How Do I Write a Good Text for My Crowdfunding Campaign?
Do you want to start a crowdfunding campaign and are looking for the best tips for your text? Read our article before you write your crowdfunding text and optimise your campaign.
Redaktion
betterplace.me
Reading time: 8 min
Updated: 14.01.2025
Are you looking for the right words to start your fundraiser? A compelling crowdfunding text is the key to inspiring people to support your cause. We'll show you how to tell your story in a way that touches people and encourages them to take action. At the end of the article, you'll also find a handy template to help you with your writing when collecting donations for private individuals or social and activist initiatives.
Our Tips for a Good Campaign Text
Whether you are just starting out, want to revise your text or your campaign is already running – our tips will help you get the most out of your donation appeal. The most important thing: be transparent and honest! And if you need more support, a template for your crowdfunding text is available at the end of the article.
Our tips for a good text for your donation appeal at a glance:
Our tips for a good text for your donation appeal at a glance:
- Be transparent
- Tell your story
- Use a catchy title
- Use a meaningful photo for your campaign
- Answer the W-questions
- Structure your text
- Avoid long and complicated sentences
- Use strong verbs
- Don't forget to proofread
- Get feedback
- For sensitive topics: Ask an outsider for help
- Do you want your campaign text in multiple languages?
- Template for your crowdfunding text
Be Transparent
Transparency and honesty are very important for the success of your crowdfunding campaign – whether you collect money for a private person or an activist or social initiative. People want to know what they are donating money for and what will happen with it. The more precisely you can describe why and for what you need the money, the more people will feel addressed to donate money to you.
For example, let's say you are collecting donations for a special operation that is not covered by health insurance. In this case, explain why you urgently need this treatment and why health insurance does not cover the costs.
Then break down the amount you need as best you can. For example, don't just write that you need €15,000, but explain how the amount is made up. For example: €7,000 for surgery, €3,000 for rehabilitation costs, €3,000 for special medication and aids, €2,000 for childcare while you are in hospital, etc.
For example, let's say you are collecting donations for a special operation that is not covered by health insurance. In this case, explain why you urgently need this treatment and why health insurance does not cover the costs.
Then break down the amount you need as best you can. For example, don't just write that you need €15,000, but explain how the amount is made up. For example: €7,000 for surgery, €3,000 for rehabilitation costs, €3,000 for special medication and aids, €2,000 for childcare while you are in hospital, etc.
Tell Your Story
For a successful fundraising campaign, it is important that people know who you are and what your story is. For example, if you are raising funds for a wheelchair-accessible conversion, tell the story of why the conversion is urgently needed now, what happened before and how the conversion would change your life for the better. Feel free to get emotional! Often, campaign starters are worried about ‘pushing the tearjerker’ too much. However, it is important to include emotions in your campaign text, because emotions connect people. The better and more soulfully you tell your story, the more people will be able to empathise with you and support you with a donation.
Use a Catchy Title
Your title is the first thing people see on your donation page, on social media and in messages – so it counts for a lot! Here are some tips:
- Keep it between 10-50 characters and make sure it is clear, catchy and unique.
- Include the name of the person being supported or the location, especially for causes with high levels of attention (such as natural disasters).
- The title should be easy to understand without knowing the context. Avoid abbreviations that not everyone is familiar with.
- A good title tells a story and explains what the crowdfunding is about.
- Ask yourself: would you want to share the title on your social media channels, for example?
- Try to spark curiosity or a willingness to take action. Examples:
- ‘Legal Costs: Justice for Amad’
- ‘Help Ewa with Her Unwanted Pregnancy’
Pro tip: Consider 5-10 title ideas and get feedback from friends.
Use a Meaningful Photo for Your Campaign
A meaningful campaign photo is very important for a successful fundraising campaign. The photo should match your text; perhaps you have a good photo of yourself or the purpose of the donation. Make sure that the photo is of good quality and not blurry. Campaign photos on betterplace.me are always square, but you can easily crop a larger image to fit. The recommended size is at least 600 x 600 pixels.
