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Many people think "easy money" when they think of crowdfunding. That if they just start a campaign, money will automatically start flowing in, especially if it's for a good cause or for something they’re passionate about. 

If it sounds too good to be true, it usually is. Yes, there are campaigns that raise thousands of dollars in a matter of hours. Is that typical? No, it’s not. Those are just 1% of the campaigns we hear about. 

Does that make crowdfunding a waste of time? No, and we want to give you some tips to increase the success of your campaigns. 

We at GiveSendGo.com have broken things down into 4 P's: Pray, Plan, Partner and Persevere. 

Pray: As you begin to decide the what, when, where and how much of your campaign, it can be very exciting. It’s easy to plow forward with the excitement of the adventure. 
Make sure you take time to talk to the Lord and ask Him for wisdom, guidance and blessing. He wants to be your Friend and your Partner. Spend time with Him. God will be the best supporter you could have. Ask others to lift up your campaign in prayer as well. 

Plan: Before you even raise your first dollar, a successful campaign takes planning. If you decide within an hour to make a campaign, write a quick story, upload a picture and launch, you will probably not accomplish the results you were hoping for. 
So, as you sit down to PLAN your campaign, ask yourself these questions:

What am I inviting people to invest in?
Why would they want to? 
What results do I hope to see if I raise this money?
If the media was to write a story on me, what headline would capture peoples’ attention?

Then start writing your story. Start with your campaign title. Make it compelling. What will draw people in to hear your story? Then, as you begin to write your story, don’t just give the who, what, when, and where. Make sure you give the why. 

Let people know how their money is going to make a difference. Let them know the impact that they’ll have on someone or something in this world. The more specific you can be about what the funds will be used for, the better. 

Then, ask someone to proofread. Feedback is always important.   

Next, find an image or video. This is important. As they say, pictures are worth a thousand words. You want to be able to convey your story through your image/video. So, pick carefully and do not enable your campaign until you find the image that works best. 

And lastly, decide on a reasonable amount of funds needed to raise in a realistic timeframe. Yes, you might want to raise $100k but that will look like a daunting task to your givers. Pick a goal that you think is within reason for the people you KNOW will give to your campaign (friends, family, etc). 

People want to give to something they feel will get accomplished. Giving $10 to your $100,000 campaign doesn’t seem worth it. You can always change your goal, if needed, during your campaign. 

Partner: Crowdfunding will not work without partners. You need to have friends, family and more who want to partner with you in your endeavor. Before you even launch your campaign, make a list of PARTNERS. Include their email, Facebook, Twitter, phone numbers and any other contact points. Then, when you go live, use this list often to share what’s happening with your campaign. Use all different forms of contact and reach out to people individually. 
As shared earlier, don’t forget to personally invite 10-20 First-Day Givers. Crowds are more likely to follow what they see other people doing. If they notice that you have early, excited Givers, they’ll be more likely to give to you too. 

Don’t stop with only the people you know. Be creative. Use the internet to reach out to others that might be interested in what you’re doing. Use LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and other social media to find groups, pages and more, of people that are passionate about what you’re doing. Invite them to partner with you.  

Look for media sources that might want to share your story. From Newspapers to radio, blogs, press releases and more, there are lots of avenues to spread the news about your campaign. Do a Google search on key words in your campaign and see what comes up. 

Crowdfunding is all about finding partners that believe in what you are doing and inspiring them to take part in giving and spreading the word.

Persist: Crowdfunding is not for the weak of heart. Posting once a week on Facebook will rarely bring about the outcome you desire. It’s not necessarily because people don’t want to give. Most people are busy and constantly in a state of information overload. Consistently work at getting the attention of potential givers.

People must see your campaign an average of 8 times to decide to give, and need to see others giving to make it even more compelling. PERSEVERE. Don’t give up. Use different forms of communication to ask people to donate. 

Share with others as much as you can from your heart about what you hope to do. Continuously let people know what you’re doing and why, compelling them to join you.  

And lastly, remember you have the ultimate PROVIDER on your side.

Be diligent, follow through, pray, plan, partner and persevere. Never doubt that you’re on a mission and the God of the Universe is cheering you on. Money is no option for Him. Ask God to guide your steps and give you wisdom in your endeavor. Follow His guidance in everything you do and you are guaranteed success!

Trust in the LORD with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek His will in all you do, and He will show you which path to take.    

Proverbs 3:5-6
GiveSendGo.com for your next crowdfunding campaign!
 

TERRIFIED.

To be honest, I’m terrified.
What can I say? It is simply the truth. Is it okay to feel this way? Is it okay to let the world know? How vulnerable can I be?

The truth is I am terrified. Not just afraid, but terrified. I know what some of you are thinking…Overdramatic, but, I kid you not. Look at it through my lenses:

For 6 years I have dedicated my life to a specific job that has required certain skills and special knowledge to complete.. The problem is, when it comes down to it, I have no control as to what will happen next.

You see, I get “paid” – if you can even call it that – by individuals who have decided that they like me enough to fund me, or they see the work I am doing and want to help fund the job. This leaves me and everything I invest myself into and puts it at the hands of a group of individuals who have a lot of other things going on for them and a lot of other focuses. In a regular 9-5 job, growing in a skill set or working overtime would get you ahead in life. Not in this business. Doing what I do requires that I give up everything – a comfortable home, job security, health benefits, regular income, a normal routine, etc – for the sake of something else or someone else.

