How to Run a Successful Crowdfunding Campaign

How to Run a Successful Crowdfunding Campaign

Educators are learning how to get funding from across the globe.

Budgets are tight, but classroom supplies and technologies are staying expensive. With that equation, more and more teachers are turning to crowdfunding websites to make their (and their students’) educational dreams come true. Sites like Kickstarter and IndieGoGo are full of great ideas, but don’t specialize in education. Donors Choose, on the other hand, is only for teachers seeking help with classroom supplies or activities.

Here’s some tips on how to turn crowdfunding into your own educational ATM.

Cool and original sells

You might need basic classroom supplies, but unless you’re doing something novel and buzzworthy with them, your campaign will struggle. The campaigns that take off are the ones that people are excited to get behind and share with their social networking friends, usually with the headline “Look at what this teacher is doing!”

If you’re having trouble coming up with ideas, simply cruise the crowdfunding sites to see what’s doing well. Then put your own spin on an idea you like and that fits with your curriculum. If the idea is cool enough, money can be no object.

Be as specific as possible

Say you want a 3D printer for your classroom. That’s a great (if not original) idea! What are you going to do with it? If your answer was “print stuff”, your campaign won’t be funded.

Donors want to hear concrete plans, especially on how the campaign will impact student learning. Describe how this fits into the curriculum, as well as the role the students will play in the process. Also, promise to keep the donors updated on the kids’ progress in the project.

Follow through

That last point brings us to a key factor on which campaigns get picked up. Donors might have hearts of gold, but they’re also human. They would like to get something out of the deal, even if it’s only a thank you note. In fact, Donors Choose has a policy that any donation of $50 or more will receive one. Some campaigns even give their donors commemorative t-shirts or stickers.

Keep a blog or post videos of the project’s progress once it gets started. Make sure the kids find ways of showing their appreciation, then make sure you follow through on all of your promises. A quick way of making sure you never get another campaign funded is to drop the ball on your donor gifts.

With crowdfunding, it’s more than possible for a teacher to completely revolutionize how they teach certain concepts. All they need is creativity, some communication skills, and dedication—traits most teachers already have.

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