You can pitch to your matched funds via your Project Dashboard once you have completed the basic project information. A good pitch is vital to give you the best chance of receiving a pledge.
Spacehive partners across the country with councils, companies and foundations which want to support crowdfunding campaigns. They put funding pots on Spacehive which project creators are matched with depending on the type of project they have, and where they are located in the country.
These funds can significantly boost campaigns, as they can potentially pledge significant amounts. However, unlike your regular members of the crowd, you will first need to appeal directly to them in order to be considered.
Spacehive makes this easy - we integrate their funding applications onto our platform so that you can do all of this through your Project Dashboard.
Step 1: Get matched
Once you've filled in the basic project information, you'll see this tab on the left hand side of your Project Dashboard called 'Funds'. If you click on this, it'll show which funds you have been matched with. Click on each fund to find out more information and start pitching. Please note that the Project Owner must submit the final version of the pitch.
Step 2: Pitch
This short video walks you through the process of pitching to a fund:
Step 3. Getting a pledge
Once your crowdfunding campaign is live, the funds you have pitched to will be notified and they will then keep an eye on your campaign. After around 4 weeks they will review your pitch and see how your campaign is going. The power of crowdfunding lies in bringing individuals, organisations, businesses and councils together to make local places better. When deciding who to pledge to, funders are looking for evidence of community engagement and backing. So you really should aim to run the best campaign possible and have a solid number of backers.
If you are successful in your pitch, the fund will pledge to your campaign. Woo! If you haven’t been selected, they’ll be in touch to let you know. Some pledges may come with terms and conditions, which you can choose whether or not to accept before receiving their pledge.
Remember, most funds do not pledge the full amount to take you to the finishing line. You will likely still need to crowdfund the remaining amount. You should leverage the fact that you have received a pledge from a big fund to try and attract new backers!