Each week or so, we are going to share a “mechanical tip” or two so that our users and followers can potentially learn what’s working, and possibly what’s not working well based on others’ crowdfunding experiences.
Tip #1 – Choose a launch date and stick to it
We will face facts here – kids generally leave things to the last moment (and some parents and directors do too!). If you never actually define WHEN the campaign is supposed to commence with the initial email message going out to supporters, nothing will happen.
It actually makes sense when you think about it – you can’t act after waiting until the last minute if you don’t KNOW it’s about to be the last minute!
Tip #2 – Define if parents OR students will be member participants
Depending on the age group, involving both parents and students can cause you a bit of a headache, but that’s not to say that both shouldn’t be engaged.
At the middle school age level – parents are probably going to be more involved, possibly to the point where moms and dads are the ones getting the email to register, sign on, and upload contacts. This is fine (actually we expected this), but our hope is that the students are still playing a part in the process in some way.
At the high school age level (and assuming older groups here as well) – parents should probably be more of the reinforcement mindset a they pester remind their sons and daughters to be on top of the campaign requirements set by their director.
We encourage directors to level-set expectations early (“Parents – this fundraiser is for the kids to take the lead, but please stay on top of them to make sure they are following through…”). It’s completely fine to have both parents and students involved – just be clear from the outset what their roles ought to be.