Case Study: How CorgiPals is giving a voice to corgis in need
Crowdfunding Advisors, FundRazr Team
How can non-profits build up their community on Facebook? Which marketing channel is the most effective to attract new donors?
We’ve interviewed the founder of one of the amazing animal non-profits, CorgiPals, who revealed their best practices on how to build an online community of support, which marketing channel is the most effective to get more contributions and what are the challenges and benefits of using FundRazr.
Who are CorgiPals?
CorgiPals is a non-profit organization that started as a simple blog in 2011 to give a voice to corgis in need. Now it’s a place where owners can get help with vet bills and expensive medical care for their dogs. CorgiPals has been raising money for pets’ surgeries and treatments for 2 years saving lives of more than 65 corgis so far. Watch the video to find out how they leverage their social media community with a help of crowdfunding.
Paige Davis, the Founder and CEO of CorgiPals Inc, shares her steps to success with us:
How did you build up your community on Facebook?
Paige Davis: “I set up the Facebook Page and asked other Corgi communities to help me promote it. The Daily Corgi, Corgi Addict, etc. Many blogs were happy to help us market our brand. I also started an Etsy Shop to sell Corgi hats and people found us that way as well.”
What is your social media strategy?
Paige Davis: “I will often ask questions for people to answer to help them stay engaged, share photos of other Corgis to make people smile, hold contests, post ridiculous photos of my own dogs.”
How do you interact with supporters?
Paige Davis: “I personally send a thank you to everyone who donates. Without them, CorgiPals wouldn’t be around.”
Which marketing channel is the most effective to attract new donors?
Paige Davis: “We definitely benefit from blogs like The Daily Corgi (I guest post once a week) and social media. Famous Facebook Corgis like Jasper Islington will often mention us and help promote us, so that’s a great way for us to get our brand out there- straight from the Corgi’s mouth!”
What are the main benefits of using FundRazr?
Paige Davis: “I love the “embed a campaign widget” feature. I have found many crowdfunding sites that are free, but don’t have a widget to embed. Every Fundrazr campaign is embedded on our website within each client’s personal page. That way people can donate directly to each dog and know exactly where and to whom their money is going and who they are helping. Without that widget, donating becomes very cumbersome and confusing, and we need it to be fast and simple. Fundrazr helps us do that.”
What are the main challenges you face while crowdfunding for your non-profit?
Paige Davis: “We have many clients at the same time, which can be overwhelming for people sometimes. It’s overwhelming for us, too! That’s the main reason why we love the “embed a campaign widget” feature so much. People don’t have to click all around the website to find where to donate. It’s one stop donating!”
To summarize, we’d like to focus on the following steps advised by CorgiPals:
- Reach out to relative communities on social media for cross-promotion, asking bloggers to spread a word about your non-profit can be a good idea. Groups that focus on the same goals and have similar missions are more likely to team up to get better results. Bloggers are always looking for stories to tell, so make sure they get yours.
- Use different forms of engagement with your contributors. Sometimes they just want to share their opinion, answer your questions, laugh at funny images of pets or have some fun by participating in contests.
- Use crowdfunding platforms that provide you with a campaign widget to be embedded on a website. This increases your project’s visibility, help supporters find a way to donate to a particular cause, and keep them engaged by showing progress in money raised. Find simple instructions on how to embed a campaign widget on a website here.
What are your thoughts about these steps to success?
