7 Secrets to the Crowdfunding Game
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Do Not Duplicate Disclaimer. The information and forms contained in this book are designed to educate and inform the reader with respect to the process of crowd-sourcing. It is not offered as legal advice and should not be construed as such. It is offered for educational and informational purposes only. The authors strongly recommend that the readers engage an experienced entertainment attorney to guide them in their undertakings and any agreements entered into in relation thereto. Reinventing Films ©2013 1 Do Not Duplicate Welcome to Being Successful at the Crowdfunding Game So many people launch their campaign for their film, web series or theatrical endeavor without really understanding the effort it takes to achieve the goal. Or for that matter, they don’t have a plan to ensure they hit their goal. Crossing your fingers and clicking the launch button is not the way to garner success. We don't want you to fall short. We want you to get your project made. We want you to succeed! The money is out there for your project. You just need a strategy to find it. Now that you own this book, you have a surefire system to create any amount of money you need to get your project made. In this book, we’ll go over step by step how to create a successful campaign on any crowdfunding platform. With our mathematical steps and creative ideas to WIN at the current wave of crowdfunding projects, you WILL hit your goal. You’re not only going to learn step-by-step what to do, you’ll have a system to replicate your results. You don’t have to go through the guessing and the hoping that your crowdfunding will be successful. We have removed the “hope” of hitting your goal. We’ve replaced it with tangible, daily assessments at every stage of the campaign to make certain your team’s success. So whether you… • Have never done a crowdfunding campaign before • Did one and didn’t hit the goal • Did one and you were successful but you have no idea how to replicate it Follow our Seven Key Steps and you’ll raise $25K-$100K and create your dream. Reinventing Films ©2013 2 Do Not Duplicate It’s now time to work smarter and get you 100% confident with every format of contacting your circle for money. Emailing, phoning, texting, you name it; we’ve even included templates and removed the guessing work of exactly what to say and write. You will be playing at a different level of confidence and belief, and your career will never be the same again. How to Use this Book 1. Read through the entire book to get an overview. 2. Print up the Crowdfunding Success Checklist at the back of the book. 3. Work linearly through the checklist with the book. 4. For an extra jolt of motivation, we highly recommend reading Grant Cardone’s 10x Rule. We have every member of our fundraising team read it, as well as this book, to get people on the same page. This book is your insurance that you will be successful. Get ready to believe in yourself like you never have before and achieve your crowdfunding goal. Now go be successful and may you never be the same again. Reinventing Films ©2013 3 Do Not Duplicate Table of Contents Chapter 1: It’s A Numbers Game. Let the numbers speak for themselves. We’ll show you exactly how. Chapter 2: Attitude is the Best Indicator. Success begins in your mind and how you energetically connect with your team. Chapter 3: Get in the Swing of Things. Fundraising is like riding a bicycle - once you get the wheels spinning, the momentum will carry you. Chapter 4: Word Choice is Everything. Stop using words that diminish your power and money. Asking for money is challenging for most, don’t let the words you choose make your job even harder. Chapter 5: Gratitude is Key. Thanking people in your journey will only bring in more money and positive momentum. Use the power of gratitude to your benefit. Chapter 6: I’m excited …Now what do I do? Create a step-by-step system on each platform to expand your outreach and wallet. You MUST use every platform available to you in a structured and systematic approach to achieve your goal. We’ll spell it out for you. Chapter 7: We've launched! How to Keep the Momentum Incentivize and motivate your team and donors once the newness wears off. You’re halfway through your campaign…we’ll show you how to keep it going and keep the money flowing. Appendix: Not sure how to word your emails or posts or what to say on the phone? Never fear, this section is filed with examples and samples for you to build off of, as well as contracts for you to use. Reinventing Films ©2013 4 Do Not Duplicate Secret #1 It’s a Numbers Game NUMBERS DON’T LIE o It takes someone seeing something 7 times before they become cognizant of it; and that doesn’t even mean they’ll donate; it just means they are AWARE of you. It’s called the Marketing Rule of Seven. o Some will, some won’t. So what. Thank the ones that do, and wish the ones that don’t the best and thank them for their support anyway. o There is a percentage of everyone in your circle that will support you because of who YOU are whether they like the project or not. Remember that. o Simply put, the more people you reach out to the more success you’ll have. Keep taking action! CREATE YOUR FUNDRAISING TEAM o Build a Team. The more team members you have, the more money you will make. For a film, webseries, or any other media campaign ranging between $25,000 and $100,000, you will need a team of anywhere from 4 to 12 people. Always err on the side of having more. Reinventing Films ©2013 5 Do Not Duplicate . Every member should be under a contract for what they are required to raise for the production in order to receive either: • (A) Credit on the project (i.e., Associate Producer, etc.) • (B) Commission payment for an amount of money raised • (C) A role in the project • (D) Any combination thereof . Be very clear on what the commission structure is for your fundraising team when they hit their mark or fall short. But do everything in your power to make sure they don’t fall short. Win as a team. • See Page 34 for the Commission Structure we use for our own fundraising teams . A Memorandum of Understanding is a standard contract that can be signed between the production and each fundraising team member so all parties are in complete agreement as to what is required. • We highly recommend using these to move forward with your team members. • This signed contract will avoid future disagreements and can be referred to if any problems arise. • See ‘Contracts’ at the end of this document for Samples o Finding Team Members. An initial email or post to attract possible team members can be done through your social networking circle. Working with people you trust is vital to have a successful campaign (and production.) . Initial Information sent out should relate to the time commitment (how long your campaign will run) and any pre-qualifiers such as materials to read to maintain success throughout. • See APPENDIX 1 for the post we created to find our fundraising team members. Once you receive responses from interested parties, DO NOT bombard them with everything at once. Introduce them first to your script, trailer, synopsis or any other info on the project, as well as the commission structure or a description of whatever it is they will be getting for raising money. You must discover if the project is something THEY are passionate about. • Set up an additional phone call a day or two later to allow them to tell you if they are interested in the project. Once you know they’re on board, now it’s time to have them sign the contract we discussed above. Reinventing Films ©2013 6 Do Not Duplicate o Training Team Members. Once they sign the contract, deliver them a step-by-step structure they will be following throughout the course of your campaign. Don’t just assemble team members and then say, “Good Luck.” • It is your responsibility to make sure your ENTIRE TEAM has the best chance at being successful. Provide them with template emails, phone scripts, how you would like them to use social networking and all the info about your project. Provide each fundraising team member with a Google Spreadsheet where they can fill in the donations that they pull into the campaign. • Each fundraiser is responsible for keeping track of their donations in order to get commissions and/or perks. Be clear with them on this and have it in their contract. o Some crowdfunding platforms provide an individual link for each team member and keeps track automatically of each individual’s donations. o This becomes extremely valuable as the reach of your campaign expands beyond your immediate circle. If your team happens to live in the same area, arrange a meeting for everyone. This will allow your group to meet each other. • Seeing the power of the group is very motivating • If your group is spread out, set up a Google Hangout that will allow everyone to meet. Go over strategies and be willing to listen to ideas FROM your team.