Campaigns that follow these tips are likely to have a greater chance of successfully reaching their goal. A higher goal doesn't necessarily mean more money. In fact, 87% of campaigns that hit their goal will over fund by an average of 32%. Utilize all forms of social media such as Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Craigslist, Kijiji, and any other social media outlets that you use and can draw attention to your cause. In addition, do not hesitate to use your email, texting, and also word of mouth. Facebook Post an announcement on your Facebook wall and gently encourage your friends and family to kindly donate to your cause, as well ask your friends and family to share your cause on their profiles and let your call to action go viral. Twitter Make regular updates and posts on your Twitter feed with a link to your fundraising page and encourage them to visit and make a donation. Google+ Update your Google+ account as well, message and notify your friends of your cause. Provide a link to your friends to your fundraising page. Email Be sure to utilize your email account, remember not everybody who can donate is also on social media, and you never know, a large donor can be hiding in your email list. Craigslist, Kijiji, and other Classified's More commonly known for posting new and used products to sell, Craigslist, Kijiji, and other classified's sites can be great for public announcements in your local area. Provide nice photos and finely written description of your cause. The first 30% of a crowd funding campaign will typically come from your own community - regular donors, friends and family. When you have hit 30% on your campaign, that’s the time to publicize the campaign to the wider public. Use social channels to engage with journalists, local celebrities, and Facebook/Twitter members who have a large volume of followers days before you launch so they’re more likely to take the time to look at your campaign, share it, write about it and even contribute when it does. Explain very clearly who you are, what you’re raising money for and specifically what the money will be spent on. Transparency is at the heart of crowd funding and people want to see the direct impact their money will make, so be as honest and clear as possible. Campaigns with video raise on average 370% more than those without. It doesn't need to be an expensive, professional video. Good audio and getting your message across is all that matters. During your video remember to be sincere, honest, and transparent. You do not need to hide anything, the more information you can provide towards your cause the better. You want potential donors to relate to you and see your side of things, see how donating will benefit you and make your life better. Campaigns that update at least three times on I Am Crowd Funding raise on average 240% more funding than campaigns that update twice or less. On I am Crowd Funding there is an "Updates" section of your profile, update it regularly with your progress and gratitude as well update all of your social media outlets. Promotion is the key to a successful campaign. Have a strategy for email outreach, social media exposure, as well as local news coverage if possible. IAmCrowdFunding.com

1. Share On Twitter Once A Day Share your IAmCrowdFunding.com campaign on Twitter and increase your exposure by adding a personal message. Tell your supporters about your cause, why you need their help and how their contributions will help you. What is a Tweet? A tweet is like a short Facebook status update with the difference being is that every tweet arrives at every follower’s feed, unlike the filter of Facebook’s EdgeRank. 2. Create Tweets That Engage Your Audience Be sure to create an engaging twitter post! You should use words or hrases that you think will make an impact on your twitter followers. A good standard tweet with a call to action is “Support our #fundraising efforts via IAmCrowdFunding”,add some compelling details of your cause to the tweet to catch your follower’s attention. Keep is simple – tweets that have less than 100 characters have a 18% higher rate of engagement than longer tweets do. 3. Search Relevant Keywords & Interact Go to Twitter Search and and see if there is any conversation about a cause or project similar to your crowd funding campaign, what people are talking about it and whether you can join or start a conversation. It will help you reach far more people. 4. Follow Relevant People Twitter is about connecting to people and building your own community. To reach out to as many people as possible you should start following people you know, people in your neighborhood, non-profit organizations and communities that are related to your cause. Twitter can help you find people you know by scanning your email address book. 5. Increase Visibilty With Hashtags Be sure to include relevant and popular hashtags! (Find lists of popular hashtags here). You should have a hashtag that enables anyone to find your project easily. On the other hand, using relevant hashtags you get engaged in different Twitter community, which members can then tweet and Retweet your campaign several times a day. It allows you to maximize the promotion of your campaign to its fullest potential. You can reach out to as many people as you can without having to do it all by yourself. Keep in mind, with hashtags other people can easily find and tweet or retweet your campaign. 6. Include Shortened Links & Images People enjoy looking at pictures, be sure to include photographs in your tweets whenever possible. Twitter adds every photo you share to a photo gallery. The first six appear on your profile page. Take advantage of this feature to tell a visual story of your cause. 7. Request Retweets Are you looking for more retweets? Just ask your followers. A tweet’s retweet rate increases 12 times when you ask followers for a retweet. Asking followers to retweet using the whole word “Retweet” (instead of the short and casual “RT”) increases retweet rates by 24 times. Tweets sent on the weekend get 17 percent more engagement than tweets sent during the week. Best time of day, length of tweet and more are revealed in this graphic. IAmCrowdFunding.com

