Tips for Stellar Crowdfunding Photos

5 Tips for Crowdfunding Photos: Generate Interest and Raise More Money

 

Quality photos are a crucial component of any crowdfunding campaign. Without them, it’s difficult to tell your story and convince friends, family members, and peers to give to your cause, project, or event.

But unless you’re a professional photographer, taking and posting amazing crowdfunding photos can be a tricky process.

You have to determine how you’re going to use images to tell your story, gain support from others, and update your donors on your fundraising progress.

That can seem like a lot of pressure to put on a few images.

But don’t worry. We’ve got the top five tips you need to take and upload the best crowdfunding photos:

  1. Photo Quality Matters…
  2. …But So Does Quantity
  3. Upload Chronologically (When You Can)
  4. Continue Posting Crowdfunding Photos Throughout Your Campaign
  5. Don’t Just Post Selfies

Let’s get started!

Quality matters when posting crowdfunding photos.
1. Photo Quality Matters…

Even if you don’t have a background in photography, it should still be obvious that your crowdfunding photos should be clear, crisp, and high-quality.

Your photos should look professional (even if you didn’t have professional help!) and should be large enough to be displayed clearly on your crowdfunding campaign page.

Here are some quick tips for taking quality crowdfunding photos:

  • Use a professional digital camera if you can. Smartphones can take awesome photos, but using a digital camera will make your crowdfunding photos a bit more crisp and clean.
  • Don’t apply too many filters or too much editing. An over-edited photo can end up looking sloppy. If you need to touch up the photos using editing software, that’s fine, but don’t overdo it.
  • Upload large, but compressed, images. Large images are better for crowdfunding campaigns, because the details are displayed more clearly. Small crowdfunding photos are simply harder to see. However, your crowdfunding platform will likely have photo size restrictions, so use a photo compression tool to reduce the file size.

Let’s look at an example crowdfunding campaign image:

Crowdfunding Photos: Roxy Movie Theater Mural

This crowdfunding campaign was started to raise money to pay for a movie theater mural. The image that the organizer chose to upload shows the mural during a partial stage of completion, looks professional, and hasn’t been overly edited.

This image is also the first that the organizer chose to upload. The quality of the photo sets a professional and serious tone for the rest of the campaign page.

:arrow: Snapshot tip: Take and upload high quality images that will impress people who view your crowdfunding page. No blurry, grainy, or otherwise unprofessional crowdfunding photos.

The number of crowdfunding photos you post is also important.
2. …But So Does Quantity

If you stop reading after the first tip, you might think that all you need is one high-quality photo on your crowdfunding campaign page.

But your crowdfunding campaign (and your donors!) deserves so much more than that.

In fact, it’s been shown that organizers who post at least five photos raise significantly more than organizers who only upload one image.

Uploading multiple photos accomplishes two things:

  1. It demonstrates your dedication to your campaign and your cause, project, or event.
  2. It allows donors to see multiple examples of what their donations could go toward.

Let’s check out an example:

Here is an example of a campaign the does a good job of adding crowdfunding photos.

This particular crowdfunding campaign is trying to raise money to protect wild painted dogs, an endangered species.

The organizer has uploaded nine photos, and each one looks amazing! The photos are either of volunteers who work to protect the dogs or are of the dogs themselves. The last image is the nonprofit’s logo.

All of these images help to create an emotional response from donors. As they scroll through the photos of adorable animals, they become more and more likely to make a contribution.

:arrow: Snapshot tip: You have to have quality and quantity when it comes to crowdfunding photos. Make sure that you upload at least five photos to show donors exactly what their donations will go toward. The more images you have, the more likely it is that supporters will connect to your cause!

You should upload crowdfunding photos chronologically.
3. Upload Chronologically (When You Can)

You wouldn’t start reading a book by reading the ending first and working your way toward the beginning. It wouldn’t make any sense!

The same principle goes for your crowdfunding campaign.

