“But why would complete strangers pay for your trip abroad?”, was my jealous question for a musician friend Anurag Shanker of the Bombay Acoustic People (BAP). He was busy packing his bags for an epic jazz excursion across Europe following the Jazzahead Music Conference in Germany. I could tell his excitement from having raised Rs 3 Lac for it, all through crowdfunding.
The new age concept of getting a ‘crowd’ to fund your travel dream is catching on with India’s young and restless. Despite the traditional stigma attached to borrowing money, crowdfunding is turning out to be a great tool with not much of a catch.
You Gotta GIVE Somethin’ to GET Somethin’
My second envious enquiry was obviously, “How did you do it?”. Anurag agreed to spell it out while sharing details of his own success. First thing’s first- crowdfunding isn’t charity!
A majority of crowdfunded campaigns involve some level of philanthropy ranging from volunteering to performing gigs at local hubs through your journey. That’s what BAP will be doing across Berlin, Amsterdam, Vienna and Paris.
Have a Realistic Goal
Travel fundraising is about funding an experience, not a product. BAP chalked out how much they’ll need for their dream trip and kept it real. What they’re willing to do in return for a contribution literally ranges from setting up an exclusive jamming session in your house to giving away an easy-to-download free album of their bestselling tracks. Their campaign page on Wishberry.com clearly shows their target and where they stand.
TIP- Don’t be greedy! Donors are smarter than what you would want to believe!
Are You Legit?
What would someone who doesn’t know you actually pay you for? You gotta sell your idea. Anurag thinks nothing works better than a short pitch video. So log onto a crowdfunding platform and detail out your purpose, target and rewards. Check out Wishberry, Fundlined, Fund Dreams India, BitGiving and Ketto to get started. Don’t forget to spread the word via social media.
TIP- Websites charge a nominal fee for hosting your campaign so pick the right one for your idea.
Keep People Engaged
Update your contributors about how you’re using their contribution. Word of mouth is crucial. BAP raised Rs 3 Lac from 61 contributors.
TIP- Most of your donors might be family and friends. You’ll need to throw a wider net if you need a maha fund.
Get Started
The concept of crowdfunding is fairly new in India. So it’s the perfect time to jump on it. All you really need is a purpose, internet connectivity and most importantly, the intent to do some good. That’s not too hard right!
BAP is off to a great start and Anurag reveals confidently that the trick to crowdfunding is campaigning for your own passions and in the process you’ll end up doing something worthwhile for others too. So get cracking.
TIP- Check out BAP’s campaign on Wishberry and get started on your own!
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)