Why we believe that crypto crowdfunding will continue to grow in...
Read moreLet’s take a look at what crowdfunding for social causes entails and how to optimize your success!
Social causes or movements are the actions of a group of people to tackle an issue which affects a majority – typically, they are campaigning for social change which they feel is for the greater good. An organization or charity which tackles social issues may fundraise for itself or others may fundraise for it; alternatively, an individual or group of people may fundraise to start their own movement to highlight a social issue.
While a lot of the work that needs to be done within these social movements is about raising awareness, getting their message heard and getting the support of more of the general public to strengthen their cause involves a lot of financial aspects.
Organizations may need to pay staff members and running costs. Group meet-ups involve travel and somewhere to hold meetings. Protests involve organization, travel, potentially accommodation for those involved and printing signs or banners, for example. Communication materials like flyers, posters, newsletters and even paying for advertisements and distribution of said materials costs money. Often crowdfunding will be utilized to raise the funds needed to carry out their work.
This group of activists in Gibraltar, who have recently formed into a charity, are raising money to print campaign leaflets, posters, signs and other campaign-related expenses, to campaign for a change in the law for abortion when the referendum in March 2020 comes about. Abortion in their country is illegal and will result in a lifelong prison sentence; they and many others want to change this law, to allow women the basic human right to decide what happens to their bodies. Their campaign is already 98% funded with plenty of time left to reach their target.
Another campaign in Athens raised 109% of their target; 9 gay activists are funding a lawyer to fight for the prosecution of a homophobic Bishop who tried to influence the majority to treat the LGBTQ+ community with abuse and hate. Now they have raised the funds they need – they will attend court to tackle this issue.
While some campaigns focus on campaigning to change laws, others work to fund projects that will deal with the results of social issues, helping the people affected.
A young woman named Alice completed a half marathon in Hong Kong to raise money for an organization which provides educational summer camps for students from low socio-economic backgrounds. The campaign was funded at an amazing 145%, allowing young people to access education and learn skills which they would otherwise never have the opportunity to acquire. This kind of work enables them to break the cycle of poverty and shape more successful futures.
Often, crowdfunding campaigns which focus on social causes are much more successful than other types of fundraising, particularly if done during a movement that is affecting a whole country or a large area, for example. Precisely because of the amount of people it affects, many more people are likely to care about the campaign on a personal level. This study explains this, stating that, “social-movement-related projects exhibit significantly greater crowdfunding success than general projects.”
Starting a campaign for a social cause is a brave and powerful thing to do. While many campaigns help individuals or a small group of people, a social campaign could potentially change the lives of a lot of people.
When online fundraising, your ‘crowd’ is usually made up of people who know you, but if you’re working with a team of people or are raising money for a social cause that affects a lot of people, then your crowd widens. You need to take this into account during promotion.
Thanking your donors is important so that they know their help is valued. With GoGetFunding you can set up automatic thank you messages that are sent out every time someone donates, so no one misses out! You might choose to offer incentives or rewards like sending out thank you cards or offering small gifts.
Be sure that you let your donors know what the outcome of your campaign is and let them know if there’s anywhere they can continue to follow your journey, for example a website, blog or YouTube channel if your work is ongoing.
Most importantly, be extremely proud of yourself. Standing up for the greater good and doing something proactive to address issues for yourself and others is how real change begins!
References
Pacific-Basin Finance Journal, Volume 53, Pages 308-320, Hui-ChingHsieh, Ying-Chen Hsieh, Thi Huyen ChiVua, (2019) “How social movements influence crowdfunding success”
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