Crowdfunding: Letting A Thousand Flowers Really Bloom/Part Three: A THOUSAND

06 Sep Crowdfunding: Letting A Thousand Flowers Really Bloom/Part Three: A THOUSAND

Crowdfunding: Letting A Thousand Flowers Really Bloom/Part Three: A THOUSAND: Like these thousands of Giant White Shasta Daisies. Image by and uploaded to Flikr by Swallowtail Garden Seeds with a Creative Commons license.

Crowdfunding: Letting A Thousand Flowers Really Bloom/Part Three: A THOUSAND

Let’s review:

• • you get that crowdfunding’s part of fundraising (Part One)
  • you see how crowdfunding is basically a fancy kind of plumbing (Part Two) in channeling money to your cause
  • you understand how to let money flow in by keeping your pump primed using excitement (Part Two). 

Now, how do you let people know about your campaign?

A Thousand Flowers

In crowdfunding, your campaign is one…of a thousand. It’s both totally unique–and ends up looking like everyone else’s campaign on the same platform.

Your chosen crowdfunding platform is, first and foremost, promoting itself. Not your campaign.

“Platform-Shopping”

Remember that when you go “platform-shopping.” And you must go platform-shopping. Don’t take the platform anyone else recommends on faith. There are a great many out there. The rest of this post helps guide you through the morass of choosing. But know that the platform that felt right to someone else may not be the one that feels right to you.

When I went platform-shopping** for my client recently (as mentioned in Part One), I noticed something no one else had told me: each platform has a different feel.

• • Some platforms are stodgy–surprisingly, because crowdfunding is not even 20 years old.
    • But slower-paced donors might be more comfortable with a clunkier platform; they might find the stodgy feel comforting and familiar.
  • Some platforms feel hot and happening.
    • Donors who like to know what others are giving and want others to know what they are giving love these.
  • Some platforms emphasize dire! catastrophe! emergency! Others cuteness, quirkiness, artistry.
  • Other platforms are for creatives or bookish types.

My Crowdfunding Platform Comparisons

Note: The research below is outdated. I offer it to show you how I approached “platform-shopping.” You’ll need to do your own research!

I compared platforms I found mentioned in:

• • Consumer Affairs
  •  Forbes.

You should also look at each platform’s website, of course. Please don’t be silly and trust what they say about the other platforms. Do your homework.  (Thanks.)

What I mean by “feel” is most obvious if you look at the platform from the DONOR’S perspective. This has everything to do with how your donors will find your campaign.

OK, let’s look at that in more detail: on to Part Four.

For an index to the whole series, click here.