How to craft a successful pitch for when you’re crowdfunding in India

By: Jasmine Marfatia

Published On: August 03, 2018

Want to learn how to write a crowdfunding pitch? Here are some simple and effective tips! 

We’ve noted down some effective tips to help you create the campaign perfect pitch if you are crowdfunding in India.

The best crowdfunding pitches have several components such as photos, videos, a fund utilization plan, a marketing strategy etc, but if there’s one element that can serve as the voice of your campaign, it’s your campaign story, or what we call ‘a pitch’. 

The hard truth about crowdfunding in India is that it relies on your ability to persuade. And the one thing we know for sure is that it is not easy to ask people to shell out money, especially for something they won’t get an instant benefit out of. So how do you persuade someone to donate?

If persuasion is the key to crowdfunding, then storytelling is the key to persuasion. More often than not, even though some non-profits/ social enterprises/ business crowdfunding for financial aid have a very meaningful cause that they are addressing, their crowdfunding goals are not met. 

It makes you wonder why such a good cause is not connecting with people. The answer is because storytelling is not an art that comes easily. There are many commonly known elements that any good crowdfunding campaign pitch should have, such as simplicity, honesty, validity etc. 

But the two most important ones that should not be missed, especially when it comes to campaign pitches for donors, are emotions, and information

How to write a crowdfunding pitch: Establish an emotional Connect


The thing about the human psyche is that we are always drawn towards a humanistic touch. When you write a campaign story, you need to ensure that the audience it is targeted at, is able to relate to it. 

The essence of charity is similar to that of a gift. When you send someone a gift, it always has an emotional appeal to it. Besides, it is important to remember that emotions are the element that evoke a sense of philanthropy, not statistical data. 

For instance, let us assume you are running a cancer crowdfunding campaign to raise funds for the treatment of a group of cancer patients. People are not going to find it easy to relate to your cause if you give them statistics of how many children suffer from cancer each year. 

Such information is not easily remembered either. However, if you tell them the life story of a little girl who was suffering in her last stages of cancer because her family could not afford the treatment, they will be drawn to know more about what happened to the girl. 

Did she make it? Were you able to raise funds for her? Such stories leave lasting impressions on people’s minds. 

Provide relevant information


When we say make your story informative, we don’t mean give your audience statistical information. Your story needs to explain to the donor why this cause is so important. 

Statistics should be a mere accessory in your pitch, not the driving force. Inform them about what inspired you to take up this cause, how you initiated this NGO/social enterprise. 

Tell them your background and your journey so far. Besides answering all the questions that may crop up in the mind of a donor before making a contribution, you could also let them know how many lives you’ve impacted with your initiative, and how many more you could make a difference to. 

Try to include the donor in your story by telling him how he could help the cause further, and what it feels like to change someone’s life for the better. 

To make it easy for you, we’ve listed down 5 key questions that every campaign pitch should cover, when crowdfunding in India 

1: How much money do you need to raise?

Setting a realistic goal is imperative. If your goal is too high, the donor will think his/her contribution won’t make a difference, and if your goal is too low, a donor may think you don’t need his/her money to achieve your target. 

It can lead to a catch-22 situation. On the other hand, if you are not able to give a firm response to this question, donors will think you are not prepared with your plan, therefore won’t be inclined to donate.

2: What is the organization aiming to accomplish?

Establishing a vision and mission for your organization, and making sure it is communicated in a memorable way, is key to persuasion. Donors needs to know that your nonprofit is carrying out important work that is positively impacting the lives of people. 

Be sure to have all the information about your campaign in place, before speaking to a donor. You need to know why you’re doing this, who you’re impacting, and what are the timelines you want to achieve your mission in. Being bold and vocal about your initiative enhances your nonprofit’s credibility. 

3: What are your strategies to achieve them?


Surely if you have a mission then you need to have a concrete plan to achieve it. The broad strategies that your fundraising plan should cover are - how you’re going to utilize the money, the team you’ve put together for your initiative, how you’re going to spread awareness about the cause, your communication activities, and the timelines you have in mind. 

4: What are your existing capabilities to achieve them?

The only way for your organization to come across as highly credible and accountable, is for the donor to see all the work you’ve already achieved in the past. 

When a donor asks what you’ve done so far, you need to display a sense of proactivity and passion. They need to be reassured that the existing resources such as your team members, your social media plan, and your other outreach activities are all in place. 

5: How will your donation make a difference?


Donors needs to feel self important and engaged in your cause. They need to believe that the next step in your initiative can only be achieved with the funds that are collected from their donation. 

Their generosity to contribute large sums solely depends on how connected you’ve made him feel to your cause, and how much of a difference the money will make in helping the cause further. 

  • For a detailed guide on how to create a crowdfunding pitch for non-profit initiatives, have a look at this link.

  • To know more about writing a pitch for a medical fundraiser, read this link

  • To give you a better understanding, here is a crowdfunding pitch example for your reference - 

Everything depends on your initial plan, and the preparedness with which you approach a potential donor. The key to covering all these elements is knowing your campaign in utmost detail, so that people feel safe about giving their money to you. Through these little tips, we hope to have helped you maximize your fundraising efforts.

We also suggest you read:

Online Crowdfunding in India: Myths vs facts

Why crowdfunding in India is more effective than insurance or loans


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