A guide to create a successful crowdfunding campaign · A guide to create a successful crowdfunding...

#EveryonesExeter Crowdfunding Toolkit

A guide to create a successful crowdfunding campaign

Three important dates

When to upload your project by .................................................................

When to start fundraising by ......................................................................

Completion of fundraising ..........................................................................

#EVERYONESEXETER: PROJECT TOOLKIT | 1

Contents

Spacehive and #EveryonesExeter ..........................................................2

What is Spacehive? ........................................................................................................... 2

What is a Spacehive project? .......................................................................................... 2

What kinds of projects have you had on Spacehive? ................................................ 2

What projects can be matched with #EveryonesExeter movement? ..................... 3

Planning your project ...............................................................................4

Identifying your crowd .............................................................................5

Communicating your Spacehive project .............................................. 6

Planning a project campaign ..................................................................7

Calendar ..................................................................................................... 8

Support ....................................................................................................... 9

Top tips ...............................................................................................................................9

How Exeter City Futures can help ..................................................................................9


Spacehive and #EveryonesExeter

What is Spacehive?Spacehive is a funding platform for projects that make local places better. By providing the tools you need to develop your ideas, get noticed by crowds of people, companies, councils and the media, we help you attract funding to make great projects happen.

What is a Spacehive project?Spacehive projects can be:

• Temporary, or permanent e.g a one-day festival, or a life-long park improvement

• Early stage and part of a bigger project, e.g a feasibility study

What kinds of projects have you had on Spacehive? There are a range of ideas on Spacehive including:

• Events/Festivals - these projects transform a space or use a space in a different way

• Renovations of buildings - these buildings must be accessible by the public

• Projects to improve local parks - e.g. tree plant-ing, allotments

• Equipment for clubs/Adventure playgrounds - eg sports/play equipment

A project on Spacehive must clearly show how it could impact a public space for the benefit of the commu-nity. This can be something that directly improves an area, such as painting a street mural or repurposing a disused building, something that can lead onto neighbourhood improvement, such as a feasibility study or planning consultation, or something temporary that brings people together such as organising a festival or event. The project can be either permanent or temporary, and funding can be sought for both revenue and capital costs.

The #EveryonesExeter Spacehive page


Spacehive projects happen in shared spaces, which can be owned and managed either privately or publicly, but for the purpose of the project must be open and accessible to the community, and anyone else who wants to see it be used, or use it themselves.

If you are unsure about the eligibity of your project to be crowdfunded through Spacehive these questions may help you:

• Does my idea transform a shared, or publicly accessible space in the UK, either temporarily or permanently?

• Am I crowdfunding for a project with a clear deliverable for my backers, as opposed to funding running costs of an organisation?

• Would my project help to enhance our shared lives and bring communities together?

What projects can be matched with #EveryonesExeter movement?

We are looking forward to supporting projects that have been designed by community groups and individuals to address local problems around congestion and energy use and projects which supports Greater Exeter to become more sustainable and a better place to live, work and play.

Projects we want to support include:

• Projects that encourage people to think about their local environment and remove the barriers to walking and cycling. This can be anything from organising car-free days, pop-up parks instead of car parking, renovating waste ground to make better spaces for kids to play, or creating an urban farming oasis on roof tops, or encouraging ways to consider waste.

• Creative and innovative ideas which encourage people to choose more active modes of transport, to access outdoors activities or to consider their energy usage - from arts projects to high tech energy monitoring solutions.

• Small, grass-roots projects that are getting people involved and making a big difference.


Planning your projectWhat is your project idea? .............................................................................................................................

Where is the project? ....................................................................................................................................

How does the project benefit the community and align to #EveryonesExeter movement? ......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

Describe your organisation: ......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

Who will be running the crowdfunding campaign? ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

Who will deliver the project that is being crowdfunded for? ...............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

What is your crowdfunding target? ....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

Do you have clear list of costs of ‘items’ involved in delivering your project? ..........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

What project plans do you need to start putting into place? ......................................................................... ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

Do you need permissions from organisations to deliver your project?

The city council or local authority From private landowners

If yes, you will need evidence of permission, for example a letter, email ,or an event license.


Identifying your crowdWho does your project appeal to and who is likely to support your project by crowdfunding?

Identifying key groups of supporters:

Family Friends Community Residents

Community Oranisations

Education Organisations

Local Small Businesses

Larger City Organisations

You might need to rank your supporters as to how likely they are to back your project. Spacehive suggests:

Likelihood of Backing Backer How they can Support

100%

90%

80%

70%

60%

50%

40%

30%

20%

10%

Who will likely support your project through promotion? Identify some key individuals and organisations.


Communicating your spacehive projectHow can you communicate your project? List all the online and offline spaces where you can share the idea.

Online Offline

Social Media updates through your Twitter/ Facebook/Instagram accounts

Emails – to your contacts and networks and to individual supporters

Blogs – on your own website

Word of mouth

Posters

Leaflets

Hold events

Local print press

What type of content to share?

• Promote your project aims and campaign• Fundraising targets and fundraising events• New supporters who back you• Updates and new developments on your campaign• Scheduled meetings to share what is happening within the community• Images and video of your proposed idea or backers who are supporting your project• Keep content relevant and up-to-date• Supporter positive comments about project• Publicly thanking backers of your project• Backer updates – thanking and updating them to keep them engaged and share details of

the project

How often do you talk to your supporters? Social Media – daily

Emails – One before the campaign starts, one to announce the launch, one midway through and a final one with less than 48 hours to go!

Blogs – One for your launch, 2-3 updates on developments through the project, final one once the project campaign is completed


Planning a project campaignRemember the length of you campaign also depends on your crowdfunding target, the type of project you are crowdfunding for and the support you have, to deliver your campaign.

Spacehive suggest:

Money Being Raised Up to £5k Up to £15k Up to £50k £50k +

Length of Campaign 4 weeks 8 weeks 12 weeks 12-24 weeks

Use your three important dates as a starting point.

When to upload your project by ....................................................................................................................

When to start fundraising by .........................................................................................................................

Completion of fundraising .............................................................................................................................

Mark down on the calendar (overleaf) key points that you would like to achieve as part of your campaign such as:

• Having a ‘soft launch’ – asking supporters to back your project before officially launching your campaign

• Pledge yourself

• Start social media

• Contact local businesses

• Ask the local press to promote

• Hold an event and invite backers – offline fundraising event

• Hold a promotion event

• Contact city based businesses

• Pitching for funds from Grant makers on the platform

• Ask your backers to push the project out to their networks.


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Support

Top tips

• Hold events in the community that your project is fundraising in and for. This will generate aware-ness of your campaign and reach the people who are not necessarily online.

• Tell as many people as our can about the campaign and be open and honest in asking for backers to pledge their support.

• Pledge yourself and show commitment and belief in the project you are delivering.

• Build in a ‘soft launch’ and get your most dedicated supporters to back your project before you launch it to a wider audience. It will show potential backers who are directed to your page that you have attracted support already.

• Create social media templates with images and text about your project which you can ask your followers to share on their social media accounts

• Share with people what is happening and give regular updates about your project all the way through your campaign.

• Thank your backers publicly.

• Link your project page Spacehive URL into all your online and offline communications.

How Exeter City Futures can help Exeter City Futures will support a Spacehive Project creator to:

• Develop a project from inception to plan

• Devise a campaign timeline in relation to fundraising total

• Help upload a project onto the platform

• Understanding who the ‘crowd’ would be to reach for support, financial and in-kind

• Social media marketing support

A guide to create a successful crowdfunding campaign · A guide to create a successful crowdfunding...

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