Why we believe that crypto crowdfunding will continue to grow in...
Read moreCrowdfunding can help you to take your creativity to the next level, making your creative dreams come true! This article takes you through some successful examples and what we can learn from their success.
Whether it’s dancing, music, filmmaking or more, there are so many creative genres which people can get involved in. Many fantastically creative people want to get their work out there, but don’t have the funds to do so. Crowdfunding can help people to turn their ideas into reality.
Getting started in the filmmaking industry can be really difficult and expensive! Even if you have a lot of talent and a great idea, you still need all of the filming, production and editing equipment to even get started. Turning to crowdfunding enables filmmakers to raise the funds they need to shoot their film, while simultaneously helping them to promote their project.
An already established freelance filmmaker noticed that the trees in her city of Sheffield, UK, were being destroyed. Over 6,000 trees had been cut down! Environmental campaigners were out in big crowds to peacefully protest. This filmmaker decided that she wanted to document their journey.
She started to film the protests and the highs and lows the protestors went through. This went on for over a year. While at first she was able to fund the project herself, as the time went on she struggled with costs. Understandably determined not to give up on her work, she set up a crowdfunding campaign to cover the costs of finishing her documentary. She was able to beat her goal, raising an amazing £5,431!
In Singapore, a group of students were producing a short film about family life and the connections between the generations. They needed help to cover the transport costs for all of their equipment to get to their filming location. If they met their target, they planned to use the rest of the money for food and other expenses. Meet their target they certainly did, with their campaign being 199% funded!
In Malaysia, a group of young people wanted to turn their own life experiences and the lessons they had learnt into a film about coming of age. They wanted to help teenagers and children as well as highlight the issues they face as they grow up. They needed $800 to pay for the expenses for their film ‘Shatter’. GoGetFunding was able to help them raise the money they needed and more!
Whether it’s writing or illustrating, publishing your own work is a big step with big costs attached. A woman named Jo from Glasgow, UK decided she was up to the challenge. She wanted to produce a picture book of illustrations and stories about the Spirits of Glasgow. She originally set out to raise £400 to cover the basics, but when her campaign became highly successful she decided to continue fundraising. In the end she raised £818, enabling her to publish her book with more high quality materials and sell it at Glasgow Comic Con.
Brian Vee from the Philippines set up a fundraising campaign to help him fund his first mini comic collection. The comics are based on events from his own life and are printed in full colour. He managed to beat his target at 191% so he could follow his dream.
On the 12th of June, 2019 peaceful protestors of the extradition bill in Hong Kong were met by violence from the police force. This article from Amnesty International explains that the police used “tear gas, guns firing rubber bullets, pepper spray and baton charges”. A team of 13 people who were some of those affected by the incident wanted to publish a ‘diary’ of the protester’s stories. Their aim was to raise awareness and keep a record of the event. They started a campaign and raised 106% of the funds needed, enabling them to publish their important book.
The music industry can be tough to get into, even if you have lots of talent! The cost of recording your music and then trying to get the world to hear it can be sky high. That doesn’t mean you need to give up on your chance of success. This band from New York, USA wanted to record 6 of their original songs. They needed to raise $1,500 to cover their costs, and were able to beat their target raising $1,525! They cleverly offered a free download of their music to anyone who donated over $5. This is a great way to give incentives to donors!
Similarly this young man in Latvia wanted to raise the money he needed to release his rap song onto Spotify (an app which lets you listen to and download music). He reached his goal and was able to pursue his dream thanks to crowdfunding!
An established organist in London, UK wanted to record the second volume of his work. He had been offered a wonderful opportunity to record his music playing the Klais organ in Symphony Hall, Birmingham. The Klais organ is the largest mechanical organ in the UK. An experience not to be missed! This talented musician turned to GoGetFunding and set up a campaign to raise the £2,500 needed. Not only did he raise the money he required so he could make the most of this unique opportunity, he actually surpassed his goal raising £3,995. This enabled him to put money towards his third volume of work!
