Go Fund Me
What is Go Fund Me?
It's a free crowdfunding site where you can start a campaign to raise money for anything - including technology for your classroom! Anyone can set up a campaign for anything from charity donations, medical bills, and even travel expenses. There is no doubt you'll find donors willing to support you in creating a more fulfilling classroom environment for your students! Click here to see my Go Fund Me campaign which raised $550 more than my goal! Click through the slides below for tutorials to get you started! |
How Does it Work?
Similar to DonorsChoose, you need to first create a free account on their website. Then you can create a campaign which is where you'll specify a monetary goal, write about yourself, and say what you'll do with the money that is raised. Again, you'll want to be specific and give potential donors an idea of who you are and why this is important to you! People are more likely to donate if they can envision the positive impact they will make by choosing to support you and your passion. Once you publish your campaign, you need to spread the word to family, friends, and colleagues to maximize your donation potential. Each time someone donates, you will receive an email notification. Once your goal is met, you simply withdraw the donations straight to your bank account. Then you can use that money to buy the materials you need! While it is optional to connect via your Facebook account, I highly suggest it! As with any fundraising campaign, visibility is key, and Facebook is an easy way to share the link to your campaign and get noticed. Their website claims that sharing your campaign through Facebook can increase donations by 350%. That's huge!
Unfortunately, Go Fund Me does not do matching promo codes as far as I know. However, unlike DonorsChoose, you do not need to pre-select items through approved vendors. In addition, there is no time limit to raise the money and there is no penalty if you do not reach your monetary goal. Whatever amount you manage to raise is yours to use however you see fit! Get the quick tour of Go Fund Me by watching their video tour here.
Do keep in mind: Go Fund Me automatically deducts 5% from each individual donation, plus a 3% processing fee. There is no way to opt out of either fee. This processing fee varies slightly if you are outside the U.S. or Canada. Read more about it here.
Tips for a Successful Campaign
Although I have only used Go Fund Me once, I was blown away by how successful my campaign was - and it was so quick! I posted my campaign on Facebook around 10:30am on August 18th, 2014. Within a half an hour, I had my first $75 donated. By 11:30pm that same day, I had reached my goal of $250. Incredibly, over the next few weeks, I surpassed my goal and ended up raising $800 total! I couldn't believe it. To make your campaign as successful as possible, here are a few tips to consider.
1. Spend time on your campaign page
When creating your campaign, choose a picture that represents the image you want your donors to see. Then write an honest campaign description that tells a little about who you are and what this money will help you achieve. Although the majority of your donors will be friends and acquaintances that already know you, it means a lot when you put the time and effort into putting together a well-made campaign page. Don't forget to share with your audience all the wonderful opportunities this new technology will bring to your students' lives.
2. Set a realistic goal
Don't ask for more money than you need. Do some shopping around - if you want 5 Chromebooks for your classroom, take a look at prices on Amazon or BestBuy to see what the going rates are. Then give your audience the details in your campaign description. Donors feel more secure when they know exactly where their money is going. The more transparent you are with where their money will go, the most trustworthy you are in your donors' eyes. Remember, you can always create another campaign if this first one is successful!
3. Spread the word!
Just like DonorsChoose, you'll want to spread the word in as many ways as possible. While I only reached out to family and friends, it's entirely possible to send your campaign link to your students' families as well. Even though there is no time limit for Go Fund Me campaigns, creating and maintaining momentum is vital to keeping your campaign alive. I emailed the link to my immediate family, along with a little blurb about my campaign. They graciously shared it with friends and colleagues. I also chose to share my campaign on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. By no means do I have a huge Facebook following, but my campaign link was shared 73 times and my campaign page was visited around 400 times. In the end, about 20 people donated (but raised $800 combined)! It doesn't matter how you get the word out, as long as you do!
4. Get the app!
Go Fund Me has a user-friendly app so you can easily track your progress, share updates, and send thank you notes right from your phone! I used it all the time when I started my campaign. This was especially helpful when the donations started flooding in. I wanted to be sure to thank each donor with a little message, and the app allowed me to do that easily on my phone.
