Cut through the Noise this Ramadan!

10 Steps to Creating a Successful Campaign for Your Non-Profit + Ramadan Boosts on LaunchGood

Planned strategically, crowdfunding can help you raise funds and increase your donor base for the important issues your non-profit solves. It is also a great tool to help raise awareness about your cause, create buzz, and inspire others to take action.

1. Plan ahead

Wildly successful campaigns prepare for several months prior to launching their campaign.

The Sahaba (radiyallahu ‘anhum) used to prepare for Ramadan six months in advance.

Ramadan 2019 is less than 40 days away. Get started on your campaign today!

2. Is your goal SMART?

Crowdfunding campaigns are NOT for your annual operational fundraiser especially not during Ramadan.

The goal needs to be Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-based (SMART)

i.e. We are raising $12,000 to provide 280,000 tons of food in 34 cities across the US this Ramadan.

3. Create a great campaign pitch

Answer the following questions — why now and why your organization? What is the urgency? What is the impact?

Use photos and videos — campaigns with great photos and personalized videos (keep them under a minute) raise 105% more than ones that don’t.

4. Share your impact with stories

If you are a non-profit, chances are you have amazing stories to share. Share stories about your cause with good quality pictures. Be original, share stories unique to your cause. Campaigns that include personal stories are more likely to move donors emotionally to support your cause. Think Humans of New York, highlight single stories of your impact! Here’s an example:

“During our team’s first Deaf-led medical mission to the refugee camps of Lebanon, we met a little 6-year-old named Hamza. As a Syrian child, Hamza had spent his entire life in a war and fleeing a war. As a congenitally Deaf child, this meant he had virtually no language access for the entire 6 years he’d been alive. While waiting to be seen by an audiologist, my profoundly Deaf language specialist, Gregory Perez, and I worked with Hamza to introduce the concept of language. As soon as we taught him the names of concrete objects (book, ball, crayon), his world opened up. He learned that his father had a name. He learned that he had a name. I recorded a video of him showing off his new signs and this video quickly went viral. In July 2018, we were back in the camp for our second mission. We saw Hamza again and were so incredibly, wonderfully shocked to see that he hadn’t stopped signing. In the absence of formal education, Hamza had taken our resources and soared. He retained the words we taught him and developed an intricate system of home signs with his father. We showed them the video that had gone viral. His father was brought to tears by the thousands of sweet and supportive comments from folks around the world. They had no idea that Hamza’s story had touched so many.” — Zaineb Abdullah, Deaf Defy Inc

5. Start strong

Did you know campaigns that do not raise 30% of their goal within the first week of launch are more likely to fail? Here’s more on how to raise that 30%.

6. Get social

Share your impactful stories and campaign links across Facebook (short stories), Instagram (great quality pictures), and Twitter (your elevator pitch).

Ask people to donate and share. Campaigns that are shared less than 2 times have a 97% chance of failure. It doesn’t count if you are the only person sharing, get your team and core supporters involved!

Oh and don’t forget Whatsapp!

7. Get personal!

Mass sharing on social media is not enough; it creates a bystander effect and diffuses responsibility. This is why personal appeals are essential for securing initial support.

Contact your top supporters and line them up to give and share your campaign in the first few days of launch. Remind them on the day of launch to support right away.

8. Email your mailing list

53% of donors who received a campaign through email usually donate. Use your mailing list, tell good stories, and explain why people should support your cause this Ramadan.

Disclaimer: Do. Not. Spam! People get 100s of emails during Ramadan. Use creative subjects to attract donors and don’t send more than 4 emails to the same user in a month unless they opted in for a daily reminder.

9. Don’t expect magic

Chances are, you can’t just start a campaign, throw it out into the world, and sit back while everyone raves about it. Put in the work to let people know what you’re doing, and watch your efforts pay off.

10. Finish strong

The first and last 3 days of a campaign are the most important. Use the last 10 days of Ramadan as a leverage. People donate the most on the last odd nights of the month. Stagger your donor list and send emails out to each segment on a different odd night. May the blessings of Laylatul Qadr be with you!

Bonus Tip — Be on LaunchGood this Ramadan!

Create your campaign on LaunchGood! This Ramadan we are giving away Thousands of Dollars in Daily Ramadan Boosts. We have a whole line up ways you can receive additional boosts for your inspiring campaigns.

In Ramadan 2018, over $7.2M was raised on LaunchGood by 1000 inspiring campaign creators from around the world.

Our flagship Ramadan Challenge 2018 gave away 2 million dollars to hundreds of campaigns during the blessed month. This year we are revamping the challenge and bringing in a bigger and better 30 Days of Giving experience on LaunchGood. — Find out how your campaign can receive Thousands of Dollars worth of boosts every day during Ramadan