virtual workshop
Launch & Grow Your Project or Business
With Fundraising
Hosted by Iquo B. Essien
Sunday, December 19 @ 2-3:30PM ET on zoom
In my new workshop, learn how to use fundraising to launch a new project or business—or build capacity for an existing one! Register to attend live or watch the replay.
Special Offer
$150.00
sales closed.
To get your project or business off the ground, you need capital. And to attain capital, you need to raise money. But if you’re like most people, just hearing the word “fundraising” causes anxiety. But it doesn’t have to be that way.
In my new workshop, you’ll:
- Learn how I set up a crowdfunding campaign that raised $35K for my dream
- Learn my proven 4-step framework for funding yours
- Define your fundraising goals and timeline
- Review case studies of successful fundraisers and draft your campaign plan
- Map and prioritize your outreach network
- Learn how to market your campaign for success
- Identify your mental blocks and learn how to shift your mindset to attract funding
- Get all your questions answered in live Q&A with a fundraising and marketing expert (yours truly!).
Gain insights and tips in my new fundraising workshop, a mini-celebration of the 1-year anniversary of my website and course relaunch!
When your order is completed, you will be redirected to a thank you page and receive a confirmation email. If not, please be advised your order was not processed successfully.
sales closed.
Perfect class!
Susan v.
Amazing & Useful Content
The fundraising, marketing, and social media tips were very applicable to helping me increase the amount of people I have access to.
Nadia M.
have you seen me?
question for you...
Do you need to raise money for your project or business, but don't know where to start?
I will guide you through the steps I took to launch a successful crowdfunding campaign that raised $35,000 for my creative dream—the same framework I used to raise $15K for a short film, and to raise $50K+ for my clients.
It’s time to stop waiting and start raising money today. I’m on a mission to launch 100 dreams—and yours is one of them!
In my new workshop, you'll:
Learn how I set up a crowdfunding campaign in just 5 days and raised $35K for my dream
Learn my proven 4-step framework to fund a new project/business—or build capacity for an existing one
Define your fundraising goals and timeline
Review case studies of successful fundraisers and brainstorm your campaign plan
Map your outreach network, assigning value and priority to your contacts & connections
Learn how to market your campaign for fundraising success
Learn how to move past mental obstacles and shift your mindset to attract funding
Hear how you can work with me to achieve your 2022 funding goals
REGISTER TODAY!
Learn how to use fundraising to launch a new project or business—or build capacity for an existing one.
It’s time to take action
Tell me if this is you...
Hoping/wishing/praying for a grant to greenlight your dream that never comes
Maxing out your credit cards and going into debt
Bootstrapping sales to fund your project or business development, but running out of funds along the way
- Posting questions in tons of Facebook groups, but never getting anywhere
- Too scared to put yourself out there
Being passive when you could be proactive
Or giving up entirely on your dream
it doesn't have to be that way.
Imagine how it would feel to...
Finally pursue a dream project/business you’re passionate about
Get fully funded to launch your project or business—or fund your next phase of growth
Build a captive audience ready to support your future work/business
IF YOU DON'T KNOW WHERE TO START, I have been there.
When I was at NYU Grad Film School, I launched my first crowdfunding campaign.
Back then, I had zero email list, zero following, and zero budget—yet, using basic principles of communications, marketing, and fundraising, I was able to exceed my goal by 25%.
That campaign helped launch my career—both as a filmmaker and as a fundraising consultant, with a passion to help artists and entrepreneurs fund their dreams. And if I could do it—at a time when my back was against the wall and I needed funding fast—you can do it, too!
learn my proven fundraising method
When I launched my most recent campaign—in just 5 days—and raised $35K for my dream, I knew I'd cracked the fundraising formula.
My recent campaign truly was a revelation. So much of what stops people from launching a fundraiser is the fear of planning. I’ve heard some gurus say you need 6 months of outreach before you can go live. But that’s not true! With my recent campaign, I cracked the code on the key success factors needed to launch a successful campaign whether you spend 5 days or 5 months planning it. It’s not about how much time you spend planning your campaign, it’s about your strategy, and I’m sharing one that works.
If you had to launch a fundraising campaign, would you know...
How to write & tell your fundraising story?
How to create a fundraising plan with a clear strategy?
How to market your fundraiser?
How to launch and sustain your campaign’s momentum?
How to map your donor network and create an outreach plan?
What key success factors inspire potential backers to give?
If your answer to all these questions is "no," then stop what you’re doing right now and listen up!
You know things need to change...
