Lesson 2 Caring Hearts
Turning Ideas into Reality
My grandparents sell their delicious organic jam at the local market every weekend.
I went to help them last weekend.
However, they had already sold all of their jam!
They didn’t have enough strawberries to make any more jam.
That evening, I sat by the window and stared out at the empty field behind their house.
Suddenly, I got an idea.
The field would be the perfect place for a larger greenhouse.
Then they could grow more strawberries!
I immediately started searching for a way, and I found the perfect solution.
I would start a crowdfunding campaign!
What Is Crowdfunding?
Crowdfunding is a way of raising money for a product, company, or charity.
These days, people can use crowdfunding websites to collect money.
Crowdfunding is especially advantageous for individuals or small companies that can’t attract big investors.
If the campaign is successful, the investors receive direct rewards for their contribution.
My grandparents were thrilled when I told them my idea.
With the help of investors, we could build a large greenhouse and grow a lot more strawberries.
Moreover, we could reward the investors for their help by sending them jars of organic jam!
With this plan in mind, the next step was to figure out the details.
Campaign Details
Before beginning your campaign, be sure to plan all the production details.
How many products will you make?
How long will it take to make the product?
This planning is important because your potential investors will want to see a clear schedule.
Once your plan is complete, remember to set your funding goal.
It should be enough to complete the project and fulfill the rewards for the investors.
Consider all the necessary costs before deciding on the amount.
After doing some calculations, we decided on an 8-by-12-foot greenhouse.
We thought it would cost approximately $4,000.
Once it was built, we could fill it with strawberry plants and expect a harvest within about four months.
Then it would take a few weeks to turn the strawberries into delicious jam.
We decided to set our funding goal at $5,000 to cover all the costs.
Also, we planned to run the campaign for three months.
I was really excited when I filled out the form to launch the campaign.
In less than a week, our application was accepted and funding began!
Campaign Promotion and Communication
For a successful crowdfunding campaign, promoting it is necessary.
You should consider making a video.
This allows investors to get to know you and learn about your product.
In the video, describe your situation clearly and show your product.
You also need to express how important the product is to you.
Don’t forget to include a direct request for support at the end.
During a campaign, it is important to send investors updates every week.
Through the update, the investors will be able to track the progress of the campaign.
After our application was accepted, I was eager to make a good first impression with our investors.
To achieve this, I made a video about my grandparents and their jam.
In the video, I highlighted how the strawberries were grown without using chemicals.
I also included clips of my grandparents.
In the clips, they were making the jam with all-natural ingredients.
Finally, I explained where I wanted to put the new greenhouse and asked for support.
After some editing, I posted the video on many social media sites.
It didn’t take long for word of our campaign to spread.
Funding for our campaign started slowly.
When the first investor committed to supporting us, I almost jumped for joy.
Now, after six weeks, we have raised almost $2,500.
It seems like we might make our funding goal!
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