Your crowdfunding campaign video pitch is an important point of contact with potential donors. For your pitch to be effective it’s crucial to plan and include all the elements that make a compelling video pitch. An effective Crowdfunding Video Pitch needs to cover these important points: First there was film. Then came television. Then came Youtube and the web video. Each of these formats have their own aesthetic, optimal length, and storytelling form. Pitch videos are a unique mutation. They are not quite an advertisement, not quite a viral video, but they do demand brevity. The optimal length should be 30 seconds to 2minutes. This should allow you enough time make your case, and build an argument, but not enough to bore the viewer. One of the most common issues with crowdfunding videos is they lack clarity. After the first 60 seconds, if the viewer still doesn't know what your project is about, or what you’re asking for, go back to the editing room. Sometimes with complex ideas or causes, we feel a tendency of over-explain, but it’s more effective to focus on the most compelling aspect. We strongly recommend that you appear in your pitch video. Contributors don’t like funding a faceless organization. They fund people. People they can relate to and find commonality in their stories. Still don’t feel up to the task? Then find someone in your project that can speak with passion about the mission of your crowd fundingcampaign. Even if you are using a web cam at home consider these important factors: Good Lighting: Appear in a well lit and bright room Focus & Clarity: Adjust any web cam tools you need to ensure that you are in focus and it is a clear image Editing: If possible, edit your video with some nice text or images, a nice explainer fist image or text, and close the video in the same manner encouraging donors to help your cause. In short, if you can afford to hire a professional or friend with camera/editing skills then do so. When campaigning, especially for large sums of money it is important to present yourself in the best manner possible. Why you are raising funds: Show your passion, explain the impact of your campaign or tell potential donors about the people or cause who will benefit from it. You must be passionate in your crowdfunding video. After all, if you’re not, how can you expect a potential contributor to be? And you must outline a clear result you’d like them to take (also known as a ‘call to action’). Use phrases like “contribute now”, “share on your Facebook wall”, “tweet it to your followers”, “email friends and family who may be interested.”

On your IAmCrowdFunding campaign you are provided with a "Share" to facebook link. Click the share button to post your crowd funding campaign for all of your friends to see. Once you have posted and shared your crowd funding campaign to your Facebook wall you can do one or all of the following steps: 1. Encourage and gently ask your Facebook friends to also share your crowd funding campaign on their wall. 2. Post your crowd funding campaign direct to your friends wall. 3. Private message your Facebook friends and personally ask that they share your crowd funding campaign. 4. Post your crowd funding campaign link on celebrity pages, political pages, support groups, and other relevant pages. Tag your Facebook friends , this is also a great way to include your friends and family in your campaign and broaden your reach for your crowd funding campaign. When a friend or family member shares or includes them self in your crowd funding campaign be sure to show your appreciation and "like" their interest. Update! Update! Update! Keep your crowd funding campaign alive by updating your Facebook wall with positive reminders and updates about how the campaign is going. "Create A Page" and invite your friends and family to join. Update the page regularly and showcase the campaigns progress. Encourage your friends and family to share your story or cause. Start Your Campaign Today at IAmCrowdFunding.com

Your crowdfunding campaign pitch is your first point of contact with potential donors. For your pitch to be effective it’s crucial to plan and include all the elements that make a compelling pitch.
An effective Crowdfunding pitch needs to cover these important points:


Who you are: Introduce yourself. Tell your story.


What you are trying to raise money for: Be specific and include your funding goal, and even a breakdown of where the money goes. Potential donors like to know how this will benefit the recipient or the community.


When your project will take place: Set a deadline, this creates a sense of urgency. A successful crowdfunding campaign should not be 1 year long, try to limit it to a 2-4 week campaign.


Where your project will take place: Talk about why crowdfunding will help you. Share the social media platforms you are using, and the value of sharing the campaign with others. By encouraging others to share your story it can attract many more donors.


Why you are raising funds: Show your passion, explain the impact of your campaign or tell potential donors about the people or cause who will benefit from it.
It really does pay to be honest, authentic and transparent. In your pitch explain your mission and compel potential donors to contribute in just a few succinct paragraphs. Be yourself, and it may be difficult but try to stay optimistic. Clearly communicate what you are doing and show what you are raising money for.
Your story needs to be clear and concise, so steer clear of creating a ‘wall of text’. A wall of text often deters and overwhelms the reader, and may cause loss of potential donors. People often do not take the time to read an essay, so write your pitch the way you would want to read it. You can do this by editing the story, highlighting the most important elements, and separating it into key paragraphs. Use bold font, italics and powerful headings to break your story up. Another great way to break up text is to add photos after every paragraph; this helps integrate a visual element to your story.
And remember, in addition to your written pitch, include a compelling pitch video, they help reveal your story and connect the audience to your campaign.
People will want to donate to you or your cause when you let your passion and enthusiasm shine!

IAmCrowdFunding.com