Stop selling yourself short, thinking that other people have more—more skills, education, money, ideas, or connections—than you do.
Stop spending hours Googling “how to raise money,” attending free webinars, and still not figuring out how to fundraise.
Stop letting fear get the best of you and stop you from putting yourself out there and asking the universe for what you want.
Stop thinking you need 100K followers on social media in order to succeed at fundraising.
Stop waiting for the “perfect time” to launch your campaign and letting months and years pass you by.
It’s time to stop waiting and start raising money for your dream!
Hi, my name is Iquo!
I’m a writer, filmmaker, and consultant who has helped hundreds of artists and creative entrepreneurs tell their stories, market themselves, and raise money, so they can dream bigger.
With a Bachelor’s degree from Stanford University, I began my career at a global health communications firm.
Driven to combine my passion for social change and the arts, I enrolled in NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts Graduate Film Program, where I launched my first fundraising campaign. The rest, as they say, is history.
If you’re among the lucky few, you’ve found the resources you need to carry on. But for far too many of us, we continue to struggle financially, waiting for grants and resources that never show up, or we simply stop trying and give up on our dreams.
Trust me, there’s a better way.
Seeing the lack of practical, action-oriented fundraising courses out there, I created my own, and launched my course and consultancy in 2018.
Inside my new workshop, I’ll help you define your fundraising goals, timeline, and campaign plan—plus share my proven fundraising framework and how you can work with me to reach your goals.
I’ll teach you my proven formula to launch a successful fundraising campaign for your project/business:
By dreaming big, but starting small, with a powerful personal story
Sharing your story through a pitch video and campaign page
Presenting key success factors (that I'll share with you!) that signal potential backers to give money
And publicizing your campaign through email, social media, and the press
You can attract people who can help make your dream a reality
So you can raise money and start living the life you want
The results have been amazing...
“The course has given me insight and probably most importantly the excitement (that was missing) to raise funds for dream projects. I learned that fundraising does not have to feel like such a downer or discouraging. It doesn’t have to feel daunting. There is a formula that isn’t too difficult to follow that should yield good results.”
Ugo E.
Medical Anthropologist & Playwright
Are you ready to launch your dream?
Who is this workshop for?
Artists & Creatives
You dream of getting your project off the ground and becoming a full-time creative, making films, recording albums, having solo gallery shows, publishing your books, making a living on what you create. That life can be yours sooner than you think!
When you launch a fundraising campaign to fund your art project, you attract attention to yourself and your work, creating a network of support that you can build upon for years to come.
Get started raising money and building an audience of loyal patrons, laying the groundwork for your life as a full-time creative professional, like you’ve always dreamed.
Entrepreneurs
Funding a new business endeavor doesn’t have to be a long and painful process. You’re working around the clock, making plans, and wearing every hat in your business. A cash injection would do wonders for your progress, right?
Raising an initial round of funding from family and friends that will transform your dream into a reality, before you have a complete business plan or proof of concept, telling your story and building your brand while you’re still in the idea phase.
Take control of your development trajectory, and embark on your venture with support from friends and family.
Small Business Owners
Instead of applying for a grant or waiting for an investor, you can use the steps I lay out to leverage your skills, story, experience, and loyal customers to raise the capital you need, launching your next big thing and making a difference in less time than you think.
Or, take it to the next level and use your campaign to crowdfund a new product, service, or offer, pre-selling to your audience while defraying the cost of development and production.
Nonprofit Professionals
For nonprofits running annual giving campaigns, and cultivating major donors, a crowdfunding campaign can help galvanize your small- and mid-size donor stakeholders while building partnerships and energy around your mission.
Nowadays, Giving Tuesday has become the major fundraising day of the year, a mini-crowdfunding campaign in and of itself. If you’re new to it, or could use some fresh ideas, Launch in 5 Days can help you level up your crowdfunding game to raise more on Giving Tuesday and leave less dollars on the table—while strengthening your bonds with community members through your shared mission. It’s a win-win! Stay tuned to Day 4 of Launch in 5 Days for the pop quiz, in which we analyze some nonprofit campaigns and discuss how to launch a successful one.
This workshop is for you
if...
