Medical Crowdfunding: The best way to do it

Medical crowdfunding is method of fundraising for a project from a large number of small of people who contribute small amounts of money. Over recent years there has been  a surge of people  crowdfunding their health-care for many reasons. 

The number of people seeking medical services from private health facilities has been increasing. Public health facilities continue to play a vital role though. Some procedures are not available under the basic policies leaving huge disparities in the quality of medical services available.

Previous cases of crowdfunding

Most recall Ashley Cain’s daughter Azaylia, who passed away in April 2021. Ashley Cain, was diagnosed with a very rare Leukemia  and after exhausting every treatment available in the UK, the parents (celebrities) were informed that they were out of options. They did not give up. They found a doctor in Singapore who could  be able to help, so they set up a crowdfunding for the mission.  The crowdfunding was successful, and they raised over one million pounds. How the story did not have a happy ending. Ashley became too ill to travel and eventually lost her life. This case demonstrates the power of crowdfunding.

Medical crowdfunding is similar to any other type of crowdfunding, and running a basic campaign for healthcare is the same as for anything. Foremost, we need to pick our provider.

Choosing a crowdfunding partner

Justgiving

Consider a big platform like Just Giving. You get access to  people willing to donate. The platform urges donors to help people in need.  Donations go directly into your bank account and can be with you within a few days.

GoFundMe

GoFundMe is another crowdfunding platform, similar JustGiving platform. In just the first 30 days following Hurricane Harvey, GoFundMe delivered over $27 million directly to people affected by the storm. They operate in most countries in the world and have earned respect from institutions and governments allover the world. 

Read more about Crowdfunding platforms 

Best practices of medical crowdfunding

Choose and effective team

Reach out to fiends and family to join your team. They are usually happy to help in your campaign. Use social media to announce your search for help in running a campaign, as this will be quicker and reach is bigger.

Be upfront

When drafting your pitch, tell your story in a simple language and be very honest. After all, your story will determine the response you get. You’ll be surprised by the kind of support that will come in from very unlikely sources. Any sense of dishonesty will spell doom to your campaign. 

Make your medical crowdfunding pitch visual.

Photos and videos attract better attention. Make sure you include them in your pitch. Support what you’re writing and break up large blocks of text, drawing the eye towards the stories of the people and involved. Invest in a short video in your campaign as well. 

1. Keep posting the campaign and retain consistence. You can  release campaigns three times a day for a long period.
2. Involve your friends and family in the early stages. They will do the leg work for and give the momentum you require. 
3. Update your social media profile and show your campaign in every opportunity that comes without spamming your audience. 

Keep updating your campaign regularly

• After the launch, the campaign needs to gain traction: don’t assume the first announcement will catch everyone’s attention immediately. People are busy, and you have to get your story to their hearts. Engage them every day and keep updating those donations that come in. Thank the donors warmly and celebrate milestones with them.
• Use a hashtag on social media so that people can click on updates and find your specific case and all its news. 
• Use your social media outlets – Facebook, Twitter, Instagram – to post updates and share the campaign around. Again, statistics show that sharing on social media builds a campaign like nothing else. 
• Retweet any news stories and tweets your campaign is mentioned in and create a press list of everywhere you’ve been mentioned, to show the story developing.
  

In-person events can work wonders

Where do your likely donors’ hangout? That is where you can plan to have an in-person pitch. Take time to research what is prohibited there and whether there are fees to be paid. You can also seek the help of organizations that can donate some few minutes in their meetings for the pitch. 

Arrange a thank-you event after medical crowdfunding

Nothing is more important than saying thank you. Gratitude is a powerful tool. You can hold a party and invite your team and the donors. You can also go back to places where you held in-person meetings. And yes? Use your social media to express your gratitude. 

Conclusion

In universal healthcare systems (like the NHS), medical crowdfunding is a feasible option when needed to finance alternative, complementary, experimental and scientifically poorly supported therapies not financed by the NHS or healthcare systems worldwide.