Of course, I'm not the only one with advice. The Go Fund Me website has plenty of pages to check out.
Similar to DonorsChoose, you need to first create a free account on their website. Then you can create a campaign which is where you'll specify a monetary goal, write about yourself, and say what you'll do with the money that is raised. Again, you'll want to be specific and give potential donors an idea of who you are and why this is important to you! People are more likely to donate if they can envision the positive impact they will make by choosing to support you and your passion. Once you publish your campaign, you need to spread the word to family, friends, and colleagues to maximize your donation potential. Each time someone donates, you will receive an email notification. Once your goal is met, you simply withdraw the donations straight to your bank account. Then you can use that money to buy the materials you need! While it is optional to connect via your Facebook account, I highly suggest it! As with any fundraising campaign, visibility is key, and Facebook is an easy way to share the link to your campaign and get noticed. Their website claims that sharing your campaign through Facebook can increase donations by 350%. That's huge!
Unfortunately, Go Fund Me does not do matching promo codes as far as I know. However, unlike DonorsChoose, you do not need to pre-select items through approved vendors. In addition, there is no time limit to raise the money and there is no penalty if you do not reach your monetary goal. Whatever amount you manage to raise is yours to use however you see fit! Get the quick tour of Go Fund Me by watching their video tour here.
Do keep in mind: Go Fund Me automatically deducts 5% from each individual donation, plus a 3% processing fee. There is no way to opt out of either fee. This processing fee varies slightly if you are outside the U.S. or Canada. Read more about it here.
Tips for a Successful Campaign
Although I have only used Go Fund Me once, I was blown away by how successful my campaign was - and it was so quick! I posted my campaign on Facebook around 10:30am on August 18th, 2014. Within a half an hour, I had my first $75 donated. By 11:30pm that same day, I had reached my goal of $250. Incredibly, over the next few weeks, I surpassed my goal and ended up raising $800 total! I couldn't believe it. To make your campaign as successful as possible, here are a few tips to consider.
1. Spend time on your campaign page
When creating your campaign, choose a picture that represents the image you want your donors to see. Then write an honest campaign description that tells a little about who you are and what this money will help you achieve. Although the majority of your donors will be friends and acquaintances that already know you, it means a lot when you put the time and effort into putting together a well-made campaign page. Don't forget to share with your audience all the wonderful opportunities this new technology will bring to your students' lives.
2. Set a realistic goal
Don't ask for more money than you need. Do some shopping around - if you want 5 Chromebooks for your classroom, take a look at prices on Amazon or BestBuy to see what the going rates are. Then give your audience the details in your campaign description. Donors feel more secure when they know exactly where their money is going. The more transparent you are with where their money will go, the most trustworthy you are in your donors' eyes. Remember, you can always create another campaign if this first one is successful!
3. Spread the word!
Just like DonorsChoose, you'll want to spread the word in as many ways as possible. While I only reached out to family and friends, it's entirely possible to send your campaign link to your students' families as well. Even though there is no time limit for Go Fund Me campaigns, creating and maintaining momentum is vital to keeping your campaign alive. I emailed the link to my immediate family, along with a little blurb about my campaign. They graciously shared it with friends and colleagues. I also chose to share my campaign on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. By no means do I have a huge Facebook following, but my campaign link was shared 73 times and my campaign page was visited around 400 times. In the end, about 20 people donated (but raised $800 combined)! It doesn't matter how you get the word out, as long as you do!
4. Get the app!
Go Fund Me has a user-friendly app so you can easily track your progress, share updates, and send thank you notes right from your phone! I used it all the time when I started my campaign. This was especially helpful when the donations started flooding in. I wanted to be sure to thank each donor with a little message, and the app allowed me to do that easily on my phone.
Of course, I'm not the only one with advice. The Go Fund Me website has plenty of pages to check out.