5 Tips for Crowdfunding Updates

Crowdfunding Updates: 5 Tips To Keep Donors in the Loop

Posting crowdfunding updates is one of the most important parts of running a crowdfunding campaign. Without updates, your donors and future supporters don’t know what the status of your fundraiser is or how you’re coming along with your goals.

However, if you’ve never started a crowdfunding campaign before, it can be difficult to figure out when to post your updates and what to include in each one.

Luckily, we’ve got the top 5 tips for posting crowdfunding updates that you can use to keep your donors in the loop and inform them about your fundraising progress.

  1. Post crowdfunding updates on a weekly basis
  2. Include photos or videos in your updates
  3. Thank your current supporters
  4. Link your updates to your social media accounts
  5. Ask questions and encourage conversation

Let’s get started with our first tip!

Post crowdfunding updates on a weekly basis.
1. Post crowdfunding updates on a weekly basis

It’s one thing to keep your supporters updated; it’s another thing to keep them updated regularly.

Studies have shown that crowdfunding organizers who post updates every five days or so raise three times more than those who don’t post updates.

Pick a day of the week as your “update day.” Use a few minutes during this day to post an update that gives your donors some context around your campaign.

Even if you didn’t have a particularly strong week in terms of fundraising, it’s always a good idea to check in with your donors and let them know about any progress that’s been made (no matter how small!).

However, if you did have a great fundraising week, that’s definitely worth talking about!

Here are some general pieces of information you can include in your weekly crowdfunding updates (with examples!):

  • Fundraising progress
    • Last week, you guys helped me raise $2,315!
  • Deadline reminders
    • There’s only 1 week left! Help me reach my goal.
  • Updates about your project, event, or cause
    • You’ve helped me raise enough money to pay for my puppy’s surgery.
    • We’ll be hosting the 5K for Mark on July 15th
    • We’ve raised $4,500 so far. That money went toward helping homeless teens apply to college.
  • Information about any press coverage
    • My campaign was featured on the local news. Check out the article here [insert URL to story or video].

Of course, the specific information you include in your weekly updates will vary according to the type of crowdfunding campaign that you’re running.

There are a couple of benefits when you post regular crowdfunding updates.

  • First, updates show your investment in your campaign. When new and current supporters see how frequently you post crowdfunding updates, they can see how much you care about the cause, project, or event that you’re fundraising for. Updates demonstrate commitment on your part.
  • Second, regular updates can increase donations. Perhaps more importantly, crowdfunding updates can help you raise more money. The more you interact with donors and would-be contributors, the more they will want to support (and continue supporting!) your campaign. When you demonstrate progress, you establish trust because donors can see that their contributions are being put to good use. Not to mention, they can more clearly visualize the full impact their donations could have.

:arrow: Key Takeaway: Post weekly updates to keep your supporters in the loop about the progress of your campaign. Weekly crowdfunding updates can engage your donors and help them remain invested in your fundraiser and cause.

Include images and videos in your crowdfunding updates.
2. Include photos or videos in your crowdfunding updates

They say that a picture is worth a thousand words. This adage rings particularly true as it relates to posting crowdfunding updates.

Adding media into your crowdfunding updates can help donors and would-be supporters connect even further to the cause you’re raising money for by showing them exactly how much progress you’ve made.

Here are a few key tips about including photos and videos in your updates:

  • Use professional equipment when you can. Not everyone owns a professional digital camera, but you should try to make your pictures look as polished as possible.
  • Highlight the recipient(s) of your aid. Updates are not the place for selfies! Take pictures of the people, animals, or community that you’re raising money for. Make them the focus of your updates and images.
  • Check audio levels. If you’re posting a video that includes crucial information, make sure that you check the audio levels before you post the clip to ensure that viewers can hear everything you have to say. Additionally, you should add the key points from the video into your crowdfunding update.

Posting images and videos alongside your updates enables your donors to visualize what their contributions are going toward. Furthermore, it’s an easy way to instill confidence in your supporters while giving them more illustrative information.

