This was our first crowd funding experience, and so we really wanted to make sure it was a success. Obviously a huge element of crowd funding success stories are the ability to tap into the online community, so social media like Facebook, and Twitter, and our actual website were big focuses of ours. Then of course we had the video, and all of these things were centred around building awareness and support, that is the beauty of crowd funding, we had the opportunity to show the project off to people all over the world, and in large parts we did that. We have a very diverse team, with people from a  lot of different backgrounds from lots of different countries which meant we had a big range of exposure. There is though just such a huge amount of great causes on the internet, and so many places in the world in need of external support that we realised we couldn’t succeed just by putting the word out online. We harassed our families and friends for support (economic and otherwise) and actually outside of the campaign had some fundraising events. For example over the holidays we hosted an EFOF charity dinner which was very successful. Finally the big thing that we looked for, and were successful in attaining was some corporate sponsorship, the crowd funding campaign allowed us to demonstrate to potential investors that we had a cause that the public could get behind and took an interest in.

A lot of persistence! There is never any shortage of praise, or enthusiasm when you first tell people about the project- getting their money on the other hand takes a little more work. With some people you mention it to them once and you check later to find they’ve donated but most of the time it takes a little more effort than that, whether it be just reminding them about the campaign or spending extra time telling them about the project (online, face to face, over the phone etc). That is more the personal side then otherwise it is about keeping things exciting, especially on the web related media- new photos, posters, graphics or shareable content- things that make people take notice if they haven’t before. It can be tough to ask people to donate to your project but if you’re sincere about it and know the cause has merit then it is about conveying that message, which can be tougher than it sounds sometimes.

What worked during the campaign?  What did not work?

What really seemed to work during the campaign for us was when we contextualised the project for our followers, simple things like info graphics, and captioned photos. People are often willing to watch videos or read information that is presented to them in a visually stimulating way. It provided accessible insights into the aims of the project and easily explained the potential and calculable benefits. This worked both when we spoke to individuals directly or online, it seemed to really incentivise people to donate.

In terms of what didn’t really work we had a lot of social media attention, being a young organisation (nearly the whole team is made up of university students) we had a lot of success in sharing our page and getting a lot of views, however as you might guess the student market aren’t generally financially able to donate hugely themselves and are hard pressed enough without asking their parents to donate to a friends or acquaintances project- no matter how worthwhile. 

With the funds raised we will able to, continue the work we have already done in electrifying community buildings, most notably schools and places of worship. 

We are really excited to launch the second stage of the project, the social enterprise. We are providing employment to women, Fadama Mamas, within the community, selling solar products to homes (families) and businesses. We hope to be able to provide widespread electrification in this manner, by using micro finance schemes to make the products affordable for everyone. This means safety, a reduced carbon footprint, reliability, legality and money saved for those who become involved. It also means a source of income for the women employed, in a country where traditionally women have limited access to economic empowerment. We are also exploring the possibility of employing boys who currently work with the e-waste to alternatively work for us in some capacity potentially as advertisers, providing them with a more consistent, improved source of income and eliminating their direct contact with the harmful effects of burning e-waste.

What do you think were the key factors that contributed to your success?  Do you have some useful insights for any future crowdfunders?

Preparation, preparation, preparation. For us especially building a following and actually achieving something prior to launch was paramount. We could show people not only did we have an idea, but we had trialled it, witnessed the benefits it had and could then ask for more to help it grow. Whereas maybe sometimes other projects need the capital to get off the ground, we started small scale and then looked to expand, which I think gave us real credibility. Then actually getting people to take an interest, I think from the outside you can take for granted the amount of work that goes into making something. A 2 minute video can take days of work, likewise our website took several months before it was the finished product- things which appear simple can actually take lots of work, but that is almost the beauty of it. You condense all your effort, and the motivation behind the project then you present it to your followers and hope that the effort and intent translates if that makes sense.

Finally I think we had a cause that could appeal to a lot of different groups; we focus on women’s empowerment, education, the environment, community spirit and safety, it made the project relatable to different people for different reasons. I would recommend future crowdfunders simply follow the word I began with; preparation. Find out what your target market is most importantly and then try to appeal to it. Having a good idea isn’t enough; how you present it and who you present it to can be equally important. Networking is key, build contacts and find people who can help you, chances are if it is a good idea people will be enthusiastic to get involved. 

What’s next for the organization, and how can followers stay in touch?

Things have only just begun for us! We will be busy for the next few months implementing the social enterprise, tweaking as necessary to make sure it is the best it can be before looking to expansion. We will as always be working on raising awareness of the situation in Old Fadama, the e-waste problem, and various other forms of support that the community needs. Following us is very simple, we are on Facebook(Energy for Old Fadama) and Twitter(EnergyFOFadama (and maybe several more social media platforms in the coming months) and we are online at efof.org.uk. We are also looking into setting up a blog/mailing list for those who would like to follow in detail the work we are conducting, and as well would like to learn more about the area and context of the project.