Go Get Funding Basics
Does Go Get Funding take some ownership of things funded through the site?
What is your keep-it-all funding method?
Why are prices in US dollars? Are you an international website?
Are you on Facebook / Twitter?
Creating a Project
Basics
Who can start a project on Go Get Funding?
Do I have to live in the US to launch a project?
How can I make sure my project gets listed on the site?
How do I start my first project?
What information should I include on my project page?
What tips do you have for creating a video?
Is a specific financial goal and time limit required?
Can I run more than one project at the same time?
Can projects raise more money than their financial goal?
Fees
Rewards
What kind of rewards can I offer?
Can I limit the quantity of a reward?
Who is responsible for making sure fundraisers deliver rewards?
Pledges
Can a backer cancel their pledge?
Managing Your Project
What happens if a project reaches its funding goal before the time expires?
Can I edit my project once it’s live?
How can I get my project featured?
Backing a Project
Who handles payment for pledges?
Are there any fees associated with funding a project?
What happens if I back a project and the project is unsuccessful?
I've backed a project. Can I cancel it?
How do I know the fundraiser is who they say they are?
How do I know that I’ll get my project reward?
Go Get Funding Basics
Go Get Funding is a crowdfunding website that lets you raise money for anything that matters to you. From personal plans, projects, events & more.
Let’s say Jane wants to open a youth centre for less privileged children in her area but she just can’t get all the funding she needs.
She visits Go Get Funding and creates a funding project detailing her cause.
To motivate people to pledge towards her project, she offers great rewards. Those that pledge $1 to $40 get a personal thank you on the youth center website. Those that pledge $40 to $100 are invited to a VIP launch of the new youth centre. And those that pledge $100 and beyond get all of the aforementioned rewards and have their name engraved on a special plaque inside the youth centre!
Jane shares her project with her Facebook friends and the pledges start rolling in! To make things even better, Jane even attracts pledges from people that she doesn’t even know (yet) as others want to be part of her awesome project and get the thoughtful rewards.
Jane reaches her funding target and gets all the money she needs to complete her plans. She sends her valuable backers regular updates on progress and delivers the promised rewards. Funding success!
From funding that aeronautical degree that’s been just out of your reach, to conquering Everest or crowdfunding your creative idea - Go Get Funding gives you funding freedom and lets you raise money for all the things that really matter to you.
By tapping into the power of your social networks, special things can happen!
Crowdfunding is where lots of people put money together to support a project, plan or cause that they believe in.
Go Get Funding takes advantage of the power of crowdfunding and applies it to everyday to life-changing plans and projects.
> They want the rewards on offer
> They believe in the project and want to see it succeed
> They love the fundraiser
> Because they’re awesome
Does Go Get Funding take some ownership of things funded through the site?
Absolutely not. The fundraisers keep 100% ownership.
What is your keep-it-all funding method?
That means that fundraisers keep all of the money they raise - even if they don't hit their funding target. Fundraisers are paid out once they hit their target or when their project reaches its deadline if they've allowed 'overfunding'
Why are prices in US dollars? Are you an international website?
We are an international website and invite members from all over the world. Prices are in US$ as this is the most widely used global currency.
If you don't normally work with US$, simply convert the amount you need or want to pledge by using a currency converting site like XE.
Go Get Funding was set up to help utilize the power of crowdfunding and social networks.
We also wanted to create a platform that let everyone with a passionate plan or project go out there and get funding from awesome people.
What makes Go Get Funding different from other crowdfunding sites?
We’re glad you asked! Our site has two major advantages over other crowdfunding sites out there:
- > We allow all types of passion-driven funding projects on our site, not just creative or entrepreneurial ventures.
- > We charge just 2% on the money you raise whereas our competitors take an average of 4-8%.
- > Our keep-it-all funding method means you keep everything you raise - some sites return money to backers if you don't hit your target.
In addition, Go Get Funding has a number of other cool tweaks like the ability to connect your PayPal account to the site, the ability to edit almost every aspect of your project, and more.
Are you on Facebook / Twitter?
We are indeed! You can like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.
Send us an email and we'll get back to you as soon as possible.
Creating a Project
Who can start a project on Go Get Funding?
Anyone with a passion and that needs some money. If it matters to you, the chances are it will matter to other people.
Do I have to live in the US to launch a project?
Nope. You can live anywhere in the world – you just need to have a PayPal account so that you can receive the money you raise.
How can I make sure my gets listed on the site?
We review and approve each project on the site before it gets listed - this is normally done in less than 24 hours.
