If your campaign is falling short, don’t worry! There are plenty of communication strategies and tools you can use to boost your campaign and push through to the end.
Revitalize Your Communications
If you haven’t already, make sure to communicate consistently with potential donors. Use every tool at your disposal, especially social media and mailing lists.
If you are already reaching out to donors, consider revising your messaging. To start, take a look at your budget and relate it to your progress so far. If the campaign ended today, what would you be able to accomplish? What would you be able to do with the full amount?
When you contact potential donors, share what their donations will support and how much more of an impact you can make if they help you reach the goal. Rather than focusing on how you are not on track to meet the goal (so far), focus on the potential impact of the funds! It’s far more positive and inspiring.
You might also try following up with individual messages to your family and close friends. Often these folks will be your most consistent, core supporters. Even if they have already given, you may be able to ask them to make another donation, especially as you get closer to your goal. If they want to see you succeed, they might be willing to give again to push you over the finish line.
As you prepare your posts and messages, don’t be afraid to change things up a bit! Depending on the subject matter, you could consider making a more serious pitch about the importance and impact of the project—or a more whimsical approach.
Create a New Reward
Another way to bring attention to your campaign is to create (and then promote) a special new reward. Whether a fun, creative experience or a special gift, let this reward be different from the others! A little bit of contrast can go a long way. You can also limit the number of recipients to add an element of scarcity, if you like. For ideas, make sure to check out our article on “What makes good crowdfunding rewards?”
Update Your Campaign Page
The middle of your campaign is a good time to make changes to your campaign materials as well, in preparation for the final push to the end. If you have not already, we recommend creating a video for your campaign. You can also add photos to the text, or edit the text with updates about the campaign’s progress thus far.
Here are a few articles to review on adding to or updating your campaign:
If you aren’t sure what changes to make, take a look at some of the other campaigns on Fundraising by Fractured Atlas and see if any of them inspire you.
What if I don’t meet the goal?
Be Confident and Focus on the Impact
As we discuss in our crowdfunding webinar, people are more likely to give to your campaign at the beginning and at the end. As you approach the end, make a social media schedule and draft up your posts, texts, and email messages.
In some cases, as you approach the end of your campaign, you may realize that you are not going to meet your goal. This is okay! Even with the best preparation, you can never predict exactly how much you will be able to raise.
As the campaign comes to a close, be gracious with your supporters, whether they gave to the campaign or not. The way you act in this situation can have an impact on whether folks are willing to give in the future. Be sure to show appreciation to those who gave to the campaign and make sure they know that their funds have gone to a good cause.
If you do not reach your goal, share what you are planning to do with the funds raised. If you will not be able to carry out the project as designed, feel free to share how you are adapting and/or seeking additional funding. Be open with your supporters! One of them may have a connection with a future in-kind donor or institution that can help.
Don’t let missing your goal be a discouragement. These things take time! As a fiscally sponsored project, you can continue to fundraise through your General Support page, receive corporate contributions, and apply for grants.
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