Interview With Keith Orlean President, Digital Donations, Inc.

Q. We are talking with Keith Orlean the President and Co-Founder of Digital Donations, the Alternative Fundraising Platform for Non Profit Organizations, about their recent announcement of the CrowdGIV Pledge. Keith what inspired Digital Donations to create the CrowdGIV Pledge?Keith: While researching crowdfunding we were surprised to learn that almost 70% of crowdfunding campaigns fail to meet their goals. Of course there are many reasons for that, but often it’s because the NPO has very little knowledge of the steps they need to take in order to run a successful campaign. The most important of these steps is pre-launch planning which sets the stage for the rest of the campaign. Once we realized the reasons that so many campaigns failed to reach their goal it became apparent that there was an opening for a hybrid model where an NPO can do it themselves as is the case in all other crowdfunding models, or they can apply for the CrowdGIV Pledge and work with a personal Campaign Coach.Q. What does the Campaign Coach do, are you going to do the work for the NPO?Keith: Not at all – this is truly a collaborative effort between the coach and the NPO. We’ve combined the CrowdGIV technology with the ‘old school method’ of personal touch. Your personal campaign coach provides one-on-one support, guidance and hands-on training. The CrowdGIV Pledge takes our commitment one step further.Q. Having a Campaign Coach sounds like a great resource, tell us more about the CrowdGIV Pledge.Keith: We are really excited to introduce the CrowdGIV Pledge. A very significant part of pre-launch planning covers having some funding in place prior to launching your campaign. Non-profit organizations can apply to receive support of up to 30% of their total campaign goal by simply filling out our assessment questionnaire. The criteria for approval includes length of time in existence, current fundraising levels and social media footprint. This is our personal pledge to use our own resources to fulfill our pledge amount over the next 12 months. For example, let’s say the NPO met the criteria for a 12% pledge from us. Based on a $20,000 campaign goal over the next 12 months The GIV Foundation would pledge to raise $2,400 towards your campaign using our own resources.Q. Keith this sounds like a great tool for any nonprofit to add to their fundraising strategy. What about costs for the program?Keith: With CrowdGIV there are no upfront or platform fees. The fee structure is dependent on the model you choose. The self-service fees are compatible with other tools in the market and if the NPO qualifies for The CrowdGIV Pledge Campaign Coaching is included. If an NPO doesn’t qualify for the CrowdGIV Pledge, Campaign Coaching is available for an additional fee.

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