Congratulations! You’ve set up a crowdfunding campaign, wrote a great description, and uploaded some stellar photos that depict your cause.

You’re ready to start accepting donations from friends, family members, acquaintances, and even strangers.

But how will all of these people know about your campaign if you don’t share your crowdfunding page with them?

To help you raise as much money as possible, we’ve got the top three tips you need to know about sharing your crowdfunding campaign.

1. How to share your crowdfunding campaign
2. Who to share your crowdfunding campaign with
3. When to share your crowdfunding campaign

Whether you’re an individual raising money for a cause or a nonprofit looking to supplement your fundraising efforts, you can benefit from these tips. Let’s get started!

1. How to share your crowdfunding campaign

Sharing your crowdfunding campaign is easy! There are three main ways to get the word out:

1. Facebook
2. Twitter
3. Email

Let’s look at each one individually.

A. Sharing your crowdfunding campaign on Facebook

Most people set up their crowdfunding campaign with their Facebook account, so it makes sense that they would use Facebook to advertise their fundraiser.

Facebook is a great way to promote your campaign to many people at one time. Make sure that your preferences are set to “Public” so that people other than your friends have the opportunity to see your posts!

Check out this example:

There are a few awesome components of this Facebook post:

• First, the image of Sebastian, the dog, is adorable and heartwarming. Who wouldn’t want to donate to this campaign after looking at that cute face?
• Secondly, the copy is inspiring and motivating. From the beginning imagery of “dogs…on beds and sofas in loving homes” to the final appeal, “Please join me!”, Dr. Becker managed to capture the attention of many of his followers and friends.
• Finally, the post has nearly 7,000 likes, 155 comments, and over 1,000 shares. While this is not necessarily all up to Dr. Becker, it certainly helps the Grey Muzzle Organization’s fundraising efforts.

When you post your own Facebook promotions, keep these tips in mind:

• Keep the copy short and sweet. People don’t want to read several paragraphs of text while scrolling through Facebook. Quickly and briefly explain your need and ask people to help you reach your goal.
• Make sure you include an image. It’s not enough to post the link to your crowdfunding campaign. An image within the post will capture people’s attention more readily than a text post will.
• Don’t just ask for donations; ask for shares! Crowdfunding isn’t just about raising money for your cause. It’s also about widening your reach and raising more awareness. Ask others to share the post within your crowdfunding promotions.

B. Sharing your crowdfunding campaign on Twitter

Twitter is similar to Facebook, but there is less space to make your appeal. Instead of spelling out your need and asking for donations and shares, you should use Twitter to direct people to your crowdfunding page with short and punchy tweets.

Take a look at this example:

I’m heading to Lesotho in March w/ @Habitat_org & could use your help fundraising! Learn more: https://t.co/8QU1EkAYvW via @Fundly

— Erin Odell (@erinodell) November 2, 2016

Let’s examine what makes this tweet work so well:

• First, the description is short and to the point, but it also provides context. We know that Erin is going to Lesotho in March with Habitat for Humanity. That’s really all someone would need to know in a single tweet. She’s also used a shortened URL to save space!
• Secondly, Erin has tagged both Habitat for Humanity (@Habitat_org) and Fundly (@Fundly) in her tweet. This helps widen her reach since her tweet will now show up in search results for both of those organizations.
• Finally, the image that accompanies the tweet helps to break up the text and provides a bit more context for the fundraiser. You may only have 140 characters in each tweet, but images are worth 1,000 words!

Follow these two tips to make the most of your promotional tweets:

• Use active verbs and a direct tone: Twitter isn’t the place to beat around the bush. Say what you’re raising money for, and ask people to help you reach your goal. Spur people to action by using verbs such as “help,” “reach,” and “succeed.”
• Tag people, nonprofits, and organizations. Make sure you tag your friends, people who will receive the money generated by your fundraiser, a nonprofit you support, or the crowdfunding company that hosts your campaign page. These people or organizations might retweet your tweet and widen your reach even further!

Bonus: Take a look at these social media templates to get started!

C. Sharing your crowdfunding campaign via email

Spreading the word about your fundraiser via email is one of the best ways to raise money. In fact, 53% of all email shares result in donations.

With a conversion rate like that, who wouldn’t want to use emails to spread the word about their crowdfunding campaign?

Let’s review some best practices for writing emails to raise more awareness and funds.

