The popularity of crowdfunding has skyrocketed in recent years, thanks to the success of platforms like Kickstarter and Indiegogo. However, with so many live projects competing for attention on these sites, it can be challenging to stand out. That’s where creating a WordPress site for your project comes in. With a self-hosted WordPress installation and a free plugin, you can allow your audience to fund your project directly. In this article, we’ll explore the benefits of using your WordPress site for crowdfunding and show you how to use the WP Crowdfunding plugin to turn your site into a fundraising platform.
What is Crowdfunding?
Crowdfunding is a method of raising money for a product or service by accepting donations from backers. The process involves pitching your project, and individuals or businesses (backers or investors) can provide the money you need to launch it. Crowdfunding offers several benefits, including upfront funds to help develop your product or service, efficiency compared to traditional funding, social proof and traction for your product or service, brainstorming from backers and donors to refine your original project idea, and better media exposure and marketing for your project. Crowdfunding is suitable for various projects, including physical products, digital products like games or mobile apps, and film and television projects.
Introducing the WP Donation WordPress Plugin
WP Crowdfunding is a WooCommerce-based plugin that enables you to create a crowdfunding site using WordPress. The plugin is available for free and includes a paid version that unlocks more features. The primary benefit of this plugin is that it separates you from the thousands of others competing on major crowdfunding sites. This means you control every facet of the process and don’t have to deal with potential contenders on the same platform. Key features of the plugin include dedicated user registration, the ability to declare a funding goal and define recommended prices, options to display backers on a single page or list them anonymously, a native wallet system to calculate, record, and distribute funds (premium), and alternative systems of payment, such as PayPal Adaptive and Stripe Connect (premium). The plugin is free, and you can download it from the WordPress plugin directory. For more features, there is a premium version available for $149.
How to Use the WP Crowdfunding Plugin (In 3 Steps)
Step 1: Download and Install WP Crowdfunding
To get started, download and install the WP Crowdfunding plugin from the WordPress plugin directory. Once installed, activate the plugin. You will see a notification in your dashboard to install WooCommerce if you haven’t already done so. Install and activate WooCommerce if you haven’t done so already.
Step 2: WooCommerce & WP Crowdfunding Plugin Settings
Once you’ve activated both plugins, you will see two new menu items in your dashboard: one for WooCommerce and another for Crowdfunding. Set up WooCommerce first, defining your currency, location, shipping settings, and payment settings. Then move on to setting up WP Crowdfunding. General settings include choosing your e-commerce handler, setting the default draft or published state for new projects, setting a minimum and maximum donation amount, setting a recommended donation amount, and choosing what triggers the end of your campaign (goal, date, both, never). You can also specify customized pages for your dashboard front end and submission form page and edit the Campaign Creator settings if you have multiple users with access to the backend of your website. WooCommerce settings include configuring options specific to your WooCommerce setup, choosing whether or not to display your crowdfunding project on your WooCommerce shop page, setting your listing and registration pages, customizing your submission form with various text fields, and deciding what your pages will look like and include. Style settings allow you to customize your crowdfunding pages and forms with built-in options for color scheme and button styling. Social share settings enable social sharing via Twitter, Facebook, Google+, Pinterest, and LinkedIn.
Step 3: Create a WP Crowdfunding Campaign
To create a campaign, add campaigns yourself directly via WooCommerce by selecting the “Crowdfunding” product data type and adding your information. Then add a new page to your WordPress site and select the type of form you’d like to create from the Shortcode drop-down menu. Configure the campaign with general information about the project, pledge amounts, and rewards, and click on Submit Campaign.
Conclusion
Creating a crowdfunding website using WordPress enables you to build campaigns as small or large as you desire and have complete control over every aspect. With the help of WP Crowdfunding, you can have your own fundraising website that encourages your community to fund and promote your project. The plugin is easy to use and offers several features that make it stand out from other crowdfunding platforms. If you have any questions about using WP Crowdfunding to create your project website, let us know in the comments section below!
