A good plan…executed now is better than a perfect plan executed next week.”
General George S. Patton
This question comes up frequently – “How do I know when its time to launch?”
Hopefully, you’ve taken our advice and selected a real start date, and then publicized that you your members. With your urging/encouragement/threats – the members ought to have added contacts into the platform. The question is how many, and does it make sense delaying the launch of the campaign?
In some cases yes – in others – no….
We typically recommend waiting until your campaign is at least 80/80 – meaning 80% of your members have both confirmed and added a total number of contacts of 80% of expected (which is N X 20, or the number of uploaded members X 20 contacts each). As viewable in your Campaign Dashboard, once you see 80/80, we feel like its a good time to pull the trigger and get that first donor message out.
In some cases, we hae seen good success with just getting the thing started with programs where not 100% of the membership (or their booster parents) are on board. Some fundraising is always better than none, and in a lot of cases these programs raise some quick funds right away (I mean within minutes of the first email being sent). This, in turn, more easily convinces the slower-adopting members to get it in gear and add their contacts (FoMO is a powerful motivator in this age-group, after all).
When in doubt, check the suggested workflow we recommend:
- Set up your initial User Account, and then establish your performing Org
- Begin building your Org’s Campaign Page
- Select your start date – the date of your first outbound Supporter Request email
- “Have the talk” with your students/members – use this guide to help – and EMPHASIZE their responsibility in “20 contacts by our start date”
- Monitor the progress inside your dashboard, and view your Member List frequently to identify members who need encouraging/supporting (we can help with that if there are technical barriers, by the way)
- If you’re not 80/80 the night before your start date, but your members are making progress, you may decide to wait an extra day or two before launching
- Once you launch, brag about the results, and recognize those members that are CRUSHING IT – use it as a springboard to get other members involved
- Recognize success early/often
Performing ensembles around the United States are using FansRaise as a way to create arts-specific crowdfunding campaigns for the things that matter.
Having touched over 9,000 students and educators, FansRaise is easiest and most effective way to raise large chunks of money for your group.
Grab a copy of our $10,000 Blueprint to learn more about how groups are planning their largest fundraiser of their year:
