Ever since we launched Invested.in, I have been asked for tips from our users on how to successfully fundraise online.  These are my 5 tips.

And if you’d rather read my 5 tips, here they are:

Choose the right project type – On Invested.in, we let people create different types of projects.  You can choose to raise as much money as possible within a certain amount of time, you can choose to set a specific target goal, or you can choose both.  You have to remember that if you don’t hit your target, if you set one, your “investors” will get their money back.  It’s a great way to raise money if your project is “all or nothing.”  For example, if you need $500 to go on tour with your band, and you won’t go if you don’t hit your target, then it’s perfect.  It is also a little more motivating.  But, if you are just raising some extra spending cash for your tour, you might want to go the other route.

Be realistic when choosing “rewards” – When creating a fundraising project, you’ve got to think about what you are going to give in return for “investment.”  Those returns have to be realistic.  Sure, your friends and family will give you what they can, but you won’t find many NEW investors if you try giving a CD in return for $100.  It’s just too expensive.  You can, and should have rewards or returns that are that high, and possibly even higher, but you have to make sure they make sense.  Start low, and work your way up.  Be creative.  The more you make available, the more choices people have.  Exclusive content is always a good idea.

Tell a story! – We give you a stage…do something on it!  We let you add videos, pictures, text and customize the colors/feel of your fundraising project.  Make sure you utilize all the tools we make available.  If you do great, and promote your page to all your fans, but don’t give any details on your project page…people will leave.  Make sure to fill up your page, make it look like you, and give people a reason to look around.

Pay attention! –Invested.in lets you edit the details of your project and add more video content, pictures, etc…  If your fans are confused about something, or you just want to tweak your project to perfection…do it.  People can leave comments on your page.  Answer them!  Engage your fans.  Not many people will stick around while talking to themselves!

PROMOTE! – The most important thing for anyone to remember when trying to raise money online is to promote, promote, promote.  You cannot expect to just create a project and hope people discover it.  You have to work for it.  Thankfully, Invested.in gives you all the tools you need to make promoting easy, and then some.  Some of our best sharing tools are the easiest to use.  Use our Facebook application!  Connect your account to Twitter!  If you do create a project, remember to check your project statistics on a regular basis.  You’ll notice on days you are not promoting, less people see your project, and less people give you money.

Thanks, and GOOD LUCK!!!

-Alon

These 5 tips we’re originally put together for The Web Punk.

This poor little lady loved a pony that died of cancer.  Her new horse now needs surgery.  Without this surgery, the horse could possibly die.  They’re asking for our help to pay for it.

I hope that we can help them!

Read the whole story on their Invested.in project page.

“Ask and ye shall receive” has been a pretty common theme lately, and we are happy to announce that yet again, we’ve added some great new features to the site.

Facebook “Like” – Every project on Invested.in now has a “Like” button.  It’s a fast and easy way to share your favorite projects.  Go “Like” your favorite projects now!

New and Improved UI – We’ve changed up the look and feel of the site a bit.  We think it looks cleaner, allows you access to all the new features, and encourages more sharing.  Let us know what you think!

Embed a Project! – There is now an embed code on every project that you can simply and easily paste into any blog or website.  An embedded project looks like this:

Thanks again for all of your great suggestions and support.  We’ll continue to do our best to make your dreams (and feature requests) a reality!!

The first time I saw Dr. Know live was watching them open for Bad Religion at the Ventura Theater in 2000.  I was in high school, and it was about that same time I was realizing that there were other “cool” bands in this world besides Bad Religion…some of those bands even lived and played close to where I did.  I would go to every local punk rock show I could get to, and later on, after joining a band, I completely immersed myself in the local punk scene.  It was definitely a pivotal time in my life.  I was lucky enough to become friends with a lot of the local bands, and even booked shows and put out some records.

The music was fast and loud, the shows were great, and playing with some of my best friends was amazing….but the best part of it all, was that you were a part of community that not only understood you, but also cared for you.  Whenever someone needed help, everyone would make sure they were taken care of.  If someone had cancer, we would throw a benefit, if someone passed away, we would help their family.  From the beginning, the local scene became a part of my extended family, and like all families, there was…and still is drama…that can’t be avoided.  BUT, like how all families SHOULD be when one of your brothers, sisters, parents or kids need help, we band together and make sure they get the help they need.

Brandon Cruz and Dr. Know have always been a part of that family.  I have seen them raise money for countless friends over the 10 or so years that I have known them….and now Brandon is asking for our help.

Brandon has created a project on Invested.in to help pay for some oral surgery that he needs.  After years of being on tour with his band, he has had the microphone smashed into his teeth a few too many times and now it’s caught up to him.  Please check out his project.

For your help, he is trading Dr. Know t-shirts, CD’s, hats and vinyl.

Nicole is using Invested.in to help out the Westside Cafe in Ventura, California.  The Westside Cafe serves hot meals to seniors in need.  The really cool thing about this, is that she’s not just asking for money.  For every $5 donation, Nicole is trading her family’s top secret recipe for their famous Ice Box Cake!  It’s like a virtual bake sale!!

If you’ve got $5 to spare, we highly recommend investing in Nicole’s Project!