Businesses Offered Free Crowdfunding To Keep Afloat

Published on: 27 May, 2020
Updated on: 28 May, 2020

By Hugh Coakley

Businesses and organisations are being offered the chance to “raise essential funds to ensure success when normality returns” by making advanced sales through crowdfunding, says Experience Guildford.

The Boileroom crowdfunded more than £35,000 in just two months by selling advanced tickets, incentives and merchandising.

Small businesses could pre-sell services such as meals, events or hotel bookings for cash now on a promise that people can redeem the services at a later date.

Experience Guildford, working with Crowdfunder and Enterprise Nation, has had lots of interest in the scheme from its more than 500 subscribing businesses.

Fundraising, training and support under the Pay It Forward campaign will be provided free during the crisis.

The success of The Boileroom (see The Boileroom crowdfunds to survive coronavirus crisis), that crowdfunded more than £35,000 in just two months by selling advanced tickets, incentives and merchandising, was seen as a great example of how it could be done.

Dom Fraser, The Boileroom’s director and founder, gave a webinar talk yesterday (Tuesday, May 26) to Guildford businesses describing just what was needed for a good outcome.

Liv Pattullo, project manager at Experience Guildford, said she wanted to encourage businesses to give it a go, saying: “There are plenty of resources available to help you get set up and support you through the full life cycle of your campaign.”