Blog

Recently, a GiveSendGo Prayer Partner reached out to a campaign recipient in the UK—this was only the second such call made to someone there. They wanted to pray for him, his fundraising efforts, and anything else he might be going through. However, the man on the other end was confused. He immediately demanded to know, “What’s the catch?”

He couldn’t fathom this call being anything but a sales pitch, so he expressed his skepticism and corrected us, saying companies call, pray (or at the very least start with a superficial “How’s your day going?”) before quickly launching into their real offer: "For the low low price of $9.99, we'll increase the visibility of your campaign!" He added, "But no one calls just to pray."

While we weren’t trying to deceive him (a valid suspicion many of us have felt from receiving scammy calls), we see prayer as so much more than simply offering positive words.

Prayer is about interceding on behalf of someone who may be too hurt to find the right words, struggling beyond belief, or feeling hopeless and alone. It's an appeal to a living God who hears our prayers and invites us to come to Him boldly. Prayer is a powerful tool and should be our first line of defense, not a last resort.

But prayer isn’t just for the broken. It’s also for the blessed, the joyful, and the grateful. We rejoice in what the Lord is doing in people’s lives, celebrating with those who are fundraising for incredible causes on GiveSendGo. It’s a profound privilege to worship our powerful God in prayer with those who are seeing and experiencing His hand at work.

Ultimately, the man’s skepticism underscored the world’s desperate need for hope and prayer. That need is why we do what we do. We’re here to stand with you in every season—whether you’re facing challenges, chasing a dream, or are experiencing a time of blessing. Prayer is a gift, a conversation with our Creator, and an expression of love and care that surpasses all circumstances. 

We’re here to pray for you. No strings attached. No sales pitch, no hidden agenda—no catch—just prayer.

 

Starting a GiveSendGo campaign is just the beginning of your fundraising journey! But don’t worry, with a little effort, you can increase your campaign's visibility, engagement, and support, ultimately making it more successful. We want to help you achieve your goals, so we've put together some best practices to help you share your GiveSendGo campaign most effectively.

Share With YOUR Network: Contrary to popular belief, starting a campaign doesn't guarantee automatic support. Unless your campaign goes viral, it's unlikely that strangers will spontaneously donate to your cause. That's why it's important to actively share your campaign with YOUR network.
 
Share Often and Consistently: Simply starting your campaign and sharing it once won't ensure its success. You'll need to consistently share it over time to see results. Keep your campaign top of mind and ask your network to share it too!
 
Share Your Story: People connect more with the WHY behind your cause more than the what. Be transparent and speak from the heart when sharing the story behind your cause.
 
What If I Don't Have/Use Social Media?: Word of mouth is a powerful tool, and so are email, text, and direct messaging. Share posters and postcards on church and community bulletin boards, and reach out to local media like radio stations and newspapers. Consider partnering with local businesses, hosting events, sharing on online forums, and even using the tried and true snail mail method!
 
What Should I Say When I Share?: Keep your message short and sweet. Explain why you're raising money, how the funds will be used, and what people's support will mean to you.

Adopting these best practices, such as actively sharing your campaign with your network, sharing it consistently over time, and telling your story authentically and from the heart, can significantly broaden your campaign's reach and increase support. Remember, the more effort you pour into your campaign, the greater your chances for success. Happy fundraising!

World Crowdfunding Day was originally established to raise awareness about crowdfunding and its potential to help people in need or make a difference. While crowdfunding has become more popular over the years, many still have their doubts and hesitations about it.

Whether it’s concern about its legitimacy, they think it’s not worth the effort, or they don’t believe it can work for them, we want to address some common misconceptions people, and maybe even you, may have about crowdfunding. 

Myth #1 - My Donation Has to Be Large: Some people believe their small donation won’t go far enough to make a real difference, so unless they’re able to give a large sum of money, they simply don't give at all. However, GiveSendGo processes countless donations in the $20, $10, and even $5 amounts! Every donation, big and small, adds up to a much larger sum than one person could contribute alone. That’s why it’s called crowdfunding!

Additionally, because we lowered our third-party’s processing fees, campaign owners get to keep more of the money they raise, making your support go even further to help those in need.

Myth #2 - Crowdfunding is “Easy Money”: While crowdfunding can be a great way to raise funds, it's not as simple as expecting strangers to support your campaign. The most significant support often comes from your network of friends, family, and community who want to see you succeed. As 2 Corinthians 9:6 reminds us, "Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully." By putting in the work, like consistently sharing your campaign, you're likely to see better results. 

That being said, our Giver Army 2.0 is comprised of generous people dedicated to giving to causes on GiveSendGo Charities every month. Those contributions are then pooled together and distributed to campaigns with great need on GiveSendGo. Your cause could be next in line for support!

Myth #3 - Crowdfunding is a Scam: This misconception might stem from a lack of familiarity with crowdfunding or previous personal experiences with fundraising scams. However, GiveSendGo has a proven track record of helping individuals and communities raise funds for legitimate causes. 
While no platform can be completely free of fraudulent campaigns, we maintain a strict verification process to identify and flag suspicious and deceptive campaigns, ensuring a secure and transparent fundraising platform for both campaign owners and givers. 

Myth #4 - My Cause is Not Good Enough: It's a common misunderstanding that crowdfunding is limited to emergencies or mission-related causes. In reality, crowdfunding is much more versatile! Whether you're raising funds for your pet, a charitable cause, or publishing a book, no cause is too small or "insignificant" to fundraise for. GiveSendGo supports a wide range of campaigns across 20 fundraising categories, from assisting families with adoption expenses to helping teachers purchase classroom supplies.

While other platforms may restrict who can raise funds and for what causes, we believe everyone has the right to fundraise for causes they believe in - even if we may not agree with the cause and so long as it’s legal. 

Myth #5 - No One Cares About My Campaign: At GiveSendGo, we care deeply about every campaign on our platform. Our Hope Team calls every campaign owner on our site to offer support and prayer. NO other crowdfunding platform does that!

So now that you know the truth about crowdfunding, on THIS World Crowdfunding Day, we challenge you to support a campaign by giving to them financially, or sharing their cause with YOUR network, allowing others to be generous as well.
*See GiveSendGo’s Terms of Use