Crowd funding is a method of raising project fund through joints effort of friends, family, public, and organisations primarily through media. From tapping into a wider investor pool to enjoying more flexible fundraising options, there are a number of benefits to crowd funding over traditional methods. Uganda has seen an increase in donation based Crowd funding. Donation based crowd funding does not involve financial returns to those who contribute to the fund.
Crowd funding engages everyone to donate money towards particular projects that are in public interest. Instead of waiting for aid from abroad, Some Africans have decided to bring together communities with the little they have to cause change. Crowd funding has taken the world by storm especially with what it can achieve. The most successfully crowd funding case study in Uganda would be the "Ettoffaali" project by the Buganda Government. The "Ettoffaali" project has raised over shs7b since its inception from the public and orgnisations. Other Ugandan crowd funding projects are: 40 Days Over 40 Smiles, and Afri-aid( Project Bucket).
40 Days Over 40 Smiles is a foundation started by a Ugandan woman Esther Kalenzi who is passionate about positive change in society. It started in 2012, when Esther Kalenzi opened a Facebook page and asked her friends to donate anything they had during the Easter weekend. The donations were delivered to two orphanages. The organisation relies on the use of social media as a platform for raising awareness and find solutions. 40 Days Over 40 Smiles has so far raised over Ush 100million through social media and outdoor fun events. The foundation has impacted over 500 children.40 Days Over 40 Smiles is living proof that crowd funding works. Their model uses social media to fundraise and launch fundraising events.
Crowd funding requires impeccable leadership that is equipped with advocacy and lobbying skills. The leadership should not easily give up on their goals. As it is the case with any project, some people may be against the project. Sheik Nuuhu Muzaata attracted public outcry after criticizing the Buganda government fundraising project known as "Ettoffaali" He attacked the project for collecting money from the poor. The Sheik also attacked people who contribute to the "Ettoffaali" project yet they have other personal problems to deal with. Muzaata's statements come off as insult and a boycott call towards "Ettoffaali" project which made it a PR crisis. The Ettoffali tea did not suspend their activities.
As you come up with a project that requires crowd funding, you must have clear key result areas. This must involve intensive research on what is required and how it will be achieved. If it is a building to be constructed; make sure all the details of the plan and costs are well documented. These must then be made available to the public.
In all you calls for donations to a project, always ensure transparency, accountability, and consistency in everything that is done. If you are asking people to raise money towards a construction of a girls' dormitory, do not again abruptly change the call to buying an ambulance. Crowd funding participants are sceptical and always watching out for signs of fraud. Inconsistency and mistrust may be an eye opener about fraud in a given campaign may withhold their donations.
Transparency and accountability must be shown directly and indirectly. Some organisations run fundraising campaigns and use mobile money numbers registered under individual names not campaign names. The accountability example is the public tour by The Buganda premier Peter Mayiga to "Ettoffali" funded projects. The issue of giving receipts and accountability for each coin received should not be forgotten.
There are many projects that can be crowd funded for example surgeries, research, disaster relief, causes, better social service provision, and political campaigns among other things. Platforms that can be used in Uganda to collect money may include mobile money, sms platforms, bank accounts, physically collections, and other online payments.
Any project that is to be funded by crowd funding must have the emotional appeal to the public. For example "Ettoffaali" and 40 Days over 40 Smiles. Government funding is will always be a challenge for social services. Most crowd funding projects do not make business case to be funded through the normal processes. Crowd funding projects must also be given specific time frames within which to run otherwise if they take long, people may lose faith. They may think their money was just mismanaged.
Ivan .N.Baliboola
PR and organizational diagnosis specialist
Twitter:@mediasurgeon
Wordpress:nbaliboola.wordpress.com/
Blogger:http://mediasurgeon.blogspot.com
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