I can't take all the credit for my online fundraising success these past ten years. I've been fortunate to partner with some wonderful people and organizations. I encourage you to be open to receiving help and collaborating with others for achieving maximum fundraising success.

We'll talk about how your thinking will directly influence your fundraising success for the better or worse. It's natural to be a bit scared trying online fundraising for the first time and many worry that they not only won't reach their goal, but that they'll be embarrassed to fail online in a public space. I'll help you overcome these fears and take you by the hand so we can move forward to get your cause the help it needs and deserves, thanks to YOUR amazing efforts.

Here’s a list and action plan for you to download to help get you mentally prepared to start your online fundraising adventure. Here you’ll also take stock of your current resources, potential helpers, and potential donors.

First thing's first. A successful project is a well defined project. Who are you raising money for, why do they need help, and how might potential donors relate to this situation so they are inspired to give?

How to choose the most effective fundraising goal and a timeframe to raise it in.

Sometimes the more hopeless your cause (the money is needed immediately!) the more you will get the support you need QUICK.

Learn about Kickstarter, Indiegogo, Gofundme, Firstgiving/Justgiving, and Cause-Specific Crowdfunding Platforms and Which One to Use

You don’t NEED to use a crowdfunding website, though it certainly is much easier to use an existing platform. If you want to raise funds from your own website, then lectures 11-13 are for you. It’s how I got started as well, though that’s just because crowdfunding websites hadn’t been invented yet back in 2004.

If you want to avoid the time/ money headaches that come with setting up your own non-profit, then I suggest you work with existing larger organizations so you can offer tax deductions and other perks through them. Here are some tips for reaching out to them.

If you are raising funds from your own website, you’ll need a secure, transparent, trusted, and reliable way to collect donations. Here I’ll get into the pro’s and cons of using a Paypal donation button as well as other resources.

The way you write your project description can make or break your fundraising success. Here I’ll show you the do’s and don’ts for this all important step in the project creation process.

Images can be even more important than text in terms of getting your audience to become emotionally involved in your cause. I’ll get into some important tips for choosing the most powerful images that will help deliver donations.

Our color choices can also make or break your project. Let me help you choose colors that will inspire trust and confidence in your project so that donors will dig deep to help you achieve your fundraising goal.

If you are using an online crowdfunding website, it’s often crucial to have an engaging video. It also doesn’t hurt to make a video if you are raising funds on your own website. I’ll discuss the best ways to approach the fundraising video, when you need to have one, and when it’s just optional.

I’ll discuss the big T word: TRANSPARENCY as well as how you can use gifts or perks to encourage donations in the crowdfunding sites as well as using them when raising funds from your own website.

You can’t just set up a fundraising project, put it online, and forget about it. The next crucial step is reaching out to potential donors through a very carefully worded letter via email and social media.

This is a sample letter from a former successful Aura's House campaign. Please use this as a guide only and make sure YOUR letter is relevant and meaningful to your specific cause and is written for YOUR target audience for maximum effect.

This is a sample letter from a former successful Aura's House campaign. Please use this as a guide only and make sure YOUR  letter is relevant and meaningful to your specific cause and is written  for YOUR target audience for maximum effect.

I’ll cover how you can take the text from your email fundraising letter and modify it for maximum success for various social media platforms and potential donor outreach.

How to best keep your donors in the loop as well as encouraging donors who didn’t respond to your first fundraising letter or social media update.

Learn whom you should approach first and hear my story about not taking my own advice back in 2004 when I did my first project for Aura. (Luckily it worked out anyway…)

Learn whom to ask for help next. This is a tough one for those shy about asking for money but I’ll explain why it’s worth leaving your comfort zone to benefit your cause.

Discover how employers, companies, or organizations can be your best friend for maximizing donations.

Let market research and data guide you when choosing the best day and time for asking for fundraising support. We’ll also talk about donation fluctuations based on times of the year and in response to current events.

Why it’s worth also reaching out to people you’ve never met before to back your cause. My story and tips.

What to do once your campaign launches and things are going well so that the momentum continues.

It can happen to the best of us. What to do if your project never took off or slowed down after the first wave of momentum. (And how this can actually be the BEST thing to ever happen to your project…)

Here are my very best tips and tricks for getting donors on board and ready to dig deep into their pockets to benefit your cause.

In this current economic funk, it makes more sense than ever to not put all your eggs in one basket. Why not experiment with creating several or more income generation streams and start creatively earning money using online tools?