What is crowdfunding?

Crowdfunding brings together the generosity of many to make a larger impact when raising money for your favorite causes. When you crowdfund for St. Jude, you help our lifesaving mission – Finding cures. Saving children.®

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St. Jude patient Clayton

What to know about crowdfunding

Crowdfunding is a powerful fundraising tool that relies on the generosity of many individuals to support various causes. Whether it’s financing projects, launching businesses or providing urgent relief to those in need, crowdfunding harnesses the collective power of donations from a large number of people. Instead of depending on a single large donation, this approach gathers smaller contributions from a broad community to meet funding goals.

Crowdfunding for nonprofits

When crowdfunding for charity or raising funds for nonprofits, reward-based and donation-based campaigns are often the best fit. While launching a crowdfunding campaign shares similarities with other fundraising efforts, there are some additional aspects to consider. By understanding these differences, you can create a campaign that truly resonates and makes a meaningful impact for the kids at St. Jude.

St. Jude patient Yates poses. — St. Jude patient **Yates**

How does crowdfunding work?

Decide on a crowdfunding platform

Regardless of the crowdfunding platform you choose, be sure to research how the platform operates and distributes funds. For example, some platforms may reserve a portion of funds as compensation for hosting and managing your campaign.

Set your fundraising goal

When setting a crowdfunding goal, it’s important to keep in mind that some crowdfunding platforms won’t release funds unless your goal is met. Be sure to check the terms of your campaign platform before setting your goal.

Create your messaging

Like with any form of fundraising, creating compelling and engaging messaging is key to your campaign's success. The stronger your messaging, the more of an impact you can make for your cause. Sharing patient stories can be a great way to connect and engage with potential donors.

Launch and promote your campaign

Once you’ve planned out your campaign and organized your messaging, it’s time to launch your campaign and start sharing it with your community.

Nonprofit crowdfunding tips

To help you organize an impactful crowdfunding donation campaign, we’ve put together a list of helpful tips and tricks:

Build a strong web page and promotional posts by using high-quality content (like videos and graphics) to promote your campaign.
Create a sense of urgency in your messaging.
Use the power of word-of-mouth promotion.
Provide your audience with regular updates on the campaign.
Post about your campaign across multiple platforms to expand your reach.
Review successful crowdfunding campaigns related to your cause to learn what’s already working.

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Crowdfunding helps patients like Lilly

At just 5 years old, Lilly was airlifted to St. Jude with a devastating diagnosis of acute myeloid leukemia (AML), including a rare and aggressive subtype. Her mom recalls the shock and disbelief, thinking, “this has to be a mistake.”

During her months of chemotherapy, Lilly found comfort and expression through art, which became her coping mechanism.

In 2016, Lilly faced another heart-wrenching challenge when she relapsed. She returned to St. Jude for more chemotherapy, radiation and a groundbreaking bone marrow transplant. Throughout it all, her family never received a bill from St. Jude for treatment, travel, housing or food.

Today, Lilly is a vibrant teenager who continues to create art and enjoys theater. She regularly visits the St. Jude After Completion of Therapy Clinic, designed for long-term survivors like her.

Types of crowdfunding

Donation-based crowdfunding is most commonly used to support nonprofits and charities as well as entrepreneurial ideas and start-up companies. With this type of crowdfunding, donors don’t expect a “return on investment” so to speak. Contributions are made with no strings attached and are generally provided by those who genuinely want to support the cause or person they are donating to.
Reward-based crowdfunding is a dynamic way to engage donors and collect contributions toward your chosen cause. When you run a reward-based crowdfunding campaign, supporters donate for some type of “reward.” For example, if an artist used a reward-based crowdfunding campaign to help finance the creation of a new album, supporters might receive a “free” song download of a song on the album once released.

St. Jude patient Yazleemar

Help support the children of St. Jude

Unlike other hospitals, the majority of funding for St. Jude comes from generous donors. When you raise funds, volunteer for or make a direct donation toward St. Jude, you can help make cures possible for kids with cancer.

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What is crowdfunding?

What to know about crowdfunding

Crowdfunding for nonprofits