EP #25 Crowdfunding Consultant Rose Spinelli Shares Her Best Crowdfunding Tips

In this episode of the CrowdCrux Crowdfunding Podcast, I interviewed Rose Spinelli, who is a crowdfunding consultant and the founder of The Crowdfundamentals. She also runs the “Rose Recommends” advice column on Crowdsourcing.org.

Entering the crowdfunding industry at the same time I did, Rose brings a unique perspective to the table. We discuss how the industry has evolved, best practices for campaigns, and how she helps creators run successful campaigns. 

Show Notes (Get them online here).

- Rose helps creators at all stages of their campaign, but can have the most impact in the planning stages.

– Rose does not manage campaigns or manage PR for a campaign.

– Rose is a journalist and has a fundraising background, which ended up feeding into the needs of a crowdfunding campaign.

– Rose mainly works with nonprofits, campaigns that have some kind of a social impact, and entrepreneurship-related projects.

– Crowdfunding is an online tool. If you don’t have a strong presence on social media, you’re going to have a harder time. People like to play catchup and do a lot of broadcasting, but it’s a less-effective way to go about marketing.

– People need to learn how to engage and tell their story. You must produce quality content to survive in a social media-driven world.

– Pretend that you are at a cocktail party, but it’s online. You must use your personality, be curious about others, and be generous to network effectively.

– You must learn how to communicate your value. Avoid technospeak. Avoid hyping it up too much. Be transparent.

– Robin Roberts: “Make your mess your message,” a quote from Everybody’s Got Something. It’s important to humanize yourself.

– ALS Ice Bucket Challenge

– Potato Salad Kickstarter Campaign

– Nonprofits are still adopting modern fundraising techniques.

– Positive emotions trump negative emotions on social media.

– It’s important to do your research if you’re going to use any consultants or service providers in the crowdfunding industry.

– Rose recommends a ramp-up period of 3-6 months. It depends on how established they are online.