(Newswire.net — November 6, 2015) — Since 2009, crowdfunding has exploded. One of the Internet’s most famous crowdfunding campaigns was claimed by a guy trying to raise money to throw a potato salad party, and he raised over $55,000 for it! So if this guy can make $55,000 for a potato salad party dubbed PotatoStock can you make money for a dream of your own?
As we’ve learned from potato guy, crowdfunding can be used for almost everything you can imagine. Want to raise money for cancer research? Or maybe travel the world for a good cause? There are crowdfunding platforms for pretty much everything you can imagine.
Understanding fundraising through crowdsourcing platforms?
Some crowdsourcing platforms are primarily business focused, some are more humanitarian in the nature.
Humanitarian Aid Raising Money for Victims
Plumfund.com for example is an interesting website that allows you to raise money for a cause. You could raise money for orphans, medical expenses, or for humanitarian aid for vulnerable people around the world. They call this giftfunding as this is purely to help those in need from the generosity of people’s hearts.
Some great examples of Plumfund campaigns for victims of hardship are the recently set up campaign to raise money for Victims of domestic abuse, there are many campaigns to help people across the world that are experiencing hardship in the home.
Often the campaigns will be to help people from huge disasters in their country such as the Fukushima nuclear disaster in Japan. This is one of Plumfunds most successful campaigns and involves not human victims but animals. The project is looking after animals mutated by the radiation, and helping fund there care. See this fantastic project here run by Naoto Matsumura ten’s of thousands of dollars have been raised to care for the sick animals.
You would be amazed by the support you could get
The Western world has a lot of disposable income in relative terms. People are on the lookout for ways to contribute to causes they believe in, and ideas that they think will help humanity. We are so bombarded with advertising by charities these days that sometimes we crave the ability to just go and choose what we want to contribute to.
At this freedom to the social aspect of crowdsourcing, and community spirit that is engendered, and you have a powerful platform where you can raise a great deal of money for your cause. You could well be surprised just how much publicity and financial support you can gain through a well put together campaign.
Creativity is the Key
The key is to be as creative as possible with your campaign to make people want to give you money! Videos, comics, creative gifts for different pledge levels; it all helps to create an atmosphere that makes people want to give you their money! Competition for attention in online fundraising spaces is growing and so you need to stand out.
Using social media
The great thing about crowd fundraising is that you can quickly advertise to your social media networks and get into the networks of your network. If you can just get a bit of viral publicity you could raise a lot of money for your cause. You have to ask though! If you do not ask you do not get. Request that the people closest to you share your campaign, and make it easy for them. The creativity we talked about earlier is crucial in this regard.
Crowdfunding may seem daunting when you first come across it, but it can be a great way to give something back, and make a real difference to a cause that you want to get wholeheartedly behind.