To grow our organization and receive more funding, I decided to launch our very first Kickstarter! Kickstarter is a crowdfunding site that allows individual projects to gain traction through the generosity of the internet.
The first step for launching the Kickstarter was learning about the process of making a successful campaign. The platform itself allows users to organize their campaigns into categories based on what they are about — I placed High Schoolers for Front Liners into “Crafts.” I also learned techniques many successful Kickstarter used including the use of exciting rewards, promotion via social media, and having a spectacular video.
Almost immediately, I knew that filming our very own video would be one aspect that would be extremely time-consuming and difficult. I was proven correct. Creating a compelling script and filming B-roll was demanding only because I knew what I chose to say (more importantly, the way I chose to say it) would make the difference in receiving 100$ or $1,000. Taking a week, I finally was able to create a script that I believed to be compelling and captured the spirit of our organization.
Once filming was complete, I was nearly ready to launch. Unfortunately, I ran into another roadblock: payment processing. I realized that HSFL would eventually need our very own banking account. This way, instead of relying on my personal debit card, we could have a card designated for HSFL only expenses. For instance, buying sewing machines, elastic, and fabric could go on this account instead of my own. However, because I wanted to ensure that our launch date was in late May, I decided that this time I would use my personal banking account but post all the receipts on the Kickstarter page to show our transparency.
Even though I launched, Kickstarter requires all projects to be checked by a Kickstarter admin to ensure their Terms of Service are not violated. Unfortunately, the first draft of our Kickstarter was denied because of our rewards.
“All Kickstarter projects must be centered on a creative endeavor to share with the backers who have supported bringing your idea to life. Because our rules don’t allow campaigns focused on charitable donations, materials, or purchase of manufacturing equipment, you’ll need to adjust the framing of your project to explain what you’re sharing with backers.”
For this reason, we decided to improve our rewards and give different tiered rewards based on the amount donated. This included a sample email thank you to a Behind the Scenes video special to a personalized mask! Thankfully, with these new tiered rewards, our project was accepted.
Launching the Kickstarter was only a fraction of the process, however. I received tremendous help from my incredible team who also joined in on the process of promoting our campaign. We sent out various emails to parents, teachers, and friends. We also had support by posting on Facebook and Instagram — our two social media platforms. The support so far has been incredible and I am so happy that I have my team to support me through this series of events.
Even with these trials, I feel like I’ve learned so much. Every aspect of launching a Kickstarter has come with its own set of difficulties, but I’ve learned the importance of traction, social media, and most importantly how to utilize our words to convince others to join a good cause.
Written by Allison Moon
June 15th, 2020