Dream team for successful crowdfunding

The success of a crowdfunding campaign rests on a much stronger foundation than a “simple” bright idea: behind every successful fundraiser is a trained, structured and dedicated team.

From strategy to communication, from backer management to content creation, every aspect of the campaign must be carefully and consistently curated. Crowdfunding is not just about raising capital-it is a complex process that involves creating a community around a project and building relationships. The team for successful crowdfunding is a key element: you need different professionals, each with specific skills, able to work synergistically to achieve a common goal.

In this article we will find out what are the key professional skills to build a crowdfunding dream team, how to distribute roles and time to devote, and when it may be useful to rely on outside professionals.

Why the team is important for successful crowdfunding

Many companies approach crowdfunding thinking that it is enough to simply post a campaign on a platform and wait for investors to come along. In reality, success is not random and depends on a well-planned strategy and, most importantly, a team that works hard and consistently, with a meticulous combination of strategic, creative and operational skills.

The first fact to be acquired and thoroughly understood is that a crowdfunding campaign requires constant commitment and cannot be handled as a side occupation. Successful campaigns require dedication and careful planning, where crowdfunding-related activities are integrated into the daily business routine, which of course cannot be set aside. Therefore, it is essential to allocate specific time and resources to each activity, ensuring that all team members can coordinate effectively to maximize the impact of the campaign. When we talk about how long it takes to raise capital in crowdfunding, we are mainly talking about campaign preparation time: that is where the game is played, and team organization is the key element in optimizing the strategy.

A crowdfunding capital raising campaign requires hours of daily work to coordinate communication, respond to investors, create content, and then monitor all KPIs and fundraising progress. If these activities are not carefully integrated into the company's routine, the risk of neglecting one or the other is very high, with direct consequences on the end result of the campaign or the company's business.

Many campaigns that fall short of their goal fail not because the project is uninteresting, but because the team has not devoted enough time and energy to managing the fundraiser.

The professional figures for your crowdfunding campaign

To ensure the success of a crowdfunding campaign, it is essential to have a diverse set of skills covering different aspects of the project at its various stages. Here are the key professional figures that cannot be missing in a well-structured crowdfunding team.

1. 1. Project Manager - The director of the campaign.

The project manager is the point person for the entire team. He or she coordinates activities, keeps track of deadlines, and ensures that the strategy is executed effectively. He or she must have an overview of the project and excellent organizational skills.

Main tasks:

✔ Define the objectives and operational plan of the campaign.

✔ Assign roles and responsibilities to the team.

✔ Monitor progress and resolve any problems.

✔ Schedule tasks and monitor deadlines.

This figure must also be familiar with the dynamics of crowdfunding and crowdfunding platforms and the characteristics of the target audience in order to optimize the campaign according to them.

2. 2. Marketing and Communications Manager - The megaphone of the campaign

A crowdfunding campaign needs visibility to attract investors and must establish a direct and constant channel of communication with them. The marketing expert develops the promotion strategy and chooses the most effective channels to reach the audience.

Main tasks:

✔ Creating an effective crowdfunding communication strategy

✔ Managing social media and paid advertising campaigns.

✔ Coordinate PR and collaborations with influencers or industry media.

✔ Monitor engagement and conversion metrics.

That of a marketing and communications manager is often not a one-size-fits-all role; rather, it is spread across multiple roles: for example, a social media manager, a digital advertiser, a press office, a data analyst, etc. Depending on the size of the company and team, some functions may be merged or spun off.

3. Copywriter - The voice of the campaign

Every crowdfunding campaign needs an engaging story and a persuasive voice to capture the audience's attention. The copywriter is responsible for creating informative and persuasive text for landing page, e-mail, and social posts.

Main tasks:

✔ Clearly and convincingly describe the project on the different channels

✔ Making corporate communication consistent.

✔ Produce constant updates to keep investors' attention alive

✔ Optimizing texts for SEO and conversions.

4. Videomaker and Graphic Designer - The image of the campaign.

Presentation videos and visuals are key elements in engaging investors. Campaigns that use a lot of visual content are more likely to get shares and interactions, vital elements in expanding the reach of communication. A video maker and graphic designer work to make the campaign visually appealing.

Main tasks:

✔ Create the campaign introduction video and subsequent promotional videos (e.g., video messages from the corporate team)

✔ Produce images, infographics and promotional materials for social and newsletters

✔ Ensure visual consistency among all content.

5. Community Manager and Investor Relations Manager - The Bridge with Investors

During the campaign, it is essential to build a relationship of trust with investors. The community manager handles social interactions and user questions, while the investor relations manager handles communication with key investors.

Main tasks:

✔ Responding to questions and comments from the public

✔ Engage the community with exclusive content, webinars, and interaction initiatives

✔ Manage relationships with potential investors, particularly strategic investors.

The marketing part of the crowdfunding campaign must be complemented by sales activities: users interested in the investment should be invited to book a call directly with the sales team to increase the chances of conversion.

6. Legal and financial advisor - The security of the campaign

A crowdfunding campaign, especially an equity-based one, must comply with precise regulations. A legal and financial advisor helps manage the bureaucratic, contractual, and tax aspects of the project.

Main tasks:

✔ Verify legal compliance of the campaign.

✔ Define the structure of the offer (rewards, quotas, rights).

✔ Support the company in managing transactions and taxes.

As we have already mentioned, each of these roles does not always correspond to a person on the team: some skills are cross-cutting, others can be condensed into one figure, and still others outsourced.

In smaller companies, for example, copywriters, videomakers and graphic designers are often synthesized by the single figure of the content creator. The social media manager may also act as community manager, while the project manager often also handles relations with strategic investors. Finally, legal advice is often outsourced.

