Digital Signage Sales 101: SignVine Crowdfunding- How It Works!

My last blog entry introduced the idea of SignVine's online fundraising efforts to help non profits raise funds to purchase a changeable message sign for their facility. Now this entry will describe what a campaign looks like, and what SignVine does to make the campaign a success.

A key benefit of using SignVine is that all the information regarding the campaign is at a central location where everyone can learn, participate and donate. It will contain the organization’s name, their story, their sign drawing, and funding goal. It will also feature how many " Viners" have donated, amount pledge to date, and how many days are left on the campaign along with two ways to donate:

•  Give & Receive A Gift is the most popular which requires the donor to become a part of the SignVine community as a Viner where they can pledge support to your campaign, leave comments, and register their address for their “Thank You” Gift.

•  Quick Donation are for people who solely want to support a campaign and are content not to receive a gift.

Both donation choices will have the option for the donor to remain anonymous, otherwise the donor will be listed on the Viner's tab.

Tell The Story
The Gardener leads the charge into the campaign from the very first day by working with SignVine to craft the online story. The history, cause, and drive of the organization must be outlined with purpose showing their heart to the world! Every campaign must have a purpose bigger than itself. If a church needs an outdoor LED sign to advertise the Christmas Tree sale, the story is not the sale, but what good the money collected from selling trees will bring. They sell the benefit, not the activity. Whatever narrative a Gardener creates, it will become the reality for his organization.

Support The Story with Pictures and/or Video
Factual, but creative video content, along with dynamic pictures of the Non Profit
organization is crucial. A picture (and video) truly is worth a 1000 words. Non Profits are encouraged to seek help from SignVine but also use their own internal talent. Until you ask, you may not know that the son of one of your Deacons is an expert in video production!

Working With SignVine
Unlike other crowdfunding sites, SignVine will stay involved. You are not just renting space on their website. The team at SignVine works with you to help achieve a successful campaign.

All monies raised (net fees) are given to the Non Profit Organization. This is not an “all for nothing” campaign- they end the campaign wealthier than when they started.

What SignVine Does To Help:

• Work with the Non Profit to Plant the SignVine Campaign on their and with a  unique link, ex: www.signvine.org/yourorganization

• Provide suggestions and help with writing the narrative story about your organization.

• Provide help to produce the video for the organization

•  Provide online resources that the Non Profit can use to organize and mobilize their team, track results, and spread the word to the community.

•  Write and distribute a press release concerning the campaign and efforts.

•  Contact local media, like radio, TV, and newspapers asking for support.

•  Additional marketing support in the community based on need.

•  Provide a dashboard to track progress and provide updates to the pledging Viners.

•  Stay in contact with the Non Profit.

The Benefits SignVine Provides:

• Expert help to stage, promote and market the sign project to raise the necessary funds.

• SignVine.com is a place where the Non Profit's voice can be heard and people can catch a video glimpse of the story 24 hours a day.

• A default SignVine gift system associated with the campaign, and they'll automatically ship them to your Viners.

• A financial system to process donations (Cash donations can still be accepted and entered. Ask them how).

• An organization with vast experience in the Sign Industry and partnerships with reliable sign companies.

• Real people to assist the Non Profit and provide overall guidance.

The Role of the Non Profit
The role of the Non Profit is all about execution and passion. The Gardener is the person who is actually in the "garden" each day tending to the SignVine Campaign. The Gardener measures progress and adjusts the processes day-to-day. It is a big job. SignVine advice is to choose a Gardener wisely for it’s through their leadership with the help of SignVine that a campaign will succeed.

The Gardner is the cheerleader, coach, and quarterback all rolled into one.

Next step is to build a team within the Non Profit group to execute the campaign. A campaign can be a lot of work. This online donation campaign will require online effort. It will be tough, it will worry you at times, but done with spirit and determination it will be fun and successful.

Whatever the game plan requires- everyone plays the game differently. Perhaps the plan is for each person to call businesses in the area. Perhaps the plan is to send an email to everyone in the church with the unique SignVine link to your campaign and ask them to post it to their Facebook or Twitter account.

The Non Profit owns the Campaign. SignVine provides the tools, the visibility, and the online resources for a Non Profit organization to have a successful campaign. The SignVine goal is to coach and encourage an organization and provide the guidance for success, but most of the actual day-to-day hard “gritty” work is the responsibility of the Non Profit.

SignVine knows the crowdfunding model works, but it’s not a guarantee. The true elements for success lie within the Non Profit organization. If the campaign does not fund, the cause is more than likely based in execution of the actual fund raising effort- the feet on the street.

These comments are my personal perspective and do not reflect the opinion of Vantage LED, Inc. or SignVine, Inc. or any other person or organization. If you have constructive feedback please email me at michael@signvine.org. 

- Mike Prongue