Getting money from strangers is the dream for many people. Either through sheer, voluntary acts of kindness or through fundraising – donations are always nice. Depending on the amount of money you need, however, you may need some strategies to get the funds in a reasonable amount of time.
While donations are great, few people will give money to a person they don’t know. Even rich strangers online need a good reason to donate to someone. As such, you’ll need some strategies and methods to get the most money in the shortest amount of time. That also means you’ll need to put in some work.
Methods to Get Money from Strangers
Regardless of the method you choose, getting money from strangers will require some form of effort. It may be a business or product idea, a compelling story as to why you need the funds, or good content to attract the attention of potential donors. As the saying goes, there’s no free lunch, so you’ll still have to put in work.
Crowdfunding platforms
One of the easiest ways to get donations from strangers are crowdfunding platforms. There’s a platform for all types and sorts of crowdfunding:
- Kickstarter. Great for tech, art, craft, and many other projects. You will have to deliver an end-product, however.
- IndieGoGo. Fundraising support for entrepreneurs and businesses. Great if you have a business idea or project and can deliver with enough money.
- GoFundMe. Best funding and fundraising platform for personal emergencies and other causes.
Depending on your abilities, skills, and ideas, you can pick one of the many crowdfunding platforms and collect money from donors. In every case you’ll need a few critical elements that will make finding donors easier.
First, you have to craft a compelling story as to why the funds are required. Make sure to invest some time into a good write up.
Additionally, set realistic goals for your crowdfunding campaign. Some platforms may not be even providing a payout if you don’t reach the first goal. It’s better to use stretch goals (that you can set after reaching the required amount) to extend your campaign’s fundraising.
Finally, set some time (or even funds) to promote your campaign. Crowdfunding campaigns live and die by marketing, so you’ll need to get the word out as soon and as far as possible.
Online communities
There’s plenty of online communities that have subforums for various acts of kindness, seeking help, etc. Reddit is a great example as there’s tons of subreddits just for the express purpose of giving away things, asking for donations, and other topics. Some social media platforms such as Facebook will also have similar groups.
These online communities are a bit overrun with people from various walks of life asking for help so the ratio of those providing and seeking help will be skewed. You’re not likely to get as much as on a crowdfunding platform, so use online communities for small donations.
One of the key aspects you should consider if you want to receive money through these communities is that they highly value authenticity and genuineness. If the community thinks you’re hiding something, request money as much as you want – you’re unlikely to get anything.
Public fundraising events
If you’re looking to receive money for a good cause instead for personal reasons or use, public fundraising events are a great option. They’re not as effective if you want to start a business or want to buy something.
Public fundraising events can be of all sorts and types from parties to baking sales. You may need to invest some money to get the event off the ground, however. Finding a good spot is likely to cost money by itself. You’ll also need to do some marketing to get the word out there.
Finally, public fundraising events may have laws and regulations regarding them. So make sure you get the necessary permits to avoid any legal issues when you receive money.
Craft Your Story
No matter what method you choose to request money, you’ll need a compelling and enticing story. There’s a few reasons – you need to capture and hold people’s attention, convince them that your cause is important, and make them sure you’ll be using the money for its intended purpose.
Every compelling story has a few elements that make it great:
- Authenticity. You need to clearly state your vision, goals, and situation while showcasing your emotional involvement with these things. For a business idea, you need to also provide a strong foundation for your reasoning.
- Emotional appeal. Your story needs to pull some heartstrings and get people emotionally involved with your cause.
Additionally, always remember to update all of your donors about the usage of money and how the project is going. If you accept donations from people, they will be expecting that you follow through on your promises – updates are a great way to do so.
How to Promote Your Cause
Getting money through crowdfunding or fundraising relies on getting the word out to as many people as possible. Regular marketing strategies work wonders, although they may cost extra money to implement.
Your best and easiest route is to promote your event through social media and by creating a small website. With current, state-of-the-art website builders, you can create a site with a few pages in mere minutes.
Connect these two aspects of your crowdfunding marketing campaign together. Then, if you know the basics, implement some core SEO practices to ensure you get at least some visibility in search engines.
Finally, it’s possible to run paid advertising campaigns. These should be utilized, however, only on large crowdfunding campaigns such as for business ideas or ventures.
Maintain Trust and Credibility
If you run your campaign long-term or on a crowdfunding platform, getting the money is just the first step. People will have a lot of expectations as to where their funds are going, what’s the progress, etc.
You’ll need to maintain trust, credibility, and progress if you want to avoid getting into trouble. It’s, however, relatively easy to do all of that.
As mentioned above, regular updates and honest communication goes a long way in maintaining credibility. People will know exactly how their money is being spent. Even if you run into issues, honest communication will help you maintain peace for longer. In some cases, the same people may be willing to pitch in even more money to keep the project going.
Sometimes, you may even provide receipts or other proof of purchase, if the project or cause is conducive to that. Not only that adds transparency, but improves trust and shows you have accountability.
Finally, don’t be afraid to admit mistakes. If you made a mistake and don’t communicate about it, the interpretation is left to the audience. Most of the time, people think you’re abusing their goodwill and misusing their money.
