How to fundraise (admittedly for yourself) on Slideshare
Howard Lake | 1 April 2011 | Blogs
Congratulations to @jessedee on Slideshare. He created a slidedeck that featured an appeal for funding with a very clear promotional benefit for the donor. And it worked.
A popular user of Slideshare, @jessedee asked his followers there and on Twitter whether they would contribute towards the cost of his visit to SXSW (South by South West, the popular five day interactive festival in Austin, Texas).
He realised he needed to offer something in return, so he decided to offer what he does best – create and share slideshow reports from each day of the festival so others could pick up lessons, and acknowledge donors on these, on the assumption that they would be widely read, blogged about and embedded on other websites.
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His target was $2,275. He asked for it in different amounts – $20, $100 or $500, and he added that $5 was acceptable too.
His slidedeck is, in my view, a very good example of a fundraising appeal, akin almost to a direct marketing pack. He sets out the problem, how the reader can overcome it, and what the benefit will be to them. During the process he demonstrates his credentials and has a track record in producing respected and popular slidedecks on Slideshare.
He makes the ask more than once. And he manages to do all this in a quirky, humorous style. And he ends with a BIG thank you.
Does this slidedeck inspire you? Have you written one for your charity that is a fundraising ask?
[The slideshare at http://www.slideshare.net/jessedee/the-worlds-greatest-opportunity is no longer available publicly]
And hats off to Sylwia Presley, my colleague at NFPvoice, who spotted this and made a donation. Her gift has been visible to the 13,609 people who have viewed this slidedeck.
About Howard Lake
Howard Lake is consultant editor of UK Fundraising. He founded the site in 1994 and successfully sold it in 2022. As director of Giving X Ltd he is exploring growing giving on a massive scale.
He is the founder of Fundraising Camp and co-founder of GoodJobs.