• Get personal. You likely know all of the people you’re going to email. Don’t insult them by sending out an email that starts with “Dear Family Member/Friend.” It’s disingenuous to say the least. Instead, start with the recipient’s preferred name and a cheerful and personal greeting.
• Don’t make it all about you. Let the recipient know how your campaign might impact them, or mention how they can get more involved with your overarching cause or mission. Emails shouldn’t just be pleas for money; they should engage the reader!
• Link out to your crowdfunding campaign page. This tip seems a bit obvious, but it’s important to remember to include the link to your campaign page within your email. In fact, you should link out to your fundraiser a couple of times and include links to your blog or website when appropriate.

While most people share their crowdfunding campaign via digital channels, you can also use the copy from your emails to send out snail mail letters to friends and family members who aren’t tech-savvy.

Bonus: Check out these email templates for spreading the word about your crowdfunding campaign.

:arrow: Main Takeaway: Make the most of social media platforms and emails! Share your crowdfunding campaign via Facebook, Twitter, and email to ensure that as many people as possible know about your fundraising efforts.

2. Who to share your crowdfunding campaign with

Many people aren’t sure who they should promote their crowdfunding campaign to. If you have a large network of friends, family members, coworkers, and peers, it can seem like a daunting task to spread the word to all of them.

Luckily, there’s an easy way to solve this problem.

First of all, start with your closest friends and relatives. Ask people who you see or speak to on a regular basis who might have insight into the cause, project, or event that you’re raising money for.

These people are the most likely individuals to give to your campaign. Your friends and family members care about you; why wouldn’t they want you to succeed?

Next, reach out to acquaintances and distant relatives. The guy who sits a couple cubicles over and your great Aunt Martha fall into this category. You might not speak to these people on a regular basis, but they know who you are and might be responsive to an appeal for donations.

Finally, expand your reach even further. Ask your friends and family members to share your crowdfunding campaign with their networks via social media and email. You might find that people you’ve never even met are willing to give to your cause!

This is where you should try to do some digging to identify social influencers within your network. Social influencers are individuals with large social media followings, and they have the ability to put your campaign in front of their vast network of online friends and fans.

When considering someone’s social influence, you’ll want to look at reach / # of followers, follower engagement, post frequency, and relevancy. By analyzing those factors, you’ll be well on your way to understanding who among your network is a social influencer with the potential to take your campaign to the next level.

:arrow: Main Takeaway: Think about sharing your crowdfunding campaign like rings within a tree. If your cause or campaign is in the center, you’ll want to start promoting it to people who are closest to you (friends and relatives). Then, you’ll move outward until you’ve reached the furthest ring (people you don’t know well or at all).

3. When to share your crowdfunding campaign

When you’re trying to raise money for a cause, project, or event that you care about, there really isn’t a wrong time to share your crowdfunding campaign.

There are, however, optimal times that you should consider when you start sharing your crowdfunding campaign.

• Peak times on Facebook are between 6:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m.
• Peak times on Twitter are between 1:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m.
• Peak email open times are between 6:00 a.m. and noon and 6:00 p.m. and midnight

Keeping these peak times in mind when sharing your crowdfunding campaign can help your posts and emails get more views (and hopefully likes, comments, and donations).

You’ll also need to think about the frequency of your promotions.

Your network will start to tune you out if you post a donation appeal every hour, on the hour. Instead, create a manageable schedule for your social media posts and emails.

You have to strike a suitable balance between overwhelming your network and reminding them about your campaign. Once a week, for example, might be a good middle ground for sharing your crowdfunding campaign.

:arrow: Main Takeaway:  It’s important to know when and how often you should let people know about your crowdfunding campaign. Pay attention to peak times and find a schedule that works well for you and your network.

---

Sharing your crowdfunding campaign doesn’t have to be complicated! Hopefully this article has shed some light on how and when you can effectively share your crowdfunding campaign with friends, family members, coworkers, peers, and even strangers.

For more information, check out these additional resources: 

1. Complete Crowdfunding Guide. Need to go back to the basics? Check out our beginner’s guide that gives you all the details about crowdfunding.
2. Social Media Templates. Now that you know how to share your campaign, use these templates to spread your reach on social media.
3. Promoting on Facebook. Facebook is a popular way to share your campaign. Get 4 tips on how to reach more supporters with this guide.

Happy fundraising!