IFWOC Crowdfunding Accelerator Resource Hub
Welcome to the IFWOC Crowdfunding Accelerator Program! As a participant of the program, we are going to help your cohort prep, launch, and execute successful crowdfunding campaigns with the support of the IFW's team of business coaches.. Within this Resource Hub, you will find all of the tools you can leverage throughout the program.
Throughout the program, you will be able to tune into weekly learning sessions with experts who will coach you through the IFW Method for raising funds.
Throughout the program, you will be able to attend weekly office hours with the IFWOC Team.
In this course, you will learn how to raise the most money possible through crowdfunding, how to pitch like a pro, and marketing tactics that are applicable to crowdfunding and your business in general.
Throughout the program, you'll be able to access PDF's, resource docs, and live replays of all of the IFW workshops. We've also included articles & resources curated by the IFW team on our most asked about topics.
Throughout the program, you'll be able to connect with your fellow cohort members in a private channel inside of IFW’s Community Slack network.
The IFW Method Playbook is an end-to-end campaign planner: pitch honing, network mapping, rewards P&L, and marketing planner. This will be your crowdfunding bible during your campaign. Make a copy to edit your own version!
Use this progress tracker to ensure you hit your weekly crowdfunding campaign prep goals. Be sure to keep this sheet updated to keep yourself accountable!
Crowdfunding 101
We can’t wait to meet you! Join us on Thursday for Crowdfunding 101 and Office Hours during your first week to learn how to leverage IFW to crowdfund and to meet other cohort members!
Over the next few months, we’re going to help you prep, launch and execute a successful crowdfunding campaign. Crowdfunding should be the first stop on your funding journey. It’s a low-risk, efficient path to getting a startup, small business, nonprofit, or side hustle off the ground without going into debt or giving up equity. This week we’re going to walk you through the IFW Method, so you can start thinking about how to crowdfund for your biz.
This week’s resources:
Goal setting
Before we go deeper into the IFW Method, it’s important to set measurable, attainable, and well-aligned goals is the key to success. This week we’re walking you through our goal setting process so you have a clear picture of where you’re headed.
This week’s resources:
Pitch honing
This week is all about the pitch. When preparing for your crowdfunding campaign, the first and most important exercise is honing your pitch. As a Founder, it is your job to be able to articulate the mission of your company and the problem your product/service is solving, making sure whoever is listening fully understands why your business needs to exist. A perfect pitch is not only extremely valuable for your crowdfunding campaign, but it’s also critical to getting your first customers, and eventually securing your next round of funding after your campaign.
This week’s resources:
Page Design
It's time to get creative! It's so important to produce high-quality content for not only your crowdfunding campaign but for your business as a whole. During these next two weeks, we'll walk you through tools you can use to DIY your creative and you'll start bringing it all to life.
This week’s resources:
Network mapping
The most successful entrepreneurs spend a lot of time cultivating a network of supporters for their business. This is one of the keys to success in both crowdfunding, but also business in general. It’s also crucial to build a community of loyal and engaged customers. This week, you will learn some specific tactics that you can use to build up your own personal and professional network and cultivate a community around your business.
This week’s resources:
- Tune in to your weekly learning sessions. RSVP here
- Watch Lesson 3 of The IFW Method eCourse
- Watch some of the network building workshops in our library:
- Building the network you need to grow your business
- Building a professional network in your industry
- Building and monetizing an online community
- Creating Customer Personas
- Keep mapping your network in your IFW Method Playbook
- Join our weekly Office Hours (Thursday @ 1:30PM ET).
Rewards strategy
This week is all about rewards. Crowdfunding rewards are the products and services you offer through your crowdfunding campaign, at different price points, in exchange for monetary contribution from your funders. A well-planned rewards strategy can supercharge your campaign as your rewards should be a) things people actually want, and b) priced correctly. We’ll also bring in some past crowdfunders to discuss how they built their rewards strategy, what worked and what didn’t.
This week’s resources:
Marketing strategy
Crowdfunding is an exercise in sales and marketing, so knowing who your audience is, where they are, and how to talk to them is critical to succeeding at marketing. These next two weeks we’ll walk through sales funnels, marketing tactics and making the ask.
This week’s resources:
Campaign launch sprint
The last few weeks leading up to your campaign launch are your opportunity to leverage your learning sessions and office hours to finalize each part of the IFW Method.
This week’s resources:
- Join our weekly Office Hours (Thursdays @ 1:30 PM ET).
- Start teasing out your campaign so your network knows it's coming. Refer back to Lesson 6 of the eCourse for marketing ideas.
- Leverage the Workshop Library for support on all the topics you need to know about.
Campaign launches
Each participant will receive their launch date in advance. An incognito launch means you’re sharing your campaign with your close network before going public. So much of crowdfunding is about the optics so being able to launch publicly with money in the bank will help set you up for success.
This week’s resources:
- Join our weekly Office Hours (Thursday @ 1:30PM ET).
- Leverage the Workshop Library for support on all the topics you need to know about.
IFWOC Crowdfunding Accelerator
IFWOC was launched in January 2020 to close the funding gap for women of color founders. We know that crowdfunding is the only reliable source of debt-free capital for early-stage founders. But it takes work.
Over the course of 8 weeks, we are going to help a cohort of 30 IFWOC members prep, launch, and execute successful crowdfunding campaigns with the support of the IFW's team of business coaches.
Connect with your cohort today!