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- Videos that show an audience the human behind the campaign is crucial. It puts a face to what they\u2019ll be supporting. It allows for a personal connection.\u00a0
<\/li>\n\n\n\n - I did what was probably the most uncomfortable thing imaginable. One afternoon, I direct-messaged literally every single friend I was connected with on Facebook. In the message I explained, briefly and politely, that I would soon be launching a GoFundMe for a bionic arm and would appreciate them sharing the campaign link when it launched. The responses to this message were mostly positive. Some responded with excitement and reassurance that they\u2019d support it, some thought I was spamming them, and some didn\u2019t respond at all. However, I found that priming my audience by making them aware that a campaign to raise money was imminent to be a crucial step in building the success of my GoFundMe.\u00a0
<\/li>\n\n\n\n - I created a Facebook group designed specifically for the campaign and invited all my Facebook friends to follow it. I thought that doing this would be the best way to consolidate all information and updates related to my campaign in one place.\u00a0
<\/li>\n\n\n\n - It\u2019s very important to pick a date and time to launch the GoFundMe. I decided upon a day and time via data that showed when people are most active online and shared that date in my Facebook group. This further primed my audience. In addition, I planned out my first week of posts to share to generate discussion. These posts included photos of myself and my limb difference, stories about some hardships I\u2019ve faced and how a Hero Arm would help, and call to action posts designed to keep my audience talking. I launched my campaign on an evening in October. Within the launch post, I included the donation link. Within three hours, I had amassed over $3,000 and hundreds of shares.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n\n\n
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<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\nI absolutely credit the amount received in the opening hours to priming my audience as opposed to randomly dropping the campaign link without notification. This is a sure way for campaigns to go unnoticed, or to generate too little attention in the crucial beginnings. I branched out the reach as well, using both my Twitter account and LinkedIn to also share what I was posting in the Facebook group. Each week, I shared a heartwarming story, fun fact, call to action, and even hardship on each platform with the donation link. I encourage those who may be shy in their crowdfunding endeavors to not be afraid to pull the heartstrings. Be raw and real. Show people what you face and how a Hero Arm will make your life better.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As an amputee, it\u2019s not easy to share aspects of our lives online. It\u2019s an invasion of privacy and can elicit unwanted comments or feelings that can be emotionally overwhelming. I completely empathize with this. However, we cannot be afraid to show people what we go through if we want their support.. We must be willing to give them a peek into our\u00a0 world, a world that opens them up to empathy and a motivation to give. Show them the difficult tasks you face without a prosthesis. Show them how your current prosthesis gives you a rash or blisters. Show them how the Hero Arm could make these situations better.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At the beginning of each week, I shared updates across all social platforms on the donation total thus far and number of shares. I also included a call to action such as \u201cCan we make it to X shares and X amount of money by the end of this week?\u201d This proved to also keep my audience engaged and excited to see the numbers rise, with some sharing multiple times and even donating multiple times.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I took the campaign further and reached out to members of my community as well. I contacted my local newspapers, my college, my high school board of education, local churches, clubs, any organization that popped into my head that I thought may help, I contacted. The very least they could say was no. I printed flyers and posted them at businesses with their permission. I even sent a private email to my former Dean of University, a woman I knew had multiple connections in high places. Through her assistance, I was fortunate to generate another $8,000. My point here is: do not be afraid to reach out to someone. If their name pops into your head even slightly, contact them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In the end, I was able to begin my fitting journey for the Hero Arm by reaching my crowdfunding goal in a month and a half! Through the campaign video showing me and my needs, priming my audience, creating a community where all info and updates could be shared, sharing consistently, keeping the audience engaged, and stepping out of my comfort zone, I was able to do what I thought would be impossible in the beginning. The largest bit of advice would be to never give up. Keep at it. Take mental breaks, but always return to rejuvenate your campaign. If I could breathe life into every dormant Hero Arm GoFundMe, I would do so in a heartbeat.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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