For years, crowdfunding campaigns have been added to different fundraising programs of many healthcare organizations. In the nonprofit sector, raising a certain amount of funds is always a challenge. But through crowdfunding, reducing dependency on corporate partners or major donors is possible. Your healthcare organization can even take advantage of portfolio resiliency and flexibility.
Initiating a crowdfunding campaign, however, requires a great deal of work. It can be a quick way to raise the needed funds for your healthcare programs, but the planning phase isn’t as fast. Continue reading to learn more about crowdfunding and how to use it for your healthcare organization’s fundraising programs.
1. Write up your campaign
The next thing you need to work on is the project’s story to tell the supporters. Explain why your cause is important for the healthcare industry and what you’re doing to make a difference. Start with your crowdfunding pitch. Your target supporters should quickly have an idea of what the project is with that short blurb.
Almost everyone is busy nowadays, and they’re typically skim reading, so ensure you can grab their attention with your pitch. Be specific, brief, and engaging. You will lose thousands of potential supporters to raise the money for your health campaign if you can’t even write a good pitch.
Besides your pitch, you also need a great campaign description. Write the details about your mission in at least 300 to 500 words. It should tell a story about the change you want to make and your strategies to make it happen. The description should be edited as your campaign progresses. Progress content is vital for keeping your supporters engaged and updated with the campaign. Writing content for your healthcare campaign, don’t forget to add visuals like images and video clips.
2. Plan out the perks
Your supporters, especially the ones who donated above a particular amount, should be provided with some perks too. Fresh content will keep them informed and engaged, but perks will keep them happy supporting your health campaign. Perks can do wonders for your campaign. Not only do they give people a reason to participate more, but they also tap into benevolent or selfish motivations.
In other words, perks give you opportunities to also tap into the spending purse of your supporters. If you’re running a nonprofit healthcare organization, the perks are great for tapping into your supporters’ philanthropic purses. Or, you can do both. Perks generally fall into three categories: pre-release ‘selling’ products and services, unique experiences ( for charities), and special recognition.
3. Hire a PR team
You need a team that specializes in your industry so you can receive the right services. A healthcare public relations agency, for example, is a great option to create and implement an effective crowdfunding campaign for your organization. They are experts in providing custom solutions for both marketing and PR campaigns of healthcare organizations. Hiring one might require an extra budget, but the results are far more rewarding. They can help you find investors and sponsors much quicker.
A good PR company understands the need for bespoke crowdfunding campaigns. They can gather the essential data for your current market, which is vital for measuring your organization’s public view. They are also masters of messaging made up of outstanding communicators and writers in the field.
In addition, they can choose the best platform for your crowdfunding campaign, helping you boost awareness. If you find it hard to create the campaign, produce the content, tell your story, or launch the campaign, a good PR team can help you out.
4. Connect with supporters
Getting out there to interact with your supporters is vital for keeping your health campaign running. It’s a great way for networking that can boost visibility and increase your sponsors and supporters. On the other hand, if you’re a for-profit healthcare organization, this gives you a chance to develop partnerships wherein you can offer your medical services or healthcare products.
For starters, you can connect with your supporters through social media outreach, thank-you emails, and frequent updates. You can organize an event involving your crowdfunding campaign, host a product giveaway, or post updates regarding your project. There are many ways to boost engagement and build anticipation. The key is to make the conversations an open dialogue and not as one-sided messages.
Crowdfunding can allow your healthcare organization to successfully run your programs and promote your nonprofit to more potential supporters. Healthcare investors and companies can even use it to test the public’s reaction regarding a new idea or product. Don’t hesitate to call on experts to ensure a successful campaign.
