Good afternoon-
We completed a crowdfund effort in November. The effort was part of the closing tactics in a $ 1.26 million capital campaign. The crowdfund goal was $ 30k and we reached slightly more than $ 32k. We worked with a non-profit organization called Oregon's Kitchen Table which provides technical and strategic support for other non-profit initiatives.
Oregon's Kitchen Table
Their website has information about crowdfunding that might be helpful to you. They use the 'go fund me' platform if I recall. It does not require that you hit your goal to get funds which some other platforms do.
Several things to consider. Just as with any fundraising effort, for success you need to come out of the gate with momentum which means lining up lead gifts to 'prime the pump'. Crowdfunding campaigns generally succeed when there's a sense of urgency--we were told that they should last no more or less than about 34 days. The span of two pay periods for potential donors. I agree with other commentators who said that you need to have a strong following in your community--an active social media presence is critical. Many of our staunch supporters who are not in the social media demographic did not respond or expressed reluctance to participate in crowdfunding.
Let me know if I can be of help answering other questions.
------------------------------
David Porter
Executive Director
Leach Botanical Garden
Portland OR
------------------------------
Original Message:
Sent: 12-11-2017 06:27 AM
From: Miller Williams
Subject: Crowd Funding
We are considering Crowd Funding to partially fund a museum renovation. Does anyone recommend a good App for such an effort?
--