SolarAid launches second crowdfunding campaign with Sunfunder
Howard Lake | 4 December 2012 | News
SolarAid has launched its second project with its crowdfunding partner Sunfunder. It follows its first successful crowdfunding campaign in September this year in which it raised $10,000 in four weeks from 86 individuals.
This time SolarAid is seeking funding for $20,000 to help buy solar lights that can be used by families who burn kerosene or candles for lighting. If funded, the project will benefit 5,000 people. Any funds invested by individuals will be matched up to the end of 2012, courtesy of a foundation secured via Sunfunder.
Richard Turner, Director of Marketing and Fundraising at SolarAid, said of the first campaign: "We were surprised at how fast we reached are target which was achieved mainly through social media and some PR”.
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Through its social enterprise SunnyMoney, SolarAid sells solar lights in Africa to help create a market for solar power. SunnyMoney is now the biggest distributor of solar lights in Africa, with over 205,000 solar lights sold to date.
Working with Sunfunder
Crowdfunding platform Sunfunder is a good match because it focuses on enabling people to invest small amounts in solar projects.
Turner told UK Fundraising: "The partnership with Sunfunder has so many advantages over seeking the loan say from an institution. For starters it helps us access a new audience of individuals and spread our story through social media. In fact because Sunfunder is US-based, it helps expand our reach as well as giving us the opportunity to offer an alternative proposition to our own supporters.
"As SolarAid has been an early adopter, Sunfunder have been great at listening to our ideas and taking on board our suggestions. We continue to learn together and are excited about the potential."
The campaign is being promoted as a Christmas or Holidays campaign.
Turner added: “Solar lights are selling like hotcakes so the funding provides the working capital we need to purchase more stock”.
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.