Top FAQs for crowdfunding donors answered

It often happens that the donors with a good heart who want to entrust money to anonymous people have a really difficult time navigating around. So here is a list of questions which you should really be prepared to deal with anytime while being busy with your crowdfunding campaign.

1.       Why should I trust your donation platform?

The Indian middle class is slowly catching up with crowdfunding. But since our internet security condition is woeful at all levels, it also leaves a large number of donors, potential or actual, vulnerable to online fraud. So how should you make sure that your donors can trust your campaign? Whoever is in charge of running the campaign should have the following points in mind:

•         Make sure only to go for the most famous and reliable crowdfunding platforms in India, like Crowdfunding India. And ensure that the platform details and history are available to the donors.
•         Keep your donors updated about the cause with proper documents and a detailed story in your profile. Display the names of the major contributors. Get sponsors with social clout to vouch for you if possible.
•         Let your donors know about the independent security measurements, in case you have taken any. Else help them get in touch with the operators of the crowdfunding websites who do.

2.       What do you do with my donor information?

This is really very important. Either the platform managers or those running the crowdfunding campaign should have these issues sorted while setting up the campaign. Hackers are not the only ones to be concerned about. The recent Cambridge Analytica mess has revealed that in addition to marketing forces, our private information made us vulnerable even to governments. All platforms should ensure that the Terms and Conditions give the donors more confidence.

Never forget to make arrangements for anonymous donations.

3.       What percentage of my donation is used?

This has got to be one of the most unpleasant questions to come up, especially if you are heading a non-profit drive. Non-profit organizations include a lot of things sorted out which include significant overheads. For starters, there would be maintaining workstations, maintaining a workforce, and other such logistics. At least put in the disclaimer in your campaign about that. And try to be as transparent as possible.

4.       How do corporations help you?

This is a question you may be put in by a lot of representatives, all the more if your non-profit has attained some limelight in the meantime. In case of donations to individuals or espousing their cause on a wider scale, it shouldn’t be a problem. But for non-profits, they can benefit a lot, especially from local organizations. You can make available and then list any of the following methods to help corporations sponsor you- payroll giving, group volunteering, corporate gift matching, etc.

5.       Can’t I donate anything other than money?

Not all people are able to transfer money. While it is not possible for certain cases like medical emergencies, non-profits can benefit by keeping open an option for donation in kind. But before that, make a point to include the limits- an animal shelter can’t do with human medicines, etc. The biggest success is with local donations, so make sure to put up on your crowdfunding campaign page the pickup points with the proper timing.

With these things in mind, making donors trust you shouldn’t be a problem. In the end of the day, keep in mind that crowdfunding initiatives can be successful only through empathy, and that comes with building relations.