funding.
Flexible Funding- KWYG "Keep what you get":
You get to keep the funds you raised whether you meet the target goal or not, by the end date of the campaign.

Fixed Funding- AON "All or Nothing" - You get to keep the funds you raised ONLY if you achieve or exceed your target amount, by the end date of the campaign.

Setting your benchmarks
For example, let's assume that your project runs for 60 days. 
You should aim to receive at least 10-20 % of your target amount on the 1st day of your crowdfunding campaign’s launch. By the end of the 1st quarter of your campaign period, the aim is to raise at least 50% of your target (i.e. if your campaign is for 60 days then aim to raise at least 50% of your goal by DAY 15). Most successful campaigns raise 30-40% of their funding goal in the first 1 week after the project has been launched. Funding tends to slow down in the middle of the campaign, which is why it is important to gain momentum right at the start. 

Deciding your campaign duration

"Short and sweet". It has been observed globally and in India that most of the successful crowdfunded campaigns have an average duration of about 45 days. Longer campaigns do not necessarily mean you will raise more money. Short campaigns ensure that you maintain the momentum of the project contributions with a sense of urgency. Note: You need to give yourself at least 2 weeks after the campaign ends to receive funds

Define your crowd

Find out who your crowd is, who your funders are, what kind of charities (NGOs), social causes, products, ideas, events they would be interested in funding. Apart from your inner circle of friends and family, make sure you go through other individuals and organizations that may be interested in your crowdfunding cause. Prepare the email list of all your contacts to mobilize their participation. Make sure they are also connected to you over Social Media (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc). If you have any other online presence, like your own websites or blogs, make sure they carry the campaign message, with the same link to your campaign page.

For IDEAS and individual CAUSES

• Friends, family, acquaintances, colleagues & organizations
• Communities and groups, which may have a passion to support your project.
​​ • Focus on friends with large social networks, those who are influencers etc.
• Ensure that they do not JUST fund you but also SHARE the fact that they funded you on their social networks. E.g.: if you're publishing a book, you could find groups on FB for book lovers where you could post your campaign for a greater outreach. Plan this in advance and become part of these groups.
• They can help you to reach say 30-40% of your target amount, immediately after launch. Campaigns that get such a good start increase their chances of attracting more interest from the crowd, and hence, reach their target faster!

For CHARITIES/ Non Profit Organisations

• Existing donors (these could be individuals, corporates, friends, family) will be your key supporters and should ideally contribute 40% of your funding goal in the first week.
• In addition to them, look for groups and communities that are aligned to social causes, leverage your database, to reach out to a larger audience.
• Tell corporates who have supported you to communicate your crowdfunding campaign initiative to their employees and partners
• Get large donors to MATCH individual donors and become advocates of your charity.

Sponsor /Alliance Partners

Get matching funders on-board, ideally before the campaign starts. Matching funders can be individuals or organisations that are as passionate about your idea/ cause and who are ready to join your crowdfunding campaign.

Setting your rewards

Setting your rewards carefully is crucial to your crowdfunding campaign. You want to set unique rewards that can attract funders to fund your campaign. There can be many types of rewards that you can offer. Here are some thought starters: Physical rewards (which you will be able to ship across to Funders, at your cost): 
• An innovatively designed item, like a badge or cap or a T-shirt
• Stuff that Funders can't easily find elsewhere, like handicrafts/ paintings by an artisan tribe
• DVD copy of the film you're crowdfunding for, autographed by the entire cast

Digital rewards (which you can use the internet, as the channel, to fulfil)

•  A unique 'thank you' on a picture/ poster that you can email across to Funders
•  A sneak peek to one of the tracks in your music album, as a link, before the album is released
•  A short Skype call with your founder/ celebrity patron, that Funders could cherish

Experiential rewards (enable access to a one-of-its-kind experience)

•  VIP passes to the premiere show of the movie you're raising funds for OR a 5- min behind-the-stage meeting with the artists/ bands performing at the concert
•  A 2-day stay at your organization's premises for the top Funders, to immerse themselves with your team & your activities
•  A dinner with one of your celebrity patrons/ supporters

It is important to be INNOVATIVE with your rewards.