You have a dream project or business
You’re anywhere from the idea phase—with nothing but a dollar and a dream—to having your creative business up and running with customers or patrons
You need to raise money
You want to launch a fundraising campaign, but lack a plan
OR you have a plan, but aren’t sure if it’s any good
You’ve never tried a fundraising campaign before…OR you have, but it didn’t go so well
You need a guide to increase your chances of success
You’re ready to work SMARTER, not HARDER
You’re willing to put in the work to see the results
You’re ready to see what’s on the other side of financial success
Imagine if...
you learned how to tell your story and attract people willing to give you money to launch your dream.
you had a clear roadmap for creating and launching your fundraising campaign quickly, with more clarity and less overwhelm.
you could set up your fundraising campaign with feedback from an expert.
you could stop waiting for your big break, start taking the future into your own hands, and live the life you want.
Inside my new workshop, you'll learn the key success factors that inspire potential backers to give.
Plus, you’ll get tons of case studies and expert feedback to help you nail them!
During the first several months of the pandemic — when communities locked down, jobs were lost, PPE was scarce and store shelves were cleared — thousands of people turned to online crowdfunding to meet their needs.
Among GoFundMe campaigns, those seeking business support were more successful on average than those seeking help for personal financial needs.
The key takeaway: people want to help your endeavor succeed and thrive. But it’s not going to happen without putting in some effort—setting up the campaign, reaching out to friends and family, and asking for their support.
Cut through the clutter of online fundraising and create the key elements to launch a successful fundraising campaign, so you can continue to make work, grow your practice/business, and serve your patrons/customers, no matter what’s happening in your community, nation, or even the world. Raising money builds real-world skills that will power your project or business for the longevity of your career.
Your Fundraising Story
Instead of...
Waiting for a grant or an investor to greenlight your dream project
Taking on an extra job to save money…or fantasizing about leaving the one you have now to do what you love
Putting your dreams on hold while you watch other people gain funding and notoriety
Being passive when you should be proactive
Or giving up entirely
...you can...
Create a fundraising plan to achieve your goals
- Create a pitch video and campaign page
Launch a crowdfunding campaign to fund your project or business
Get your campaign in front of the right people and leverage those eyeballs to raise money
Take control of your destiny
Change the trajectory of your business and your life—in as little as a week!
Fulfilling your life's work can be challenging.
For far too many of us, we continue to struggle financially, waiting for grants and resources that never show up, or we simply stop trying and give up on our dreams. All these things will leave you feeling powerless and defeated.
I want you to know that you have options and you’re not alone.
Far from the desperation and helplessness I felt at not being able to afford my dream myself, launching my fundraising campaigns helped me leverage my community, available resources, and to take control over my destiny.I felt powerful, unstoppable and capable of anything.Nobody else had the power to make or break my future.And if I could do it, you can, too!
Want to launch a campaign, but need
help figuring out where to start?
What I loved was that it was a lot of material and very well organized, with a wide range of examples—from local businesses to Iquo’s own story—summarized in a way that was relatable, comprehensive, and digestible.
I would definitely recommend this class to anyone from any background. Though the course is geared toward creative people, I’m a technical person, and my goal is to start a think-and-do tank that targets water and sanitation issues for marginalized people. The fundraising, marketing, and social media tips were very applicable to helping me increase the amount of people I have access to.
In my new workshop, you'll get a masterclass in fundraising, so you can plan your campaign with more confidence.
"How do I know your course will help me get my crowdfunding campaign off the ground and raise money?"
Because it did for me.
In March 2021, I found out that my family’s historical land in Calabar, Nigeria—first purchased by my late grandfather in the colonial era—was in danger of being sold out of the family.
Immediately, my response was, ‘No’. Our family’s land and rich history needed to be preserved.
On the land stands the home of my late grandmother, Patricia, whose memory inspired a feature script that I’d envisioned filming there.
I had always imagined creating a memoir gallery and residency for African
womxn artists there—inspired by the memory of my late mother, Elizabeth,
whom I’d been writing about for the past 10 years.
I needed to find a way to buy the property myself. The only problem: it cost $30,000, and I didn’t have any savings after weathering a difficult pandemic year.
So what did I do? I launched a crowdfunding campaign in 5 days to purchase the land.
In just 5 Days, I...
Gathered photos and video from my memoir project's content archive
Created my campaign logo and visual identity
Wrote my campaign pitch, video script, and chose my fundraising platform
Created an outreach plan to give friends and family a heads up
Set up my campaign page, rewards, and payment platforms
And launched my crowdfunding campaign!
Getting Fully
Funded
On March 9th, my campaign went live. Eight weeks later, I had surpassed my $30K goal, raising $35K! My success wasn’t a fluke. I simply implemented my proven fundraising strategy and raised the money. (Don’t forget about how I first raised $15K in 4 weeks using the same method!)