If a project looks incomplete or breaches our terms and conditions, it won't be approved. This is to ensure our visitors, and your potential backers, are only shown high-quality pitches.
To make sure your project gets approved, you should include a thorough description and offer thoughtful rewards. Things like adding a video to your project help massively. If your project really matters to you, it'll shine through anyway!
How do I start my first project?
Before you start your project, you'll need a PayPal account. If you don't already have one, you can sign up for free here. Your PayPal account also needs to be 'verified' by PayPal. Learn more on getting verified here. PayPal is required in order for you to receive the money you raise.
Once that's done, simply register on our site and click the start a project link.
To help you complete your project, we recommend you open this page in a new tab. That will help ensure you enter the correct information in each field for your fundraiser.
Ready to go? Start your project!
What information should I include on my project page?
Projects should explain:
• What it is you are trying to do
• How you will do it
• How the funds will be used
• Information about you or if applicable, the people in your team
The more information you share, the more you will earn your backers’ trust.
Think of what it would take for you to fund a project. Then go ahead and include all that information.
No, but we highly recommend you include one. It shows visitors that you are a real person and it massively helps to build trust and create a personal connection.
In addition, creating a video makes it more likely that someone with share your project with their own social networks. It also boosts engagement on your project page.
If you upload your video to a sharing site like YouTube and include a relevant description, you’ll also open up the opportunity of getting visitors to your project through this huge medium. Did you know that there are more than 3 billions views on YouTube a day?
Essentially, a project is much more likely to be successful, and raise more money if you include a video.
What tips do you have for creating a video?
You don’t have to be a video expert to create a video – just about every smartphone can make great videos nowadays.
The key to creating a great video is to just relax, be yourself and have fun. Talk through your project and tell your story.
Ask for support and tell viewers what great rewards they will get for backing you.
Don’t worry about making it perfect, just keep it real.
Is a specific financial goal and time limit required?
Yes to both.
Both of these limits help you set a target and clearly establish your objectives. Remember that you can’t set a project end date more than 60 days away. This creates a helpful sense of urgency to drive donations.
Can I run more than one project at the same time?
You can, but we advise against this. Running more than one project at the same time can dilute support and hamper your efforts.
Can projects raise more money than their financial goal?
Yes. If you want the opportunity to raise more than your financial goal, simply tick the box when creating your project that allows overfunding.
If you allow overfunding, you’ll be paid out when your project expires as opposed to when your project hits its funding target.
Fees
We take a tiny 2% fee on the money you raise. Just so you know, comparative sites take an average of 4-8%!
Yes, PayPal do charge a fee for receiving money. Fees range from 1.4% to 3.4%. To find out what you’ll be charged, see the PayPal fees page.
Rewards
Rewards are not required but we highly recommend you offer something in return for donations to thank backers and really make them feel part of your project.
Rewards can be something as simple as "I'll invite everyone that pledges to my house for dinner". Alternatively, you could go the extra mile and offer a full array of rewards for varying pledge levels.
More on this below.
What kind of rewards can I offer?
You can reward backers depending on how much is pledged towards your project.
Rewards include special tokens of appreciation and could be anything from a thank you on your website to a home-cooked meal, involvement in the actual project, backstage passes to a special gig or a private dance in a pink gorilla suit! Anything (legal) goes.
Be creative and remember, the rewards should get better as the amount being pledged increases. For example, at the fourth reward stage you could write something like 'You will get all of the previous rewards and a custom made t-shirt'. Be sure to offer great value at each pledge level and ask yourself the question if you'd pledge cash to get that reward?
Please remember that this is not an investment platform so please don’t offer financial incentives. The follow is not allowed:
- > Equity (aka ownership)
- > Revenue share
- > Investment opportunities
- > Entrance into lotteries, raffles, or sweepstakes.
Can I limit the quantity of a reward?
Yes, you can. Simply add the quantity of that reward available when creating your project.
Who is responsible for making sure fundraisers deliver rewards?
The fundraiser is responsible for delivering rewards that they promise. As most backers actually get to know fundraisers, the relationship helps ensure fundraisers follow through on their promises.
Social forces and the risk to reputation is a good motivator.
Once you reach your funding target, you should contact all of your backers to get the relevant information such as their shipping address, t-shirt sizes or whatever else it is you need to fulfil the rewards.
Compile all of the information in a spread sheet to make sure no one is missed out.
Delivering all of the rewards you promised might be a daunting task but have fun with it! Keep your backers updated and continue to share your progress.
Your backers information can be found on the 'Backers' tab of your project page.
