What is crowdfunding?

According to Wikipedia, “Crowdfunding is the practice of funding a project or venture by raising monetary contributions from a large number of people, typically via the internet.” It’s basically the online version of asking friends and family to chip in to help pay for a project. Crowdfunding can be used to fund for-profit businesses, nonprofit organizations, or personal expenses such as education, vet bills, or honeymoons.

How does crowdfunding work?

Crowdfunding websites allow people, businesses, or organizations to list their funding needs, while at the same time allowing donors the ability to give small donations to the projects that most inspire them. These many small donations collectively fund entire projects, providing the owners with more resources, enabling them to finish their projects faster.

How is LoveAnimals.org different from other crowdfunding websites?

LoveAnimals.org is a free crowdfunding website that helps animal nonprofits connect with donors to raise money for critically needed projects. That’s right—LoveAnimals.org is free to use! Unlike many other crowdfunding sites, we don’t charge administrative fees. This means that more money gets to the animals that need it.

We’re also exclusively focused on animal projects. As such, we have created a community of animal lovers who are “voting with their dollars” to help the projects they care about.

On a technical level, we provide a series of tools that help nonprofits promote their campaigns through their current channels (social media, email lists, etc.). These include our donation gauge and the honor roll for donors, as well as behind-the-scenes tools such as donation notification emails and automated thank-you email integration.

As you mentioned, LoveAnimals.org doesn’t charge administrative fees. How are you able to provide this service for free?

LoveAnimals.org is a nonprofit organization, just like the groups that fundraise on our site. As such, we receive individual donations and grants. We also have sponsorships, for example, our primary sponsor is Ellen DeGeneres’ Natural Pet Food Company, Halo Purely for Pets. Additionally, we use a tip jar system on the website. When people donate, they have the option to give an additional donation to LoveAnimals.org.

In LoveAnimals.org’s experience, what are your three top tips for a successful crowdfunding for animal causes?

Firstly, be prepared! As with any other large project, successful online fundraising requires an action plan. In fact, we recently published an e-booklet with step-by-step instructions for organizations running a crowdfunding campaign!

Second tip: Take advantage of current supporters. We’ve found that most donations come from contacts the organization already has. So don’t forget to reach out to email lists, major donors, and other supporters – posting on Facebook isn’t enough.

Lastly, be persistent. Nonprofits sometimes get frustrated if their campaigns don’t go viral in the first week, and then they stop promoting the campaign, creating a vicious cycle. With a solid plan (see tip #1!) and consistent follow-up, your campaign can be successful.

Want to learn more? Check out their website: http://www.loveanimals.org

Photo Credit: "Crowdfunding" by Rocío Lara, used under CC BY-SA 2.0.