Not for profits are not for half-efforts.
Non-profits are good for the soul right? Unfortunately, non-profits are more work than I could have ever imagined. I recently started a non-profit called Pawper. Pawper aims to help local animal shelters gain awareness by advertising and marketing help. I plannto travel with my partner and visit shelters that are struggling to get by with their minimal funds. In order to help them build a larger social media presence, Pawper wanted to create a centralized location in which local shelters could be spotlighted with videos, pictures, and blogs. I wanted to be the hero that writes checks to shelters for marketing and get the animals to their permanent home. I essentially wanted to be the Make-a-Wish for shelter animals that would be euthanize and give them a new life. With my business plan all mapped out, I started building my Indiegogo Campaign.
Day 1-3 It all seemed so easy. If I advertised enough, funds would flow in because everyone loves puppies! I launched my Indiegogo and invited all my contacts to my facebook page and before I knew it, I had connections from Florida, Arizona, and even North Dakota liking and sharing my page. The first few days were super easy. I easily hit 100 likes on the facebook page daily and donations were being made. I thought that if I just kept doing what I was doing, everything would just grow steadily.
Day 3-5 I was wrong. Slowly, everything came to a halt. I stopped receiving contributions and people stopped liking my page. Even Facebook stopped my ability to Like local shelters' Facebook pages. I ran out of connections to bother! Luckily, this is when a friend decided to pitch in and help out our campaign by donating her business' proceeds. That gave us content to market and push once again.
Day 5-7 Once the new material died down, I was stuck once again. What can I do to keep our social media pages relevant for the rest of the campaign period? I was not able to do much with my limited funds. I brainstormed and started using my supporters and their testimonials of shelters and how their lives have changed by changing their pet's. This brought more attraction to my page but did not increase my funds.
Day 8-14 I have hit what seems to be a dead end. The only thing exciting was my business cards were printed but I seem to run out of organic traffic. It is time to alter my original plans to see if I can test drive my plans without raising enough funds.
No one ever talks about the struggles beginnings of a non-profit. Just like any other business, you have to start off with supporters and finances. With my extensive networking, I was able to rally supporters across the nation. My Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram followers multiplied but my Indiegogo campaign sat at a minimal number. How is it possible that I have accrued so much interest but no funds?
At this point in Pawper's lifespan, I am looking for new, fresher approaches to take. I have definitely learned a lot during my first 2 weeks running a non-profit but definitely need to learn a lot more.
Feel free to visit my website, Indiegogo, Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest. I would love feed back on what you think!