Pledges
Can a backer cancel their pledge?
Pledges cannot be cancelled. That's because there's nothing worse than the joy of raising money and for it to then be taken away.
Fundraisers cannot cancel pledges.
Managing Your Project
To help you get the funding you need, first ensure that your project has been well created. You should have a thorough description that explains your cause, you should offer great rewards and you should include a video if at all possible. You can also add additional pictures in the body of your description to make your project really come to life.
Once you’re sure that your on-site project content is top-notch, you need to start thinking about promoting your project.
Exceptional projects can get pledges from total strangers but most projects are funded by people that are in your network and your networks’ network.
Our site has all the features you need to encourage pledges, but you still need to work to get others to part with their cash. Creating a project is not a set-and-forget endeavor.
Here are our tips on promoting your project. Your goal should be to build through these stages and become an advanced fundraiser!
Basic Fundraiser:
- > Send a personal message to your close friends and family telling them about your project so that they can be first to pledge and get the momentum going. Ask them to spread the message within their social networks.
- > Tell people about your project through your own social networks. Don’t bombard people with messages but send out at least three of four notices throughout the duration of your project.
- > If you have a website or blog, get more exposure through those mediums. Similarly, if you have a Facebook page or other way of contacting relevant circles of people, spread the message.
Intermediate Fundraiser:
- > Contact relevant online communities that may be interested in your project. You could engage with like-minded people on a relevant forum or website. Contact blogs that are related to your project and see if they’re interested in writing about your fundraiser.
- > Take your project offline and meet up with people. You can host events, phone people you know and others that can help, distribute flyers and essentially create real connections with people.
Advanced Fundraiser:
- > By contacting the press you have the ability to get great exposure to a huge number of people, many of who could turn into your backers. Therefore, contact your local newspaper, TV and radio stations to tell them about your project and why it’s worth their attention. The media love covering projects that are based on personal stories.
- > Create viral and share-worthy material. Consider creating a weird, wonderful or wacky video that could go viral. Consider guerilla-marketing tactics that will draw loads of attention at little cost. Like how the T-Mobile dancing flash mobs got the attention of masses! Be creative and think out of the box.
What happens if a project reaches its funding goal before the time expires?
If a project reaches its funding goal before the time expires and you have not allowed overfunding, you will be paid out straight away.
If you have allowed overfunding, you’ll be paid out when your project expires even if it hits its target. This gives you time to bring in additional pledges.
Can I edit my project once it’s live?
Yes, you can edit all elements of your project once it is live.
Project updates are just what they sound like – they are updates that you can post on your project as it ticks on.
It’s great to keep followers and backers informed of your progress – this helps build an even greater personal connection, driving more interest and support.
How can I get my project featured?
We have a special section on our homepage and discover projects page which lets you see featured projects.
You can get your project featured by going logging into the site and going to your dashboard. You'll then see a list of your open projects with a link that lets you upgrade your project to featured status at a small cost.
Backing a Project
Simply visit the project page and click on the green ‘Back This Project’ button. You’ll then be able to select your reward and you’ll be taken to PayPal to make payment.
You don’t even need a PayPal account to use PayPal. If you’d rather pay by debit / credit card, simply select that option on the PayPal payment page.
Who handles payment for pledges?
Payment is handled by trusted global payment provider, PayPal. Your pledge will be made into the verified, business account of our parent company - SS World Media Ltd. Money will be transferred to the fundraiser once the project reaches its deadline.
Are there any fees associated with funding a project?
You aren’t charged any fees for backing a project.
What happens if I back a project and the project is unsuccessful?
Our keep-it-all funding method means that even if a project doesn't reach its target, the fundraiser still gets all the money that has been donated.
After clicking the green ‘Back This Project’ button, you will have the opportunity to select your reward.
I've backed a project. Can I cancel it?
Pledges cannot be cancelled. That's because there's nothing worse than the joy of raising money and for it to then be taken away.
How do I know the fundraiser is who they say they are?
This is a case of being internet-wise.
Were you referred to the project by a friend or family member?
Has the person created a video of them talking through the project?
Do they have links to their social media accounts and website which reference the project?
If in doubt, ask the fundraiser the question. The fundraiser should be doing all they can do build a personal connection with backers so they’ll be glad you asked.
How do I know that I’ll get my project reward?
The fundraiser is responsible for delivering rewards that they promise. As most backers actually get to know fundraisers, the relationship helps ensure fundraisers follow through on their promises.
Social forces and the risk to reputation is also a good motivator.