Sell Yourself and Sell Your Project

When we create a crowdfunding project, we put a lot of thought into how to describe the project so that it is clear to the viewers.

And to some degree, we all have the thought "Of course they'll want to donate to this project if they understand it!"

In that way, many, many great crowdfunding projects lie dormant and unfunded.

What all non-profit fund raisers know is that a person gives their money to the organization or sponsor, not the project!

There are dozens of organizations established to save the children, save the whales, save the rain forests, save the ___ (you fill in the blank). How does one decide where to donate their money? They choose based on their trust of the organization sponsoring the cause.

No matter how important and relevant the cause, if a person does not like the organization behind it, they will not donate to that cause.

Consider the challenges that charities have had over the years when some scandal surfaces around the administrative arm of the organization.

Seeing your project be successful is as much about presenting clearly who YOU are as what the project is about.

Check out Fly on a Wall: A Special Project, Personal stories of families, fans, and friends of the Special Olympics by filmmaker Peter Hawley.

This is a great project, a collection of stories from people associated with this special-needs community.

But, in the end, we are giving our money to Peter.  Because we see him as the ambassador of this project.  We trust that he will tell the stories as they should be told.

We give him our money while saying "We entrust this special and important project into your hands, Peter.  We know that you will take good care of it!"

How do we sell ourselves along with our project? These are some tips to consider as you plan out your project's introduction video (the video "pitch"):

1. Be authentic; be yourself - don't try to be a salesman - tell people why you MUST do this project!

2. Talk to your audience as if they were already a part of your project

3. Take responsibility - let your future supporters know why YOU are the one to do this project

4. Connect with your audience - tell them how you'll feel when the project is successful and offer them the chance to feel that way, too, as supporters of the project

While you will be speaking to everyone on the planet who has a computer and is looking at your project, imagine yourself speaking to a small, intimate group in your living room.  That may help you to stay relaxed and focused on your message.

If possible, get a small group of your local supporters together in a room and record your video pitch while speaking to them. This can help your authenticity to come out over the resulting video.

Yes, it's important for people to understand what your project is about. They need to have a feel for how the project starts, how it maintains momentum, and how it measures success.

Equally important is that your audience knows who the person is behind the project.