Well then, why do I do it?

I do it because I know the value of what I am doing. Sure, I get paid $1.50 an hour, but I don’t do it for money. I do it for Him. I do it because I know that the reward in the end will be worth it.

Here is my problem though.

Not only am I terrified of what may come in my life, but I am terrified of letting people know I am terrified. In this line of “work” you need to be strong. You need to have all your ducks in a row, because if you don’t, that $1.50 and hour becomes $.75 an hour, and now I can’t pay rent.

But, I post “Terrified…” on Facebook anyways, and immediately I will have a slew of messages from “concerned” people – some who really do care – and then about a dozen comments under my post, sharing inspirational scripture that they think will help me or some ridicule as to the content of my character. All of these things coming from hearts of gold, I’m sure, but all that ends up getting translated to me as “you’re not doing your ‘job’ right.” In a moment of weakness, I slip up and let the world know what is going on in my heart, and it takes that phrase and runs a mile with it.

Well goodness, what am I to do? Take the hint and end it all? Keep pressing on with perseverance? Take it as a sign that He wants me to give it up?
I have no idea. I didn’t study for this part of the test apparently. So, I keep trucking along. Hoping it gets better. I start a new campaign that will hopefully get more support behind me. This takes away from other tasks at hand that I need to focus on and now some supporters are getting antsy.

“What is he up to” they wonder. “I’m not supporting him so that he can just ‘hang out’ and ask for more!” they say. - - - I sit in silence. Not sure what to do.

You see, I spent 6 years doing this. I don’t “know” anything else. I didn’t go to college because I thought this would be what I would do with the rest of my life. In fact, all of the learning I have done has been so specific to this ministry these past 6 years that, there are really no jobs out there for me to be beneficial to. I will need to start at the bottom no matter where I go, and the only entry level job out there is maybe some dishwasher or fry cook (both respectable jobs which I have both worked as). I can do it. I just feel as though I wasted 6 years preparing myself for nothing. Goodness, if people knew my mind went there I would get sermons galore in my email tomorrow. I know the “right” answers, I have taught them to people, but in a moment like this, many things are tested.

Faith is a funny thing. It keeps the fire burning even when there seems to be no oil left. It will always take faith to press through the hard times. It will always take faith to move forward into an unknown area. It will always take faith to believe the Words that Jesus spoke so long ago. That if I seek His kingdom and righteousness all of these things will be added to me. That is a bold statement, but a true one.

  Sometimes fear mascaraed as wisdom, making us try to find our own solution to these problems, but true Wisdom is rooted not in fear itself, but the fear of the Lord. It is rooted in the places that put Him, the great God Almighty, into the equation. True wisdom would be involving Him into this situation and recognizing the answer. Wisdom isn’t about getting rid of fear; it is about putting it in the right place. It’s okay to be afraid. As long as you have allowed the Lord to take preeminence, you will step out of this okay. “Courage isn’t the absence of fear, but rather the judgment that something else is more important than fear.” -  Courage is about putting fear in its place and moving on from there. My relationship with the Lord looks very peculiar to people. I am very honest with Him. I figure that the God of the universe can handle my emotions and distress. I find that admitting I have a problem is the first step, and if I admit it to Him, it opens a door to Him that allows lasting healing to come in.

To be honest, I am terrified. I don’t know where I will end up or how long this season will last, but Jesus takes preeminence. Knowing how He loves me will casts out any inappropriate fear I have and replace it with confidence in who He is. I’d rather be confident in who He is than who I am. He is a much stronger person. I’d rather rely on His strength than my own, because my own would leave me here in a ditch of fear, unable to move. When it is on Him, I simply don’t need to worry.
 

New Years Resolution #1: Faith
It was by faith Able brought a more acceptable offering
It was by faith Enoch was taken up to heaven without dying
It was by faith Noah built and ark to save his family
It was by faith that Abraham obeyed when God called him to leave his home
It was by faith Sarah was able to have a child
It was by faith Abraham offered Isaac as a sacrifice
It was by faith Isaac blessed his two sons
It was by faith Jacob blessed Joseph’s sons
It was by faith Joseph, when he was about to die confidently spoke of God’s bringing Israel out of Egypt
It was by faith Moses’ parents hid him for three months
It was by faith Moses chose to share the oppression of God’s people
It was by faith the people of Israel went right through the red sea
It was by faith Rahab the prostitute did not die with all the others
It is by faith  INSERT YOUR NAME HERE

Having been raised going to church since I was a child, I read all the names above and recall many things I learned about each of these men and woman of faith. How they obeyed God, how they overcame obstacles, how they made hard choices, how they knew God. Heard God. Followed God. How exciting things happened because of their faith.
So often I want the exciting outcome, but I am too afraid to step out in faith to what God has called me to do.  This January, as much as I want to lose weight, keep up with the laundry, and read more books, those will not be what I will resolve to do.  I want to resolve to step out of the comfortable. To obey even when it does not make sense. To grow my faith in God. To live a story of faith for the generations to come.
As 2017  comes to an end and we look back on a year filled with highs and lows, faith and failure,  let us rejoice that we serve a God that wants to use us. Let's celebrate that His mercies are new EVERY morning.
So, even though we do not know what God has in store for us, let’s agree in 2018  we are going to be, as we say at GiveSendGo.com,  Shine Brightly!