Collages with multiple photos are less suitable – especially on a smartphone, you can often only see a small part of the collage. Only use photos that are suitable for children. Your photos should be appropriate for all age groups and not violate our terms of use.
You can find the five most important tips for the optimal photo for your donation campaign in detail in our blog article.
If you don't have your own suitable photo, you might find one for your campaign in the Pexels, Pixabay or Unsplash database.
Collages with multiple photos are less suitable – especially on a smartphone, you can often only see a small part of the collage. Only use photos that are suitable for children. Your photos should be appropriate for all age groups and not violate our terms of use.
You can find the five most important tips for the optimal photo for your donation campaign in detail in our blog article.
If you don't have your own suitable photo, you might find one for your campaign in the Pexels, Pixabay or Unsplash database.
Answer the W-Questions
Sometimes you can't see the forest for the trees. And especially in an emergency situation, it's easy to forget to tell important details. Therefore, make sure that you answer the most important questions in your text for your donation call right at the beginning:
- Who are you or for whom are you collecting the money?
- Why do you need the donations and what will the money be used for?
- When do you need the donations by?
Structure Your Text
A text without headings and paragraphs is difficult for readers to grasp. Most of them won't read any further. That's why it's important to structure your text.
Start by writing a summary of your request with the most important points. After that, you can tell your story in detail. Divide your text into paragraphs. You can also emphasise important points by making them bold or in italics. This will help the reader to see at a glance what is most important to you. Bullet points, for example for the individual items for which you would like to use the donations, can also help to make your text clearer.
If you are writing a longer text, you can also help the reader by using subheadings.
Start by writing a summary of your request with the most important points. After that, you can tell your story in detail. Divide your text into paragraphs. You can also emphasise important points by making them bold or in italics. This will help the reader to see at a glance what is most important to you. Bullet points, for example for the individual items for which you would like to use the donations, can also help to make your text clearer.
If you are writing a longer text, you can also help the reader by using subheadings.
Avoid Long and Complicated Sentences
The German language in particular encourages the use of long, convoluted sentences. However, these are difficult to understand and disrupt the flow of reading. Therefore, it is better to write short and understandable sentences. Ideally, a sentence should never extend beyond two lines. If you find a long, convoluted sentence in your text, just consider whether you could perhaps split it into two sentences.
Use Strong Verbs
Use strong verbs in your text. They evoke emotions and bring sentences to life. Readers can then much better imagine what it is about. This is because strong verbs not only express an action, but also describe the way it happens. For example, the verbs ‘to sneak’, ‘to strut’, ‘to stride’, ‘to march’ express much more than ‘to walk’.
Don't Forget Proofreading
Spelling and punctuation are often forgotten. A campaign text with many mistakes quickly appears untrustworthy, even if you have otherwise paid attention to all the points. This is a shame and can be easily avoided. Don't worry: you don't have to know all the rules yourself. Most writing programs such as Word have an integrated spellchecker that you can easily use. Or ask friends and family for help.
Get Feedback
You have written your campaign text and are satisfied. Before you put the text online, send it to good friends or family members with the request for feedback. Because often you don't even notice that you have forgotten an important point or that something remains unclear. Ask your feedback providers to evaluate:
- Is the text understandable?
- Is there a central theme?
- Are there aspects you are missing/is something unclear?
You can also use our preview mode on betterplace.me for this – readers can then see what the campaign will look like before it is visible to everyone. As a campaign starter, you will end up in preview mode after creating your campaign. You can send the link to friends with a request for feedback, but your campaign will not yet appear in searches and donations will not be possible. When you are satisfied, activate your campaign by adding payment methods.
For Sensitive Topics: Please Ask Someone Outside the Situation to Help You
In urgent emergencies or with very emotional topics, such as serious illnesses or death, you as the person affected have enough to deal with. That's why it's important to take care of yourself. If you need donations in an urgent emergency situation but are already at your emotional limits, please ask someone outside the situation to support you. Someone else can also create a donation request for you and collect money for you in their name. Or they can simply help you create the text. In emotional emergencies, it is sometimes difficult to think clearly and in a structured way, and having to recount the emergency again can be traumatic. So never be afraid to ask someone for help with creating a donation request!
