Crowd Gifting 101 – Tips to Crowdfunding Success

Our goal at Plumfund has always been to make giving feel good – it’s actually one of the main reasons why Josh and I created Plumfund. This mantra is also instilled in the way Plumfund operates – it is totally free to fundraisers and donors and there are no transaction fees for organizers or contributors, and no setup fees. We believe that online giving should be as natural and tasteful as possible and our vision is to help everyone give and receive freely, which is why we provide our services without fees.

Sign UpIf you’re new to Plumfund don’t feel overwhelmed, or nervous. Whether you’re celebrating a friend or loved one, or raising money for something you believe in, the fact that you’ve taken this step is really great, and we applaud you for it. In fact, we’ve picked up some helpful tips over our 10 years of gift giving experience, and since we’re always here to help in whatever way we can, we hope that they can help you just as much.

The More, the Better

Our tools make it so easy to start a campaign but it’s important that people know what your campaign is all about. This means being honest and open about your goals and intentions for your fundraiser. You’d be surprised how much you can make your profile pop just by being yourself and highlighting what cause your campaign will be benefiting. Giving really does feel good and people are always more inclined to support you if they can see that your intentions are genuine – so when it comes to your description, don’t be afraid to hold anything back.

Express Your Gratitude

Your supporters are able to write comments on your page so always remember to show that their support means something to you. If you’re able to, consider sending thank you cards or a personal letter. You can even use your social media to spotlight supporters and thank them.

Social Media Thank You Shout Outs

Spread the Word

The most important aspect to your campaign is to share it: no one will be able to help you if they aren’t aware of your campaign. Our sharing tools make it really easy to spread the word – your own customized link, e-mail, social networking posts, and even the option to create a printable flyer. The more you share your campaign, the greater chance you have for supporters. If you’re crowd gifting for someone as a surprise, be sure to strategically keep track of how you’re going to promote so that you don’t give yourself out. A huge key to reaching your funding goals is to keep your campaign fresh in people’s minds. Don’t be afraid to share information, milestones and links to your campaign daily to keep up the momentum and provide people reminders!

Keep Going

Maybe you set your campaign for a couple months or maybe you discovered that it might take a little longer to raise your goal than the time originally set. Whatever the case may be, always stay positive and if you have to extend your goal time frame, that’s okay. If there’s one thing we’ve really learned and love about crowd gifting it’s that it is the gift that keeps on giving. Maybe you’ve inspired a supporter to create a campaign for a cause that is important to them or maybe one of your supporters shared your link to an audience that you might have never been able to reach before. Continue staying positive and extend the time if need be – and don’t ever be discouraged if you fall into a stagger or don’t raise your goal in the original time because your commitment to start the campaign should make you more proud than anything.