Wishlists in crowdfunding – not just for social causes!
Wishlists in crowdfunding aren’t a new idea. Non-profit organizations and others raising funds for a social cause often use wishlists to convey their need.
Consider a homeless shelter. When writing their fundraising campaign story, a shelter could easily say ‘help us raise x-amount of money to help the hundreds of people needing our services this year.’ It’s not incorrect. It outlines the need simply enough. Most supporters innately understand what a homeless shelter requires to help their beneficiaries.
Not the most engaging story, though.
Instead, the shelter lists ‘wishes’ that supporters may grant, giving them an extra boost of excitement as they ‘purchase’ a blanket or a hot meal. Not only does this help the supporter understand the value of their contribution, it removes the barrier of deciding how much to give.
In a culture where we make dozens of micro-decisions every day, not having to make just one small one can be a huge relief.
Creative project wishlists
Yes, creative projects CAN use wishlists! And since we’re all creators, we should be creative about it 😉
Most creative projects have rewards listed, as the purpose is to bring their core project to the world anyway. Not all projects have rewards, though. And we still want to do those two things for supporters:
- Help them understand the value of their contribution
- Remove the decision-making barrier by providing creative options over a wide price range.
Wishlists appear in the same format as reward items. The biggest difference is that rather than saying, “Claim this perk,” the icon reads, “Grant this wish.”
Wishlist Examples from Crowdfundr
Example 1: Taproot Theatre Company
Taproot Theatre Road Company – This campaign launched to help fund Taproot Theatre’s new van for their travelling anti-bullying show in schools. They had one wish: the new van. Not practical for a wishlist.
Or is it…
Taproots ingeniously broke the van down into giftable components, imagined up a few extra low-cost wishes, and threw in a sense of humour to drive this campaign forward.
And who wouldn’t want to give Samson a hug…
Example 2: oStella Tour
oStella – Mixing wishes with other perks and products is an option too. oStella is a musician who is crowdfunding a cross-continental tour. Her wishes help supporters understand how she is planning her trip as sustainably as possible (cross-Canada by BICYCLE. You can’t even get one single flight across Canada, it’s that big!).
Then, for the musically-inclined (or the hopeful to-become-musically-inclined) supporters, options for perks as well.
Mixing perks and wishes (also tickets!) in this way ensures a way to attract different types of supporters. Below are just a few; check out the rest on oStella’s campaign here.
What should I choose for my wishlist?
Try to choose wishes that:
- Highlight what your campaign is about;
- Keeps with the campaign tone and message;
- Helps supporters understand what their funds will be used for;
- Covers a range of prices
We recommend 4 or 5 rewards total (whether you are mixing them or not). You might find adding more works for your campaign, and that’s fine too. But do not feel the need to make up dozens of wishes just for the sake of it. Brevity and simplicity are a crowdfunding campaign’s friends.
We’re here to help!
Our Discord channel is a place to connect with other creators and the Crowdfundr team to ask questions, seek advice, and share strategies. But if you don’t do Discord or wish to schedule a demo, feel free to email us at support@crowdfundr.com.
