With thousands of crowdfunding campaigns popping up every day around the world, asking for funds has become easier and harder at the same time. Easier, because now we know how to make an ask and where. Crowdfunding India experts are constantly writing new tips and tricks they’re discovering to help make future campaigners’ appeals better.
Harder because, at the same time, this means there are more people turning to crowdfund platforms to help fund their cause. We’re all vying for attention from the same people on social media! Campaigners need to find their own unique ways to stand out from the crowd. There are many ways to do this; the most effective one being, making your appeal more attractive and quickly readable.
So how do you do this? Using the idea of “Show vs Tell”!
Imagery makes this possible. Not a lot of people are willing to read much content on social media. Let’s face it. We want content that’s immediately attention-grabbing. We don’t spare a lot of time for content that needs to be slowly absorbed. We’re more likely to take in knowledge if it comes in the form of videos, pictures and posters rather than paragraphs of text. And the best part is, your videos don’t have to be of the best quality! Anybody can make simple, short videos that their audience will want to watch. Videos are also the most shareable pieces of content on the internet!
Here are 5 different ways you can include videos in your crowdfunding India appeal!
For NGO fundraisers:
- Film your staff on field, as they interact with the beneficiaries; the people/animals you’re raising funds for. Get them to briefly explain the situation to the camera. This helps potential donors take a look at the problem first-hand and feel moved.
- Encourage your donors to volunteer as well by showing them volunteer testimonial videos. Get volunteers to talk about how they heard about your cause, where they came from, how long they worked with you, what they learnt and felt about their experience.
- If you’ve got the talent and material for it, consider creating a “trailer” of your last project. This will essentially summarize your last project, starting from the problem, its effect on a region or community, the solution you executed, the risks and problems involved and final result. This will give donors an idea of how your next project, that is, the one you’re running a crowdfunding India campaign for, will pan out!
For medical fundraisers:
- If you’re preparing to start your fundraiser before the patient is hospitalized (and if they’re healthy enough), try filming a simple appeal with the family. It can be as little as a minute long. They can speak in their own language and explain the situation and why they need funds in simple words. Potential donors are twice as likely to respond positively if they’re watching an emotional spoken appeal like this.
- If the patient and their family are comfortable enough, consider shooting a short video in the hospital. It doesn’t have to be staged in any way (in fact, it shouldn’t). The patient doesn’t necessarily have to be in the video; them or a loved one can simply speak a few words about what happened that day (for example, John received his third chemotherapy session today. It was very painful this time and it took a toll on him so he’s resting right now).