To help you get the funding you need, first ensure that you've created a worthy fundraiser. You should have a thorough description that explains your cause, offer rewards if appropriate and try to include a video.

Once you’re sure that your on-site project content is top-notch, you need to start thinking about promoting your project.

Exceptional projects can get donations from total strangers but most projects are funded by people that are in your network and your networks’ network.

Our site has all the features you need to encourage donations, but you still need to work to get others to part with their cash. Creating a project is not a set-and-forget endeavor.

Here are our tips on promoting your project. Your goal should be to build through these stages and become an advanced fundraiser!

Basic Fundraiser:

• Send a personal message to your close friends and family telling them about your fundraiser so that they can be first to donate and get the momentum going. Ask them to spread the message within their social networks.

• Tell people about your project through your own social networks. Don’t bombard people with messages but send out at least three of four notices throughout the duration of your fundraiser.

• If you have a website or blog, get more exposure through those mediums. Similarly, if you have a Facebook page or other way of contacting relevant circles of people, spread the message.

 Intermediate Fundraiser:

• Contact relevant online communities that may be interested in your fundraiser. You could engage with like-minded people on a relevant forum or website. Contact blogs that are related to your project and see if they’re interested in writing about your fundraiser.

• Take your project offline and meet up with people. You can host events, phone people you know and others that can help, distribute flyers and essentially create real connections with people.

 Advanced Fundraiser:

• By contacting the press you have the ability to get exposure to a huge number of people, many of who could turn into your backers. Therefore, contact your local newspaper, TV and radio stations to tell them about your fundraiser and why it’s worth their attention. The media love covering projects that are based on personal stories.

• Create viral and share-worthy material. Consider creating a weird, wonderful or wacky video that could go viral. Consider guerilla-marketing tactics that will draw loads of attention at little cost. Like how the T-Mobile dancing flash mobs got the attention of masses! Be creative and think out of the box.