5 Insights From Causes That Raise 100%+ of Their Goal
Some of them may surprise you!
The PledgeCents team is on a relentless mission to equip you with everything you need to succeed. Sometimes it’s by making our process easier for you and for investors, and others it’s through resources and insights that we can share. This week, we thought you might want to know what other causes do to reach their goals. We took it a step further and asked the question, “What do causes that not only hit their goal, but keep raising beyond have in common?” Here are the 5 keys insights that we found and that you should use for your next cause to hit your goal and beyond.
1) Set your goal based only on what you NEED. We all want our students to have every resource available, but we found that most of the causes we looked at included only the minimum of what they needed and used the momentum they built up to raise for the things they wanted. For example, this cause wanted to bring chromebooks to the more than 900 students and settled on 60 as the minimum amount they would need for the students to be able to share and learn effectively. This cause and many others utilize updates both in the Update tab and through Facebook to let their investors and network know that they wanted to keep pushing to see if they could get another 30 chromebooks for their students...and they did! We call these “stretch goals” and it’s a great way to have your investors help you and create FOMO for their network! Once you reach your goal (or even when you are getting close), you can post an Update for a “stretch goal” and continue raising funds even after the campaign ends. If you need a little more time to fulfill your stretch goal, send us an email and we’ll be happy to extend your cause.
2) Shorter timeline, but more consistency. We know you don’t have all the time in the world to fundraise and that’s why we think you’ll especially like this insight. Most causes we analyzed were 30-day causes. 30 days not only creates a sense of urgency to give for anyone who sees it, but also is a manageable amount of time to make sure you share 3-4 times a week and keep up with thank you emails from beginning to end. By sharing consistently, you will make sure your cause remains visible throughout PledgeCents and is getting more eyes to your cause. Causes that share enjoy benefits like being featured on our homepage, in our emails to investors and higher up on our Discover page. The more consistent you are, the more random investments you’ll see. As mentioned in #1, we are happy to extend your timeline, which not only gives you more time to raise more funds, but also resets the clock and creates more urgency than a regular 60-day cause. Develop a strategy before you submit your cause and share, thank and update investors throughout! There are exceptions for larger causes where the same approach for a 60-day or 90-day timeline makes sense. If you are ever in doubt, remember you can always reach out to our team and we’ll be happy to give you feedback.
3) Make it a team effort. "Teamwork makes dreamwork." We sometimes hear from creators who don't think they have anyone who will help, but the majority of causes we looked at found help of all sorts. A team can be other teachers, parents, family and friends and students (especially). As you know, there’s power in numbers. You aren’t the only one benefiting from the cause and just like a business, there’s a role for everyone to fill. Some parents and teachers make great marketers while students can be designers or videographers by creating hand written ‘thank you’ notes and ‘thank you’ videos for investors. Your team will not only take pride in the cause, but also will exponentially grow your causes reach. One great example of the power of a team is this cause, who made a schoolwide competition out of it and were able to get all of the teachers and students behind the cause! Offering up a pizza party goes a long way at PledgeCents and I think it would do the same for you!
4) Almost all causes incorporated a video. We know that making a video can seem like a daunting task, but we find that most creators think of elaborately made, professional videos like you see on Kickstarter. If you have those resources at your disposal and can make a video like this one, then by all means! But the truth is the less professional and more original, the better! Videos draw people in and encourage them to engage with your cause by asking them to click and spend time watching. Once they’ve done that, you’ve got them! Some of the best videos simply include pictures, music and text (like this one) and others are personal and inspiring because they show the creator explaining the importance behind the need (like this one). Next time you are creating your cause, spend a little more time and make a quick 1:30 to 3:00 video and see if it makes a difference.
5) Don’t rely solely on one channel. Every school and community is unique. Causes that do well understand their community and utilize all of the channels available. Whether it’s social media like this cause, approaching local businesses like this teacher, or sending letters home with the students like this cause, trying different strategies throughout your cause will only help you succeed. We guarantee it :)
Remember that any one of these will definitely strengthen your cause, but it’s important to utilize as many as you can to give your cause the best chance to succeed. Now that you have the inside secrets...ready, set, create your cause!
If you have any questions, email us at info@pledgecents.com.
