An Open Journal: Documenting the lives of Northern Ugandans

Chapter 2: The Crowdfunding Experience

This is day 9 of my first ever crowdfunding campaign. If you are curious to know what it takes to crowdfund, read on.

First you have to pick a platform; there are many to choose from. Then to create a campaign, you make a video, write text, pick out photographs, and fill out information. I thought it would take an hour or two, but I was wrong. The video alone took me two days and gave me a newfound appreciation for all speakers / actors / presenters. Be enthusiastic, be natural, look at the camera, be sincere, be charming (if that is even possible), be coherent, be interesting, and say the important stuff but make it quick. Edit it all together, line up the audio, add some text, and add some pictures and music. But all this is not even the hard part.

For me, it’s the putting yourself out there with a bowl of ‘please’ that is the hard part. On the night before the launch I could not sleep. The Fear kept me awake with a merry-go-round of “what ifs”. What if I launch and… nothing. No one responds. Oh my gawd, I’d be crushed. What if I lose half my friends because I become such an annoying fundraiser? What if my campaign is not compelling? Etc. etc.

Luckily I was armed with a strategy that was provided by some fundraising veterans. Line up your donors to be ready to donate as soon as you launch, they said. Other donors like to see that the campaign has momentum, they said. So prepare your mailing list; write a wonderful email beforehand. And then remind everyone everyday, they said. (To which I rolled my eyes. Everyday? Really?) And then be prepared for the lulls, they said. Because some days the silence will be one loud, lonely echo.

Well, it has all been true. The first day was a rush of feeling. Money actually came in, and it was not as I had feared. I went to bed, and I actually had hope.

The second day was *crickets* followed by despair. The third day a glimmer of hope returned. And so on and so forth. I cannot report on the whole trajectory quite yet, as I am still in the midst of the woes and throes of crowdfunding, but I am told that at the very end there is a sudden rush as people realize that the campaign is about to end. Will it be true? It remains to be seen.

Meanwhile, everyday my task is to dream up ways to remind my network that my campaign is still alive, but to do it with (hopefully) some grace, humour, playfulness and imagination. Facebook. Instagram. Linkedin. Shove the doubts, embarrassment and awkwardness under the rug — just keep going! Stay the course, they say.

What have I learned so far? I have learned that some of the most unexpected people show up to give. People that you haven’t seen or heard from in years, and some strangers too. Then there are your dear friends and supporters as well. I’ve learned that there are so many generous people out there. So many! And I have learned that the best way to deal with the doubts inside your head is to just walk right past them.

This whole experience has been touching, agonizing, humbling, eye-opening.

If you have a noble cause, take the bold step forward. You may just be carried on wings you cannot yet see.