The world is full of noble endeavors that often need a bit of liquidity to be brought to fruition. Perhaps you’re an entrepreneur who needs help getting your startup off the ground. On the other hand, emergencies or medical bills can strain your finances to the point where you need to ask for help to stay afloat. Sometimes, you need money for a set of awesome new earbuds (we’re not here to judge you). Whatever your monetary needs are, a good way to meet those needs is through a crowdfunding platform like GoFundMe.

Set up your GoFundMe campaign

Now that you’ve decided to ask strangers, friends, and family for money in an online fundraising campaign, how do you go about it? To start, go to www.gofundme.com, make a GoFundMe account, and sign in. Once you’ve taken care of those basics, you can start ironing out the details.

How to set up a GoFundMe campaign on your computer

1. Go to the GoFundMe page and click Start a GoFundMe.

2. Under Where are you located, enter the country and location where you want the funds to go. A GoFundMe campaign can only be started by residents of Canada, the United States (but not its territories), and a handful of European countries.
3. In the What best describes why you’re fundraising section, pick one of the categories that closely matches your intent. This helps GoFundMe deliver your fundraiser to users on its platform.
4. When you’re all set, click Continue.

5. Select who you’re fundraising for: yourself, someone else, or a charity. We’ll set up a GoFundMe for a nonprofit charity, but the process for doing it for yourself or someone else is the same. Select Charity.

6. Search for and select the charity you wish to support, then click Continue.

7. Enter your fundraising goal. You don’t have to reach your goal for the funds to be made available in your bank account, and you can change your goal amount anytime.
8. Click Continue when you’re ready to move on.

9. Upload an image or video for your campaign. Images must be JPG, PNG, or BMP, and videos must be recorded in the GoFundMe mobile app or publicly hosted on YouTube.
10. When you’re all set, click Continue.

11. Give your campaign a title and a description. This is where you convince people why they should give money.
12. Click Continue when you’re done.

13. Confirm your choices and click Complete fundraiser.

How to set up a GoFundMe campaign on your phone

If you’re setting up a GoFundMe campaign on your phone, the steps are in a different order but are essentially the same.

1. Download the app and open an account.
2. Go to the Discover tab and tap Start a GoFundMe.
3. Give your fundraiser a title and description.
4. Tap Continue.

5. Enter your fundraising goal, what kind of fundraiser you’re creating, and where you’re fundraising from.
6. Tap Continue when you’re ready.
7. Add a photo to your campaign.
8. Tap Complete fundraiser.

Congratulations, you now have a fundraiser! Now what?

How to take your campaign to the next level

Now that you have a GoFundMe set up, it’s time to take the initiative to put it in front of people and convince them to donate to your cause. That means you need to make your campaign page stand out from the crowd.

Start with coming up with a catchy fundraiser title. Invoke your inner SEO guru here and use keywords that make your page easy to find for potential donors. Browse through other GoFundMe fundraising pages on the site to find inspiration. Don’t forget to spell-check it.

Just as important as the title is your fundraiser story. This is where you’ll sell your fundraising campaign to the world. Why are you starting a crowdfunding campaign? If it’s for a loved one or a family member, use their name, and don’t be afraid to get into details. Be sure to talk about your reason for seeking online donations. The point is to make people care about your cause.

Make sure you use a high-quality cover photo (check out these tips on taking great photos with your phone) and fill your campaign page with relevant photos. If your fundraiser is for a person, include photos of them that tell your story and establish an emotional connection.

Take your campaign social

The most important thing is to engage with your donors and potential donors on GoFundMe and social media. Your campaign page should have post updates as your campaign progresses. Send out thank you notes to individual donors. When people feel connected to your cause, they’re more willing to give.

If you want to spread the news about your GoFundMe campaign beyond the popular social media platforms, look into some of the other social apps to reach a larger audience and make incredible connections.