Thursday, August 22, 2013

Crowdfunding Videos Are Often Over- and Under-Emphasized by Devin D. Thorpe


Devin D. Thorpe returns to Uplifting Reads, this time to talk to us about making videos for your Crowdfunding efforts, to help you continue to make your mark on the world.

Crowdfunding videos are an important part of any crowdfunding campaign. My new book, Crowdfunding for Social Good, explains both why the video is the most important thing you post on your crowdfunding page and why the video is not the most important part of your campaign.

The video is the most compelling way you have to connect with the crowd and share your story. You need to motivate the crowd to action by creating a narrative that explains what you hope to accomplish and what threatens it. Then you’ll want to explain how the crowd can help by supporting your campaign.

It is important for you to be authentic in your video. That means, in part, that you need to appear in your video. You want people to connect with you. Video has a unique ability to help people feel like they know you without ever meeting you. You can add power to your video by incorporating images and clips related to your cause so that the crowd not only connects with you but also with your mission.

On the other hand, it is worth noting that many other things combine to be much more important to the success of your campaign. You have to start before you start, that is you have to start raising the money before you launch your campaign. Getting bloggers and media to pay attention to your campaign is also important. Ultimately, your campaign’s success will depend more on things other than the video. Don’t skip it, but don’t waste too much time and resources preparing it.

Learn more about these and other tips for crowdfunding success in Crowdfunding for Social Good.



Crowdfunding for Social Good: Financing Your Mark on the World

by Devin D. Thorpe

Over the last year of writing my Forbes blog, I have had the opportunity to really dig deeply into the world of crowdfunding. I’ve just completed my first draft of my new book, Crowdfunding for Social Good: Financing Your Mark on the World.

The book is a guide to successful crowdfunding for people who want to change the world.

The book is not a sequel to my book, Your Mark On The World, but it is written in the same spirit. I’ve studied a dozens of successful crowdfunding campaigns, interviewing the people behind them to learn their secrets for success.

Devin's Book, Your Mark on the World, was downloaded over 75,000 times and reached the #19 spot on Amazon's free book list--among all free books. It remains on the top 50 free nonfiction books at Amazon.

Available in Paperback


About Devin:

Devin D. Thorpe thinks he is the luckiest person alive. After being “let go” from the best job he’d ever had—as the Chief Financial Officer of the multinational food and beverage company MonaVie—he and his wife ended up living in China for a year where he wrote Your Mark On The World and embarked on the career he’d always wanted yet hadn’t dared dream.

Now, as an author, a popular guest speaker and Forbes contributor, Devin is devoted full time to championing social good. His current life isn’t much like his past.

As an entrepreneur, Devin ran—at separate times—a boutique investment banking firm and a small mortgage company. He served as the Treasurer for the multinational vitamin manufacturer USANA Health Sciences years before becoming CFO for MonaVie. Over his career he led or advised on the successful completion of $500 million in transactions. Devin squeezed in two brief stints in government, including two years working for Jake Garn on the U.S. Senate Banking Committee Staff and another year working for an independent state agency called USTAR, where he helped foster technology entrepreneurship during Governor Jon Huntsman’s administration.

Devin is proud to have graduated from the University of Utah David Eccles School of Business, which recognized him as a Distinguished Alum in 2006. He also earned an MBA at Cornell University where he ran the student newspaper, Cornell Business.

Today, Devin channels the idealism of his youth with the loving support of his wife, Gail. Their son Dayton is a PhD candidate in Physics at UC Berkeley (and Devin rarely misses an opportunity to mention that).

Connect with Devin:
Twitter: @devindthorpe
Google+: devinthorpe.com
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