Stick NZCategory:
Location:
Well, hasn’t PledgeMe grown up.
The crowdfunding platform is only five years old, but as its founder (and self-titled chief bubble blower) Anna Guenther told a Deloitte Private gathering recently, in that time it has managed over 1100 successful fundraising campaigns.
That adds up to over $14 million raised “for anything you can think of, and not think of,” she says.
(Stick’s reported on various Pledgeme initiatives over the years - see here, here and here for different stories).
As an aside, It took Pledgeme three years to nail its heart & soul statement/tagline/value
proposition. Wearing my Punchline (million dollar messages) hat, I applaud its who, what and why
statement.
Helping Kiwis fund the things they care about.
It’s March meeting was around sources of funding for growth.
As PledgeMe’s chief cheerleader, Anna’s ability to entertain and tell a good story is second-to-none. (Admittedly she has a huge range of good stories to choose from!)
[caption id="attachment_2897" align="aligncenter" width="300"]
PledgeMe's Anna Guenther - a natural storyteller and
dispenser of crowdfunding wisdom at Deloitte Private[/caption]
She has also narrowed down on how to give yourself the best chance of raising money for your particular cause.
Have a:
Crowdfunding’s not just something aimed and understood by Gen X and Millennials. The platform’s graying - one example being 83 year old Stu Buchanan from Christchurch who raised funds to put together and produce a CD of his music.
Anna also made the point that crowdfunding is a huge opportunity to strengthen existing relationships. Current clients (think craft brewers, custard-square makers) are an important first point of investment opportunity - and “bring much more than just funding” she says.
Anna gave her considered 5 P’s of crowdfunding.
Prepare
Plan
Post
(Stick enables science and tech companies to simply tell their story. Punchline, a sister company, helps clients create million dollar messages – the 2 – 10 words that describes your essence, emotively communicates your value proposition)