:arrow: Key Takeaway: Images and videos can give your updates a little extra pizazz. Incorporate them when you can, but make sure that they’re of high quality!

Bonus Tip: Check out these 5 best practices for shooting and uploading great crowdfunding photos.

Use crowdfunding updates to thank supporters.
3. Thank your current supporters

Without your current base of donors, you wouldn’t have any fundraising progress to talk about in your updates!

There are three ways to go about thanking your current supporters.

  1. First, depending on the size of your crowdfunding campaign, you might be able to thank specific donors individually within each weekly update.
  2. Secondly, if you have a large number of people giving to your fundraiser, you can post a general “thank you” and then individually thank donors once the campaign has ended.
  3. Finally, regardless of your campaign’s size, you could incorporate a “Donor of the Week” section into your crowdfunding updates that highlight a specific contributor who made a gift to your crowdfunding campaign.

It is so incredibly important to thank the people who have already given to your campaign within your crowdfunding updates. 

People like feeling appreciated and thanked for their donations. Posting acknowledgements within your updates — even if it’s a quick “Thank you for donating!” — can be a great way to put the spotlight on your donors and let them know that you value their contributions.

When you thank your current donors, it shows would-be supporters that you don’t just care about the money — you also care about your donors!

:arrow: Key Takeaway: Don’t just talk about how your crowdfunding campaign is doing. Use your updates to thank your current donors for their contributions and support.

Link your crowdfunding updates to your social media accounts.
4. Link your updates to your social media accounts

Unless your supporters are deeply committed to your cause, they probably won’t visit your campaign page every day.

People have busy lives, and while they won’t check your campaign page every day, they will probably check their Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram feeds at least once a day!

Link your updates to your social media accounts so that your donors can see your fundraising progress while they scroll through their newsfeeds.

Not only will your current supporters be able to see how your crowdfunding campaign is going, but other people in your network might become intrigued by your update and click on the link to your campaign page.

Make sure you encourage people to like, comment on, and share your updates on social media. 

The more people share information about your campaign, the more money you could potentially raise!

:arrow: Key Takeaway: Connecting your crowdfunding updates to your social media accounts can widen your reach and help you raise more money and awareness for your cause, project, or event.

Bonus Tips: Learn more about the importance of social sharing when it comes to crowdfunding and check out these social media sharing templates.

Ask questions in your crowdfunding updates.
5. Ask questions and encourage conversation

A crowdfunding campaign is not a one-man show. The whole fundraising concept rests on the idea that people bind together to help someone raise money for something they’re passionate about.

For this very reason, it’s crucial that your updates are engaging and make your supporters want to interact with your campaign beyond donating.

Let’s take a hypothetical example.

Imagine you’re raising money that will go toward preserving rainforest habitats. You post weekly updates (go you!) that contain crisp images of the animals that live in the rainforest you’re raising money for. You’ve thanked your current supporters, and you’ve even linked up your updates to your Facebook page.

See how these activities involve you speaking at your donors, not with them?

In order to further engage your donors, you should ask them questions! Spark conversations! Address them by name and get their opinions!

For our rainforest preservation example, you could get the conversation going by asking a question like, “Which rainforest animal do you think is the cutest?” or “Which rainforest would you like to visit someday?”.

With a crowdfunding platform like Fundly, your supporters can comment and even “like” your updates, making productive and positive conversations possible.

:arrow: Key Takeaway: Encouraging conversation and asking questions is a great way to keep your donors engaged with your campaign page and crowdfunding updates.


These tips for crowdfunding updates will set you up for the greatest fundraising success.

Looking for more crowdfunding advice? Find helpful information in these additional resources:

  1. Crowdfunding Description Length. Updates and crowdfunding descriptions need to be just the right length to improve your visibility and engage your donors. Learn more about why word-count matters.
  2. Crowdfunding Video Tips. Here’s an interesting fact: crowdfunding campaigns with videos raise 4 times more than those without them. Get 5 tips to create a video for your campaign.
  3. Keep Your Momentum Going. No one wants to experience a lull in fundraising. Keep your campaign going at maximum speed with these tips.
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