Each of us has the power to tell our
story.
Regardless of where you come from or how much money you have, each of us has a story. The world really needs to hear yours and the amazing project or business you want to bring into the world.
When we share our story with people, we can inspire them to help turn our dream into a reality.
Although I can’t guarantee the results of your campaign, I can tell you for a fact that if you don’t try something new, you’ll stay exactly where you are right now, and nothing will change in your life.
Stop waiting and start raising money for your dream. If I’m the first one to tell you this, you’re worth it!
ABOUT YOUR WORKSHOP COACH
Iquo B. Essien
Hi! My name is Iquo and I’m a writer, filmmaker and consultant. With a degree from Stanford University, I got my start in global communications and marketing at nonprofits, startups, and Fortune 500 companies. When I enrolled in NYU graduate film school, I never imagined what an uphill battle making movies would be—until I had to raise money to hire a crew for my second year short film. I was amazed at how friends, family, colleagues, and even an equity investor stepped up to support me and it unlocked a passion to help other artists and entrepreneurs do the same.
Since 2012, I’ve helped other artists and creative entrepreneurs raise more than $50,000 to fund their projects/businesses. I’m committed to launching 100 dreams, and yours is one of them. The only question is: are you ready to follow your dream?
MORE ABOUT YOUR COACH
With a BS in biological sciences from Stanford University, I began my career at a communications firm representing global health clients such as the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Global Health Program and the National Institutes of Health.
Driven to combine my passion for social change and the arts, I received my MFA in film from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts—where I launched a fundraising campaign that raised $15k in 4 weeks for my short film.
My film Aissa’s Story was a semifinalist in the Student Academy Awards, nominated for the Africa Movie Academy Awards, and won the Spike Lee Production Fund grant. It launched my career as a filmmaker and fundraising consultant.
I created my Crowdfund Your Dream course and consultancy to help self-producing artists, entrepreneurs, and business people launch successful campaigns and businesses. I’ll push you to dig deep and consider unique ways of funding and marketing your work—for the longevity of your career.
Why you should trust me
I don’t just talk the talk, I walk the walk. This year, I launched a campaign in 5 days that went on to raise $35K for my dream. I’ve been featured in major media outlets including NBC, The Guardian, VICE, Essence.com, and many more. My films have also screened in 14 countries internationally, garnering awards, grants and investors. I’m sharing what I know from my experience because it works. Before I created my online course, I used to run communications, marketing and fundraising for nonprofit & corporate clients. I can give you an insider’s view on how it all works. My method is proven because I’ve perfected it in the real world, running successful campaigns that have brought in thousands of dollars. I now help tons of artists, entrepreneurs, small business owners and nonprofit professionals around the world to raise money. I’ve worked with clients in dozens of different industries from wellness to film, music and everything in between. I started doing this work because I feel that everyone has a right to prosperity. But they need access to a solid fundraising and marketing education to do that. I launched my business organically, teaching workshops in partnership with several organizations such as Gibney Dance Studio, BRIC Arts Media, New Voices Arts & Media, and Stanford in NYC (in collaboration with Stanford in Entertainment, Stanford National Black Alumni Association, and Stanford Latino Alumni Association). Now I’ve revamped and relaunched my website, my courses, and am growing my reach. I’m an average woman who went from being broke, back against the wall, and unemployed to being an award-winning filmmaker running a sustainable business. I’m living proof you can start from nothing. I’m also the daughter of Nigerian immigrants who fled a country torn by war to start over in America. And though the American dream is a complicated idea, I do believe I am living my ancestors’ wildest dreams.
More receipts...
“Simply if I had not taken the course, I wouldn’t have been successful because I didn’t know what I didn’t know. It was extremely helpful in providing needed strategies to follow in order to have a successful launch. “
Kim A.
Boutique Travel Concierge
“Truth is, I am the better for it. But for Iquo’s help, I would be walking into my own crowdfunding campaign almost blind and clueless about the basic steps to take, important considerations to be aware of and the key elements of crowdfunding success. Iquo laid it out with finesse and expertise.”
Pelu A.
Journalist & Documentarian
You are ready for this journey.
You no longer have to put your dream on hold. You no longer need to stay hidden and rob the world of your unique gifts. It’s time to put yourself out there. It’s time to reclaim your time. Let’s go!
Let's get started
Register today.
Best Value
$150
One Payment
When your order is completed, you will be redirected to a thank you page and receive a confirmation email. If not, please be advised your order was not processed successfully.
