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Gaia Gives Crowdfunding Accelerator

9.6

(19 ratings)

·

3 Weeks

·

Cohort-based Course

Turn your project into a successful crowdfunding campaign. Learn tactics and frameworks to appeal to the next generation of changemakers!

Hosted by

Arko Hoondert and Shary Kleiman

Worked with 60+ impact orgs and raised €250m+ for social good.

Course overview

Design and launch your first crowdfunding campaign on Gaia Gives.

Our times are evolving, and so are givers! We want to help you understand and appeal to millennial audiences.


Not enough NGO professionals adapt to the younger generations and carry out the hard work a new type of giver, the social good investor, demands from them. Many are too busy being heads-down within their organizations and often overlook recent market trends.


The next generations of givers are upon us and are expecting returns on their investments. Join Gaia Gives to turn your projects from ideas to reality while collaborating with a new generation of givers.


In this course, you will design, launch and grow your first crowdfunding campaign on Gaia Gives and go live ready to raise.

This course is for...

01

FUNDRAISING PROFESSIONALS

who want to learn how to create a successful crowdfunding campaign on Gaia Gives.

02

IMPACT WORKERS

that need to fund important projects to reach their impact goals.

03

INNOVATORS

who take on the challenge to be radically transparent and appeal to the next generation of givers.

After taking this course you'll...

Have a crowdfunding campaign ready to go 🚀

After taking this course, you'll have your first project up and running before July 1st.

Own a marketing toolkit 🛠️

You'll learn how to use the tools provided to market your campaign to a millennial audience and make it a success.

Have a close-knit community of fellow fundraising professionals 👱🏼‍♀️👨🏽‍🦱👩🏾

Classmates can become your “Sparring Partners” with which to share new experiences or pilot new ideas. You'll build friendships working in breakouts and find 2-3 "thought partners" with whom you'll want to continue discussing projects after the course.

Appeal to younger generations 💖

Gaia Gives is a crowdfunding platform for a new generation of philanthropists. 

It's for young professionals who are tired of bureaucracy and want to incite change by demanding a return on their investments. It targets millennials who want “proof of impact."

Receive donations like it’s 2023 ✨

Step into the world of Web 3, Crypto donations, and blockchain technology.


Receive donations like it’s 2023 - through Paypal, Visa, or Metamask. We currently accept all ETH, Polygon, and BNB chain tokens.

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Gaia Gives Crowdfunding Accelerator

9.6

(19 ratings)

Hear what other changemakers say...

        This was an incredible opportunity for so many reasons. The community of wonderful support from the Gaia team + the other project founders. We were given so many useful and brilliant tools to really navigate the difficult task of launching a big project campaign. I am so grateful for all the big hearts involved and would recommend it to anyone.
Brittni Hagen

Brittni Hagen

Uniendo Mundos Aqui Collective (Guatemala)
        This course was amazing. I didn't know much about nonprofit marketing before taking the Crowdfunding Accelerator, but they really walked us through everything, from identifying your audience to developing project milestones. Highly recommended for any nonprofit founder who wants to grow their organization!
Brittany Polat

Brittany Polat

Co-founder and President at Stoicare (USA)
        I found it mindblowing that we, in very little time, got so much skill and knowledge. We especially loved the personal note and attention. You really get attention and feel heard. We loved it and will def recommend you guys.
Chrissy van der Linden & Stefano Bajak

Chrissy van der Linden & Stefano Bajak

Founders of Save the Paradise Foundation (Ecuador)
        Very well structured and articulated. I experienced a wealth of knowledge that was shared, which is extremely helpful in creating a crowdfunding campaign.
Michael Kraus

Michael Kraus

Director of Social Media at Unify (USA)
        This is an excellent opportunity for any fundraiser new to online crowdfunding!
Kim Nielsen

Kim Nielsen

Head of Stakeholder Engagement at Edulution (Zambia & SA)

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Schedule of live workshops

~4 hrs/week (all sessions are recorded)
  • Pre-work: Crowdfunding Mechanics

    Start - Finish

    • Learn the crowdfunding fundamentals through the Campaign Mechanics Canvas
    • Brainstorm the best way to structure your campaign
    • Learn best practices and examples
    • Project: Publish your Campaign Mechanics Canvas
  • Orientation

