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Crowdfunding vs. grant-writing for non-profit startup

Posted: Wed Sep 10, 2014 1:47 am
by drcsdirector
Is anyone else working on starting a non-profit? Is anyone else mulling over how much effort to put into a crowdfunding campaign vs. grant-writing vs. developing donors directly (as in an email list for example of prospective donors)? I am project lead on MyAirSample.org and we want to take this site to being a national resource on air quality standards across the country. I've composed a few lines of a pitch, a few lines of a potential video, and a set of rewards. I started a Twitter account and am getting more active on Facebook. But I am not sure whether crowdfunding is what we should do. I will likely be mulling this for a long time to come, but thought I'd share some of my mulling with you all now and see if anyone can relate :)

LIkewise, are there other existing threads on whether to pursue crowdfunding vs. other funding?

Re: Crowdfunding vs. grant-writing for non-profit startup

Posted: Sun Sep 28, 2014 5:58 pm
by jpmckeown
Why not both? Much of the promotional text and graphics can probably be recycled for grant applications, adjusted for audience, and it's good that crowdfunding makes you think about a wide audience.

I'm running a Kickstarter for an open-access publishing project on sustainability.

Re: Crowdfunding vs. grant-writing for non-profit startup

Posted: Mon Sep 29, 2014 7:14 pm
by sbriggman
I would try to do all of them, granted, that takes a lot of energy and discipline. Unless you have a specific project idea in mind, may be better to consider Indiegogo over Kickstarter if you're moreso seeking donations.

If I was starting a nonprofit, I would put developing a mailing list and attracting interested donors as the top priority. You can later then let those people who care about your mission support you in other ways by sharing a specific crowdfunding campaign on their social network. Grant writing in my experience is not a sustainable income stream for most nonprofits. I think it has to be a mult-source income stream if you want to stay afloat in the longrun.