Chance for charities to get crowdfunding advice

UK tour heads for Birmingham.

Charity fundraising leaders are being given the chance to take part in the Academy’s Crowdfunding 101 training on 11th October at Impact Hub Birmingham, fully funded by Hubbub. Applications are open until 5th October.

Hubbub, in partnership with the Crowdfunding Academy, is funding a national programme to get charities up to speed with crowdfunding, offering to fund up to 150 places in total. And the next stop is Birmingham.

The initiative is targeted at Heads of Fundraising who want to understand the role of crowdfunding in their fundraising and supporter engagement strategy. The training goes into depth on the uses of crowdfunding for supporter engagement, acquisition and retention. Participants will leave with the ability to assess the business case for crowdfunding for their cause, and execute campaigns well.

This comes in the wake of a recent report by the Institute of Fundraising which highlights that fewer than one in four charities feel equipped with the skills to run a successful fundraising campaign.

Founder of The Crowdfunding Academy, Esther Foreman, explains why she set up the Academy: “Crowdfunding has been overhyped as a quick and easy way to fundraise when, actually, it’s really hard! But, if you put the work in, it delivers much more than a quick buck.

“I help causes build social movements and I started introducing them to crowdfunding to realise the incredible power of their networks – for fundraising, campaigning and awareness raising. I wanted more causes to understand the bigger picture.”

Hubbub, the UK’s leading crowdfunding provider for the education and non-profit sectors, are funding the places as part of a wider drive to promote digital fundraising leadership in the charity sector.

“Traditional direct marketing is beginning to fade, and digital is rapidly becoming the new normal. However, the knowledge of how to execute great digital giving campaigns is thin on the ground, ”
says CEO Jonathan May.

“At Hubbub, we’ve made it our mission to develop these skills in the wider sector – and to demystify what is often perceived as a powerful, but unknown, force. This is why we are delighted to be launching a bursary programme with the Crowdfunding Academy – as part of our commitment to help train a generation of future fundraisers.”

The full Crowdfunding 101 programme can be found at www.thecrowdfundingacademy.org and the bursary is open to UK registered charities. To apply, fundraisers should to complete this application form by 5th October.