    Tuesday: 11am - 12pm EST

    • What to expect from this course
    • Get to know the team
    • Get onboarded to Maven's learning platform
  • Workshop 1: Position Yourself for the Next Generation of Givers

    Thursdays: 11am-1pm EST

    • Find campaign-millennial fit, so you build the right thing for the right audience
    • Narrow down your audience, define your ideal investor
    • Project: Publish the Shitty First Draft (SFD) of your landing page
  • Workshop 2: Landing Pages

    Tuesday: 11 - 12am EST

    • Arko & Shary will critique your landing pages live
    • Copywriting and positioning advice
    • Get feedback on your landing page
  • Workshop 3: Announce your Crowdfunding Campaign

    Thursday: 11am - 12pm EST

    • Announce your campaign and get your first leads!
    • Learn how to write effective prompts on ChatGPT for social media posts and strategy
    • Project: Announce your campaign
  • Launch Day & Graduation

    Tuesday: 11am - 12pm EST

    • Celebrate your landing page, get peer feedback, and announce it to the world.
    • Celebrate everything you've accomplished in a lively graduation ceremony.
  • Co-working labs (Optional)

    1 hour after each live workshop

    In weekly labs, get feedback from your peers and get stuff done

  • Self-paced videos & projects

    Get access to a library of our best content on building & selling crowdfunding campaigns. We'll hold you accountable for shipping your content with weekly projects. This program focuses more on doing and less on lectures.

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Gaia Gives Crowdfunding Accelerator

Meet the team

Arko Hoondert

Arko Hoondert

Director of Global Impact, Course Leader

Arko is a fundraising director, founder, product manager, and consultant with over a decade of experience in the NGO sector. He successfully founded an international fundraising consultancy, and has led the fundraising & partnerships department of the largest NGO in the Netherlands. As a fundraising professional, he, his company, and his teams have worked on dozens of projects raising $250m+ for social good.

Shary Kleiman

Shary Kleiman

CMO, Course Instructor

Shary is a passionate multimedia storyteller and social entrepreneur with a background in journalism, integrated marketing communications and positive psychology. As an instructor for the accelerator course, she provides hands-on training to help students develop compelling narratives for their crowdfunding campaigns and achieve their goals. With her expertise and holistic approach to storytelling, students will leave the course with a deep understanding of the elements that make up a successful narrative.

Free resource

Free Workshop: How to Position your Organization for the Next Generation of Givers

​After taking this workshop, you'll...

​✅ Have a better understanding of impact-based crowdfunding.

✅ Learn how millennials have different needs when it comes to philanthropy.

✅ Know more about Gaia.Gives and the scholarships we offer.

Get this free resource

Get access to Gaia Gives' crowdfunding platform and community

Get access to Gaia Gives' crowdfunding platform and community

Earn the trust and generosity of new donors

Display your impact within a larger story that keeps donors engaged, giving, and sharing with their networks.

Turn your donors into your top fundraisers

Gamified sharing with real rewards unlocks donors’ social capital.

Create a visible track record for your accomplishments

Completed projects and milestones build trust with donors and foundations moving forward.

Build Trust Through Real Vulnerable Stories

Millennials want to see the people behind the project and be included in the process. This builds trust and an authentic following.



Flexible Goal or Time-Based Milestones

Choose to periodically report on your work or connect your reporting to more exciting goals donors find tangible.



Build alongside a passionate group of fundraising professionals

Build alongside a passionate group of fundraising professionals

Active hands-on learning

Every workshop is designed to help you put your learning into practice and ship your first crowdfunding campaign.

Interactive and project-based

You’ll be interacting with other fundraising professionals through breakout rooms and projects

Accountability through community

Access to peer feedback and expert staff to keep you accountable and help you get unstuck.

Frequently Asked Questions

When can I apply for a scholarship?
Can my teammates join this course?
What is a cohort-based course?
What is the class schedule?
What is the time commitment?
Will the sessions be recorded?
I already ran a crowdfunding campaign. Should I apply for this program?
Can I build multiple campaigns on Gaia.Gives?
What is Maven?
How did you price the course?

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