A band named Lyria from Rio De Janeiro had funded their first album through a crowdfunding campaign. So when the time came to make their second album, they returned to crowdfunding to raise the funds they needed to record their album and a music video. Their campaign offered different levels of incentives for donors depending on the amount donated. Their methods were highly successful and GoGetFunding helped them to raise $13,600.
Shafighah Qias moved to Athens, Greece as a refugee from Afghanistan. When she first got to Athens, she shared a small room with her whole family. Needless to say, life was tough, but that didn’t stop her from dreaming. She used her creative side and her passion for fashion to start sketching ideas for her own fashion collection.
When her family moved to an apartment, she was able to use a sewing machine to start bringing her designs to life. She hit a roadblock when the money she was earning as a tailor didn’t cover her living expenses and the money for materials which she needed to complete her collection. With her friend’s encouragement, Shafighah got up the courage to start a GoGetFunding campaign. Her aim was to raise €1,700, not only to fund her own collection and a catwalk show to display it, but to kickstart her career as a designer which had always been her dream. Her campaign was very successful, allowing her to make her dreams come true.
A theatre company in New York City, USA wanted to fund their production of a play called ‘High Arts’. They had been offered consideration for their production in a film festival called the New York Summerfest. That opportunity had the potential to help them to win awards and build up the profile of the production. In order to make their production as professional and eye-catching as possible, they needed to raise funds for costumes, props, promotion and more. They were able to raise $3,745 to meet their goals.
A talented photographer called Pierre de Villiers made his life’s work taking pictures of nature, in particular the ocean. However being outdoors and battling the elements all the time took its toll on his camera equipment. Rather than giving up his work (and his dream) he reached out to raise funds for new equipment and to get a waterproof cover for his camera. He was able to raise all the funds he needed to continue his work.
Looking at these successful campaigns we can see similar points which helped them to reach, and even surpass, their goals.
Detailed stories
Most of these highly successful campaigns included a lot of information in their story to help the audience connect with them. They talked about who they are, what their creative dream was and how they planned to make that dream come true. For example if you look at the campaign of the student film about family connections, in their story section they include:
They then go on to explain how the money will help them. Including as much information as possible helps the audience to get to know you and to build trust.
Videos and pictures
Many of these campaigns included pictures and videos either related to their creative project or to their own lives and the reasons they needed help with money. Including media like this helps to catch the eye of donors. Videos in particular are so much more emotionally engaging to the general public than words.
The pictures and videos don’t have to be complex or professionally made. It’s more important that they are raw and honest. For example in the campaign of the young woman creating her first fashion collection, her video is short and simple yet emotional. It has a beautiful song in the background, and shows her passion for her art as you see clips of her creative process.
A breakdown of costs
Including a breakdown of what the money you raise is going to be spent on specifically, can really help to build on that trust we mentioned earlier. It lets potential donors know exactly where their money is going to go, and reasurres them that you have a well thought out plan. In this theatre campaign they include a summary breakdown of their costs, as well as a link to their full budget breakdown for those who want to take a closer look.
Offering incentives
Incentives or rewards for donors can of course make things more exciting and make them more inclined to donate. They can range from small and budget friendly to more complex. For example, this band offered a free download of their music for every donation above $5. Meanwhile this band offered tiers of rewards based on the level of donation, ranging from $1: the donors name on a thank you list, all the way up to $1200: dinner with the band.
Keeping their audience up to date
Once donors have made their donation, they will be invested in the project emotionally as well as financially. It’s vital to keep them up to date. With our site you can use the update section to let your donors know how the project is going. You can see in this film campaign that she has updated her audience a number of times.
There are many things which can increase your chances of a successful campaign. While success is never guaranteed, with GoGetFunding you can keep all of the money you raise even if you don’t meet your target. You’ve got nothing to lose! Why not launch your campaign today?
References
Amnesty International, (2019) “Verified: Hong Kong police violence against peaceful protesters”.
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