Each team can find its balance differently, but it is critical that roles are clear, that there is no overlap (but rather defined collaboration) and unattended tasks, that everyone knows who is doing what and when.

How to organize the team for crowdfunding

Now that we have seen what the key figures are, it is time to figure out how to organize the work effectively. Managing a crowdfunding campaign cannot be improvised-it requires precise planning to integrate with normal business activities without creating chaos or work overload.

1. Define clear objectives and well-defined roles

The first step is to assign clear responsibilities to each team member. Each figure involved should know exactly what his or her tasks are, avoiding overlaps or operational gaps and promoting efficient workflow.

2. Allocation of necessary resources and budget

Set a precise budget for each phase of the campaign is essential to plan and carry out activities realistically and concretely and avoid stalled moments in the process. This includes marketing costs, reward production, and any platform fees.

In parallel, equally important is the allocation of resources: making sure there are sufficient resources in terms of time and personnel for each stage of the crowdfunding process.

3. Creation of a work plan and calendar of activities

Detailed plan: Draw up a work plan including all campaign phases, deadlines and key activities from preparation to launch.

Calendar of activities: Use tools such as Google Calendar to create a shared calendar where daily tasks and deadlines can be scheduled.

Each team member involved in the crowdfunding campaign - it is not necessarily that ALL members of a team are-needs to set aside slots on their calendar to devote to it, to avoid relegating it to time slots or taking time away from other activities. It is also helpful to have periodic alignment meetings among these people and more sporadic meetings with the rest of the team as well to keep everyone updated.

4. Use work management tools

To coordinate activities and keep track of progress, it is essential to use project management tools. Here are some examples of useful management platforms:

• Trello / Asana / Airtable - To organize activities, assign tasks and monitor progress.
• Google Calendar - For scheduling meetings and blocking off moments dedicated to the campaign.
• Google Analytics / Facebook Insights - To analyze data and monitor communication performance.
• Queue - To share documents and information, divide tasks, monitor activities, have a common bulletin board with results, progress, news, historical data.
• ...

The use of these and other tools makes it possible to work in a more structured and responsive way, adapting strategy based on the results obtained.

5. Maintain constant communication in the team

A crowdfunding campaign is a dynamic project in which sudden changes can emerge and in which coordination is essential to avoid mistakes. For this reason, it is critical that the team communicate effectively internally. Some tips:

• Create a working group on Slack or other chat software for quick communications.
• Organize a daily or weekly check-up to align the team on campaign developments.
• Share periodic progress reports to assess what is working and what to improve.

6. Monitor results and adjust strategy

Regularly monitoring results and adjusting strategies based on feedback received from supporters and analyzed data is crucial to having full control of the campaign.

We have devoted an article to the KPIs to be monitored to evaluate campaign performance, before, during and after the campaign.

If the results are not as expected, you must be ready to modify the plan of action, intensify communication or change approach: flexibility is the watchword.

Internal vs. External Team for crowdfunding

One of the most important decisions in preparing a crowdfunding campaign is to choose whether to handle everything in-house or rely on outside professionals. Both options have advantages and disadvantages, and the choice depends on the resources available, the experience level of the team, and the goals of the campaign.

The advantages of an in-house team

Running the campaign with internal resources can be a beneficial choice in many ways:

• In-depth knowledge of the project-The in-house team knows better than anyone else the product or service to be financed and the company's target audience.
• Greater control - All processes remain under the direct coordination of the company.
• Lower costs - No need to invest in outside consulting.

However, there is one big risk: underestimating the time and expertise required to run a crowdfunding campaign. If the in-house team does not have experience with crowdfunding or does not have enough time to devote to it, they could make strategic mistakes that would jeopardize the success of fundraising.

Advantages of relying on outside professionals

• Specialized experience: Professionals with proven experience in crowdfunding can guide the company through the complexities of the campaign and facilitate the planning of targeted activities and the identification of weaknesses and strengths.
• Access to new strategies and technologies: Crowdfunding professionals are up-to-date on the latest marketing trends and techniques and the most useful software for implementing and managing activities, offering innovative approaches that can improve campaign visibility and performance.
• Time optimization: Entrusting key tasks to experts allows the internal team to focus on other strategic areas of the company and avoid wasting time on unnecessary or inefficient activities.
• Networking: Outside agencies and consultants often have access to a network of contacts that can prove useful in expanding the reach of the campaign.

Disadvantages of relying on outside professionals

• Additional costs: Hiring outside professionals incurs expenses that may reduce the budget available for other activities.
• Loss of control: Delegating campaign management to third parties could lead to a lack of consistency with the company's vision and values.
• Difficult communication: Communication problems may arise between the internal team and external professionals, leading to misunderstandings or lack of alignment.

The best solution is often a hybrid crowdfunding team setup. Example:

• The internal team can deal with strategic vision, project management and investor relations.
• External professionals can provide support in more technical areas, such as content creation, marketing strategy or PR management.

This combination allows you to maintain control over the project, averting the second and third disadvantages listed above. Additional costs are not an eliminable element, but should be included in budgeting for the campaign with the understanding that they are a lever to optimize costs in other areas and achieve better results in terms of final capital raising.

Companies that decide to use outside professionals may consider several options, the most common of which are:

• Marketing and communication agencies specializing in crowdfunding: These agencies offer comprehensive services, from campaign planning to social media management and content creation.
• Financial and risk management advisors: Professionals who can help structure value propositions and manage the financial risks associated with the campaign.
• Social media and content marketing experts: These figures focus only on creating communication strategies and targeted advertising campaigns on the various social channels.

It is important to verify the actual expertise of the chosen professionals in the specific area of crowdfunding: a specialization in the generic area of marketing or financial consulting may not be sufficient.