A question posted recently on Quora asked, “How do I implement a civic crowdfunding on my local town hall?” Former police officer Wendy Bolm, Community Success Manager at CommitChange, gave her opinion on the topic, below.
- Research crowdfunding platforms. (Full disclosure, I work for a crowdfunding platform that focuses on developing fundraising tools for nonprofits.) Some questions you’ll have to keep in mind: Are you doing this as a member of government? A civic-minded citizen of the town? A local business? A nonprofit organization? You can do a quick search on Google for crowdfunding platforms, but you’ll have to look at their info pages and FAQs to see if your specific budget/organization structure/needed toolset meshes with each platform.
- Let people know what you’re doing. Build word of mouth even as you’re putting the campaign together. Tie the campaign to a website, and tell people about the website. Get cards and flyers printed. See if you can put up posters in local businesses. Even though there will be an initial marketing cost, since this is for a local town hall, you’ll want eyes in the town to see what you’re trying to do, and it will pay off in the long run.
- Once you’ve got your platform and your website in place, make a video. Include information about the history of the town hall, why the fundraiser is necessary, and your goals. Videos help crowdfunding succeed in a major way. Upload the video to your website and your crowdfunding platform.
- Since this is a local fundraiser, place some targeted ads online through Facebook, Google, etc. The people in your town will see those ads, and it’s another way to engage them.
- Get local businesses and organizations involved in spreading the word.
- Keep people updated about your successes through social media and email updates.