$30,000 in two weeks: Crowdfunding best practices from The Loyalty Foundation & BetterWorld

When a group of New York City mothers wanted to get computers into children’s hands, they partnered with The Loyalty Foundation and used BetterWorld’s crowdfunding platform.

The result? They raised $30,000 in just two weeks.

In a conversation with NonProfit PRO, David Neeman, founder and chairman of The Loyalty Foundation, and the founders of BetterWorld, Colin Hunter and Whit Hunter, discuss how crowdfunding, technology, and smart storytelling can help nonprofits make a big impact.

The Loyalty Foundation’s success reveals essential best practices any nonprofit can apply to crowdfunding campaigns.

Create a clear, community-driven campaign

According to Colin Hunter, successful crowdfunding depends on focus.

“The common theme between crowdfunding as an individual and crowdfunding as a nonprofit is that you are engaging your community around one central objective,” he explains. “At its core, crowdfunding always has a specific goal that’s clearly communicated to your community. And it also invites your community more broadly into that goal and to help make it happen in a defined period of time.”

For The Loyalty Foundation’s campaign, every dollar had a clear destination: putting a device into a young person’s hand. This specificity helped donors feel confident their gift would create a tangible impact.

Neeman describes how the partnership amplified both organizations’ efforts:

“We made each other stronger. When they paired with an organization like ours, we gave each other legitimacy. This convergence of motivations and entities giving each other power is what created such a successful campaign.”

Neeman goes on to say, “When you can personalize the message, there are a lot of people who care, and they care a lot, and they want to give. But they want to make sure they’re giving to a place that’s really going to take what they’re given and do great things with it.”

Technology is a force multiplier, take advantage of its capabilities

Colin emphasizes that technology is no longer optional. “Having a good understanding of technology and utilizing it in your fundraising strategy is honestly a need to have in our current society,” he notes.

“Technology really does a few things for nonprofits: It simplifies, improves automation, and broadens your reach.”

But Colin is quick to point out what matters most: “The two most precious commodities for a nonprofit are time and money. And if we can help save them time and help them raise more money more effectively and efficiently, then they’re ultimately going to be able to carry out their mission that much better.”

For smaller organizations without technical staff, platforms like BetterWorld handle the complexity—automated receipts, donor pre-registration, and seamless communication tools—so nonprofits can focus on their mission rather than infrastructure.

Go all in on storytelling, win hearts and dollars

Colin’s advice is direct: “Lean into storytelling. If you win people’s hearts, you’re going to win their minds, and you’re going to earn their dollars. The more nonprofits can focus on winning people’s hearts, telling the authentic stories of their mission and how the dollars they raise are being put to use, the more successful they’re going to be.”

Neeman agrees, adding that simplicity and authenticity matter more than polish. “I’m a big fan of the KISS system—Keep it simple, stupid,” he says. “I think authenticity is really what everybody wants. If it’s authentic and it’s connected to something being done, that is what resonates.”

The Loyalty Foundation demonstrates this by documenting real outcomes. Computers delivered to children enabled one student in a domestic violence shelter to continue teletherapy. Another wrote an original rap. Maria from Newark, whose education was interrupted when she left Guatemala, could finally expand on her creative writing. These stories make the mission real.

Prioritize design and presentation

While authenticity is critical, Whit points out that presentation shouldn’t be overlooked.

“We see thousands and thousands of auctions a year on BetterWorld, as well as a number of other campaigns,” he explains. “One of the biggest indicators of whether a campaign is going to be successful and break fundraising goals is: did the team take the time to get nice images and write fun copy?”

Donors interact with polished design everywhere else in their lives—from Amazon to Uber. Campaigns that invest in clear imagery and concise copy signal professionalism and respect for donors’ time.

View donors from a holistic perspective

Whit offers a perspective shift: “One important shift is learning to see donors as whole people. It’s easy to think of them as a checkbook—as someone who can give a certain amount of money—but they bring so much more than that.

Donors have skills, experiences, networks, and perspectives to offer.

When we engage them beyond just financial support, we create more frequent and far more meaningful touchpoints, and the relationship becomes richer on both sides.”

This approach increases engagement frequency without donor fatigue. When you ask supporters to share their expertise, make introductions, or amplify your message, you’re building relationships that extend beyond transactions.

Jump in and don’t look back

When asked for final advice, Neeman’s response is rooted in action: “Just keep going. Be ready to change your path. Follow paths that you didn’t expect to follow.

There’s plenty of money. So much money in so many places that you can get it. You just have to figure out your path to do it. If your mission is good and it’s important, and you can get people on your team, you can succeed.”

Whit adds a crucial perspective on perfectionism: “The drive to do something excellently or have it be perfect can often get in the way of just doing a good enough first version. One of the things we like to say internally is ‘iterative excellence.’

The first version will not be very good, but the second will be slightly better, and the third will be even better. The most important thing is just do the first version and be okay with it if it’s not perfect.”

7 takeaways to consider for your next campaign

Crowdfunding success comes from combining several elements:

1. Specific, compelling goals: Make it crystal clear what each dollar accomplishes.
2. Strategic partnerships: Collaboration adds legitimacy and expands reach.
3. Smart use of technology: Platforms that save time and automate processes free you to focus on the mission.
4. Authentic storytelling: Share real outcomes and genuine impact.
5. Thoughtful presentation: Quality images and clear copy signal professionalism.
6. Holistic donor engagement: Invite supporters to contribute beyond money.
7. Willingness to iterate: Start imperfectly and improve with each campaign.

The Loyalty Foundation’s $30,000 campaign wasn’t magic. It was mothers with passion, a nonprofit with proven impact, a friction-removing platform, and clear communication on how donations would help children access technology.

That combination turned local energy into significant funding and put computers in the hands of students who needed them.

Your campaign can follow the same blueprint. Start with a clear goal, tell authentic stories, use technology wisely, and don’t wait for perfection. As Colin puts it: “The more you can share in as authentic a way as possible, the more successful you’re going to be.”

We’re grateful to work with organizations like The Loyalty Foundation and to support changemakers who use strategy, technology, and community to turn purpose into real impact.

If you’d like to listen to the full conversation, you can access it here. And, if you’d like to chat with one of our team members about your crowdfunding strategy, be sure to grab some time on our calendars here.