You want to make sure that, as people scroll or click through your crowdfunding campaign gallery, your images are in order and tell a story.

For example, if you’re raising money for your adopted puppy’s final surgery, the photos you post might go in this order:

  1. An image of the pup when you adopted her.
  2. A photo of the dog just before she went into one of her first surgeries.
  3. A picture of the puppy recovering from the first surgery.

Of course, you should post more than three photos, but this is the general timeline that you could follow for your crowdfunding campaign.

Not every crowdfunding campaign will have this kind of timeline or structure built into it. But if you can generally tell a story from the past weeks, months, or even years with the photos you upload, you’ll be more successful than if you just uploaded a ton of photos that don’t flow very well.

:arrow: Snapshot tip: Use your crowdfunding photos to tell your campaign’s story! Upload images in chronological order so that your gallery makes sense to your supporters.

Post crowdfunding photos throughout your campaign.
4. Continue Posting Crowdfunding Photos Throughout Your Campaign

The images you initially upload to your crowdfunding page set the tone for your campaign. But that doesn’t mean that those are the only photos that should post.

In fact, you should definitely upload photos as you raise money and get closer to your goal.

If your crowdfunding platform enables you to upload photos alongside your updates (like Fundly does!), you can give tangible examples of how donations are helping you reach your goal.

Let’s look at an example:

Here is an example of a crowdfunding update.

This crowdfunding campaign was started to raise money for a child who was having medical issues. As he started recovering, the organizer posted updates and corresponding photos to show supporters how his health was progressing.

This campaign ended up raising nearly $7,000 thanks to 216 supporters. It was successful, in part, due to the updates and photos that the organizer uploaded.

:arrow: Snapshot tip: Don’t just post photos at the beginning of your campaign and hope that those are all you need. Add more crowdfunding photos as your campaign goes along and use them to update your supporters on your fundraising progress.

Don't just post selfies.
5. Don’t Just Post Selfies

We live in the #SelfieGeneration. Teenagers, millennials, and even baby boomers can be found using their phones (sometimes with the help of a selfie stick) to take pictures of their faces.

While selfies may be the primary way people take photos today, you shouldn’t solely use selfies for your crowdfunding photos.

In fact, most of your crowdfunding photos should be focused on the person, people, animals, or cause that you are raising money for.

Your supporters will want to see crowdfunding photos of the recipients of your aid so they have a better idea of what their donations are going toward. 

Including photos of the people or animals that you’re helping will legitimize your campaign and instill a sense of confidence in your donors.

Let’s look at an example:

Post crowdfunding photos of people in action.

The Hoopzkid Foundation for Homeless and Battered Families started a crowdfunding campaign to raise money for families in need.

The image in this example shows two children receiving items from a volunteer, but the gallery also includes:

  • A collage of photos of families who have been helped by the foundation.
  • A photo of the bunk beds that the foundation was able to purchase and the building they are housed in.
  • The foundation’s logo.

These images are centered around the people who the foundation is trying to help. They show donors who will be assisted by the donations and what could be purchased with a contribution.

:arrow: Snapshot tip: Upload images that demonstrate the cause, project, people, or animals that you’re raising money for. Crowdfunding campaigns aren’t the place for selfies!


These 5 crowdfunding photo tips will help your crowdfunding page look more professional and will enable you to show donors exactly what their contributions will go toward.

Follow these crowdfunding best practices to give your campaign the boost it needs!

If you’re looking for more crowdfunding tips, check out these additional resources:

  1. Crowdfunding Video Tips. In addition to images, videos can help boost your campaign’s chances of success. Learn how to film an engaging video with these quick and easy tips.
  2. Sharing Your Campaign. Once you’ve built your awesome crowdfunding page, you need to share your campaign. These three tips will help you spread and reach even more potential donors.
  3. Crowdfunding Examples. Check out these crowdfunding campaigns that met or exceeded their goals. Who knows? You might learn ways to improve your fundraiser!

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