By Michael Norton of Buzzbnk at the Wales Third Sector Funding Conference 2014.

1. An Introduction to Crowdfunding
and its potential for mobilising
support for your cause
Michael Norton,
Co-founder, Buzzbnk
2 October 2014

2. My own starting point

3. WHAT exactly is Crowdfunding?
and WHY is it important?
• More than “Just Giving”
• Engagement of the crowd. The “Crowd” is
more important than the “Funding”
• Demonstrates public support for what you
are doing
• Fun and outgoing

4. Crowdfunding Basics
• A set Target Amount to achieve a specific
outcome
• You raise the money within a specified
Time Frame
• Rewards based: you provide Benefits in
Return
• Pre-set Levels of Giving

5. More Crowdfunding Basics
• All or Nothing: You only get money if you
reach your target (or your first milestone)
• Gift Aid is possible
• Not just for giving, but also for “investment:
Loans, Equity, Revenue Share are all
possible

6. Rewards: what can you offer in return?
• Things that people want
• Experiences and opportunities
• Customers in advance
Low cost to deliver
Benefits that seek to engage

7. Gateshead Citizens Advice: what could it offer?

8. hisBe, Brighton: what could it offer?

9. Understanding Crowdfunding:
What it isn’t
• “If you build it, they will come”. They won’t.
You have to ask. The internet is only a
platform for your fundraising. Remember
that “If you don’t ask, you won’t get!”
• Only those projects which actively fundraise
will succeed. “If you get it, you get it!”
• All the rules of fundraising apply.
“Facebook isn’t for fundraising!”

10. Understanding Crowdfunding: Who are
your supporters?
• Those who know you. They give because
you ask them. Family, friends, networks,
colleagues at work, etc.
• Those who are philanthropically minded.
They want to help you achieve a social goal.
• People looking for a financial return
• Friends and contacts of your supporters
who they ask. The second degree

11. The Converging World

12. Mushrooms in India

14. Crowdfunding: Twelve Tips for Success
1. Short story, hard sell. 2 to 3 paragraphs
2. Create a short video. 2 minutes
3. Start with something. Get pledged support
and bigger gifts before you launch
4. Compress the time scale – you don’t want
to lose momentum. 2 months
5. Do something every day

15. Crowdfunding: Twelve Tips for Success
6. Share the fundraising with others. Create a
team to get the money
7. Turn pledges into cash, and “Likes” into
Supporters. Ask supporters to give again
8. Ask supporters to help raise money for you
9. Get publicity
10. Organise off-line events

16. Crowdfunding: Twelve Tips for Success
11. See if you can find someone prepared to
put up match funding
12. Set yourself challenges to meet time-bound
milestones along the way, and enlist
your supporters to help you achieve this, with a
big push at the end. The start and the finish are
tow key periods.

17. Crowdfunding is all about co-venturing and
reciprocity, about building a community of
enthusiastic people, about doing things
differently, about becoming more self-reliant
“I truly believe that crowd-funding
is going to change the
way good causes are
supported and I am very proud
that my book is among the first
of the projects to be promoted
by Buzzbnk.”
Martin Simon
CEO, Timebanking UK
“It’s such an exciting way to raise
money. We wanted to create an
active community of backers who
would not only feel invested in our
work, but also be rewarded for their
contribution.”
Eugenie Teasley,
Founder, Spark+Mettle

18. “At Buzzbnk we believe it is as important to build the crowd as to
raise the money to create a sustainable and successful future.”

19. Michael Norton
michael@buzzbnk.org