Do You Want Your Campaign Text in Multiple Languages?
Many people who start a campaign want to offer their text in several languages. To keep it clear, it makes sense to point out at the beginning of the campaign text that another language will follow below. For example: ‘English version below’. Then you can have your German text translated using DeepL, for example, and copy the translated text below the German version.
Conclusion
With a few simple tricks, you can quickly improve your crowdfunding text. It's best to go through the checklist step by step and then revise your text. If possible, always get feedback from others – you will usually get very valuable suggestions.
As an additional aid, we have created a template that you can use to help you with your text. Even if you have already written a text and your crowdfunding is already online, you can use the template to optimise your campaign text retrospectively.
We have also selected donation appeals that were successful with good texts and transparency. Take a look and be inspired:
As an additional aid, we have created a template that you can use to help you with your text. Even if you have already written a text and your crowdfunding is already online, you can use the template to optimise your campaign text retrospectively.
We have also selected donation appeals that were successful with good texts and transparency. Take a look and be inspired:
- Oskar wants a helper on four paws
- Vertical lift for a single-family house
- Help, I have been the victim of agitation and racism
- Together for Amalia/ 7 years
- Support for ‘das Hoven’ - Queer & Friends
- Frankfurt says no to the payment card
- Berlin Collective Action: Nightlife Emergency Fund
The Template for Your Crowdfunding Text
Write a convincing description in just a few steps. The most important thing is to be transparent and honest. Use this template for a simple structure for your crowdfunding and customise it with your content to quickly collect donations privately:
1. Salutation
Start with a salutation that addresses people personally and in their identity. For example:
1. Salutation
Start with a salutation that addresses people personally and in their identity. For example:
- Dear friends and colleagues of [insert name]
- Dear residents of [insert city name]
- Dear employees of [insert company name]
2. Introduction and Presentation
Introduce yourself briefly and state the purpose of your campaign. For example:
‘I am [insert your name here] and I'm raising funds for [briefly state your request here].’
3. The Summary of Your Story – Answer the W-Questions
Summarise the most important points in 2-3 sentences (Who, What, Why, When, Where). Indicate if there is a deadline in case donations are urgently needed.
4. The Full Story – Describe the Details and Costs
Tell your story in more detail here in 2 to 4 paragraphs – why is the cause important and what exactly will the money be used for? A simple overview of the costs helps donors to understand how their contribution will be used.
5. Conclusion
Thank your readers warmly and encourage them to donate and share your campaign.
FAQs for Writing a Good Text for Your Crowdfunding Campaign
What Should I Definitely Bear in Mind when Writing My Campaign Text?
The most important thing is to be transparent and honest about what you need the donations for and how much. Tell your story and break down as precisely as possible what your fundraising goal consists of.
How Can I Improve My Text even further?
Make sure that your text is structured with different paragraphs so that it is easy to read. You can write the most important information right at the beginning, summarise it and describe it in more detail as the text progresses. It is also important that there are no spelling mistakes in the text. Therefore, if possible, have your text proofread by someone else. Also take a look at our short template for a good text to get you started quickly.
What Are the Most Common Mistakes Made in Crowdfunding Campaigns?
The most common mistakes include texts that are too short, a lack of transparency about how the money raised will be used, and too little personal history. Avoid these mistakes by being transparent about what you need the money for and by telling your personal story in detail. Feel free to explain in more detail what your campaign is about and avoid texts that are too short.
Where Can I Get Help Writing My Campaign Text?
Many reasons for donating are emotionally challenging. Often, you need donations when you are in the midst of an emotional crisis. If you feel overwhelmed or ashamed about asking others for money, don't be afraid to ask friends or family for support. It is often easier for an outsider to formulate a suitable text – or start the campaign.