•  If you wanted ₹8 Lakhs to fund your music album, some rewards could include having the funder's name printed as one of the Producers on the album cover or even put the funder's name in the lyrics of the song etc.
• If an NGO needs ₹20 Lakhs to build a new building, a reward for a funder donating ₹5 Lakhs could be having the building named after him/her, with a plaque.
• If you're getting a book crowdfunded for ₹5 Lakhs, the reward for ₹1Lakh donation could be "We will put your name and photograph at the end of the book OR we can name a character in the book after you! Now how is that for a reward!

As you see, the kind of rewards you can offer is limited only by imagination & capability. Decide the contribution levels at which you wish to offer rewards - the higher the contribution, the rewards need to be more unique/ memorable. You can request us to increase the no. of rewards you have to give at a certain level, even after your crowdfunding campaign has launched, if you see it becoming popular. 

Focus on Feedback

On RaisEizzy Foundation you have access to comments of funders and other people on your crowdfunding campaign page. Use this to incorporate feedback to make your campaign better. The more you engage with the funders, the more they are likely to spread the word.

Rewards ​

You can keep track and see which rewards are popular amongst the crowd and which rewards are unpopular. You can increase the number of the popular rewards available to attract more funders.

Social media shares

The Crowdfunding platform can give you information on the social media shares on your campaign. That information can give you useful insights on what kind of people liking, sharing and how you can try and reach more such people.

Updates

Regularly keep updating the crowd on the progress of your campaign funding. Post & announce as your crowdfunding campaign hits milestones (Eg. '25% of target reached in 2 days!', 'Half way mark reached in 10 days!', etc.). Share your success. Nearing the end, it will get the funders excited to push you to the finish line. Use regular updates to gain more contributions in the mid-phase of your campaign. Any media mentions (both in India or abroad) / blog posts/ influencer reviews/ comments - feature them prominently in your updates can go a long way

Sponsor /Alliance Partners

It is never too late to get a sponsor on board for your crowdfunding campaign. Organizations or individuals interested in your campaign will help propel its success. 

Monitor campaign activity

The first week is the most crucial time for your campaign. You will need to make sure your campaign doesn't lose its momentum. Keep track of your strategies, based on funder activity, and you will know if there is anything you need to change the way you're promoting your campaign. Eg., are email reminders working better, did your Facebook post get enough traction, or are personal calls more effective. Also keep in mind that you need to achieve a ballpark of 30%-50 % of the target goal from your inner circle itself. This is the time to contact and push your close friends, well-wishers & family to help you achieve your goal.

Ending Strong

Towards the end of your campaign, get the crowd excited enough to fuel your crowdfunding campaign to the finish line! This sense of urgency will drive the crowd to contribute towards the campaign's success.

Some of your early funders may even come back to bridge the last 10% of your campaign goal.

Thank your contributors individually via a thank you email. 

Congratulations on a successful crowdfunding campaign!

Once you have the received the funds from your crowdfunding campaign, make sure you first send the receipts to all the funders. Then, please go full steam ahead, and start executing your project. Make sure you keep hitting the milestones as per the committed timelines during your crowdfunding campaign.

Keep funders updated

On RaisEizzy Foundation at each milestone, make sure that you update the backers/ donors of having reached there - they'll be really happy to know, and will keep following you with interest. Engaging with your funders after your crowdfunding campaign ends allows them to know where their contribution went, how it's being used. This will be a great community for you to foster, when you come back to raise funds the next time!

Reward fulfilment

Keep your funders well informed about the status of their rewards. Remember, you do not want to aim at receiving a one-off contribution from the crowd. You want them to be funders for life. Keeping your funders happy will help you with other crowdfunding ventures in the future, as you will then have a well-established funder community base. Keep maintaining communication through updates and social media.

Follow up campaigns

If you require raising more funds for the same project or a new project, you can post a link to your new crowdfunding campaign on the old campaign page. This will inform all your existing funders of your new fundraising campaign. Do not be surprised if many of your funders become repeat funders.