Download - What Minnesota Nonprofits can learn from Travail's Kickstarter Success

What Minnesota Nonprofits can learn from Travail's Kickstarter Success

Presenters

Jeff AchenGiveMN Digital Strategist

Megan LeafbladDirector of Business & Development at Travail Kitchen & Amusements

Agenda

• What is Kickstarter?• The Travail Kickstarter

campaign story• Why did it work?• Takeaways for

nonprofits (and cautionary tales)

• Q&A

Q & A with Megan Leafblad

• We see our work/restaurant as a creative project

• We have an active support base who wanted to be engaged & involved in our success

• This would allow us to invite our fan base into the kitchen & do business with us

• It was a tangible project with a clear outcome


• We had over 11,000 Facebook fans who were already interested and excited about Travail

• We used “rewards” to give people what they have always asked for from us: cooking classes, reservations, etc.

• This was NOT a donation, but a transaction


• We worked with friends at Fallon, a well-known ad agency, who helped us clearly articulate our project and create a beautiful video to remind people who we are, why they love us, and invite them to be apart of the project

TIP: Use video and well-written text on your GiveMN page to

articulate your project, work or mission


• We started telling everyone!

• We used our social media channels

• We held a launch party in the parking lot to generate excitement about the campaign

TIP: Utilize online as well as offline tactics for involving

people


• We set our fundraising goal lower than what we wanted, but at a level that would have a big impact

• We wanted people to join in and be a part of something that was going to succeed or already had succeeded

TIP: Set project or fundraising page goals that are attainable and will allow you to celebrate

with your donors


Ask a question:• Use the chat

feature to the left of your screen to type your question for Megan

• Or, raise your hand and we can call on you to unmute your line and ask your question

Creating a Project on GiveMN

Incentives/Rewards

Good use of video/photos

Well-written text

Read-a-thons are a tangible project with a clear outcome.

Incentives/Rewards

Event Driven Campaign

Compelling story

Takeaways

• Know your donors/fan base• Be clear about the project: identify a tangible need and a

clear outcome• Engage people in the process• Use the project as a marketing/community engagement

tool: tell your story well, tap the power of brand affinity• Think in terms of giving your donors a return on

investment. Why should people donate?

Takeaways

• Get your board involved• Keep your campaign short and sweet: typically you see

the giving at the beginning and end of the project, so don't stretch that middle out too much

• Have a plan for engaging folks each day or every couple of days in a different way

• Start early to get all of the pieces approved and plan for how you will fulfill any commitments you make to donors

• Factor in fundraising costs: credit card fees, staff time & resources.

Agenda

Questions?

Announcements

GiveMN.org will be down for website maintenance on Saturday, March 29

from 11 – 5 p.m.

Attending MCN Technology and Communication Conference April 10?

Check out our session titled“Smartphones for Dummies” at 7:30 a.m.

& stop by the GiveMN booth!