How Do You Build an Internal Structure for Corporate Crowdfunding? | Roles and Responsibilities of Staff, Decision-Makers, and External Support
機械翻訳 / Machine-translated
One of the first things a company should decide when taking on crowdfunding is its internal structure.
"We've already assigned a person in charge of the crowdfunding campaign."
I sometimes hear this when I'm consulted.
But having someone assigned and having a structure in place that can actually run a crowdfunding campaign are two different things.
Creating the project page.
Preparing the products.
Notifying existing customers.
Posting on social media.
Responding to backers.
Shipping rewards.
Crowdfunding involves a wide range of tasks.
When it comes to corporate crowdfunding, I believe it's not enough to simply assign one person in charge — it's essential to define who handles what within the organization, and who has the authority to make decisions.
In this article, I'll explain the internal structure that companies should sort out before launching a crowdfunding campaign.
"How many people do we need if we want to start crowdfunding?"
My answer is that a large team isn't necessarily required.
The number of people you need depends on the size of the company and the nature of the project.
For smaller projects, the person in charge can take on multiple roles simultaneously.
What matters more than headcount is making it clear who is responsible for each task that needs to be done.
There's a person in charge, but they can't access product information.
It hasn't been decided who will handle social media posts.
The CEO's approval is needed, but responses are slow to come.
In that kind of situation, preparations can't move forward.
The place to start is working within your existing internal structure and assigning the roles required for crowdfunding accordingly.
The first thing you need is someone to manage the project as a whole.
I would position this person as the internal lead for the crowdfunding campaign.
Their main responsibilities include managing the schedule, following up with internal teams, gathering necessary information, and liaising with external support.
This person doesn't need to personally handle every task.
In fact, what's important is creating a situation where things move forward even without this person doing everything themselves.
They request the necessary work from each department and check on progress.
When problems arise, they coordinate with everyone involved.
Their role is to keep the entire project from stalling.
In corporate crowdfunding, there will be situations that require internal sign-off.
For example, if you want to change the selling price of a reward tier:
Can the person in charge decide that?
Does a supervisor need to approve it?
Does it require the CEO's authorization?
If this is left ambiguous, even small changes can take a long time to resolve.
What I consider essential is making it clear in advance who has the authority to decide what.
Not everything needs to go through the CEO for review.
However, important decisions involving amounts or contracts must be handled by someone with the appropriate authority.
How far can the person in charge decide on their own?
From what point is executive sign-off required?
Simply sorting this out before the campaign goes live makes the whole process much easier to manage.
And even when an immediate decision isn't possible, communicating when a response can be expected matters.
These small acts of communication help keep the whole project on track.
Corporate crowdfunding is not just about building a project page.
You'll likely need input from:
Someone with deep knowledge of the product.
Someone who has relationships with existing customers.
Someone responsible for PR and social media.
For example, if you're crowdfunding a new product, you'll need to gather accurate information from the product team.
You'll want to consult the sales team about how to reach existing customers and business partners.
You'll need to ask the PR team to handle outreach through social media and press releases.
One thing to be mindful of here is not leaving all the responsibility for attracting backers to the social media team alone.
Companies have relationships with customers and partners that have been built up over time.
In many cases, reaching existing customers in the right way matters more than creating new social media accounts.
Crowdfunding can be an opportunity for different departments across the company to collaborate.
That's the kind of structure worth thinking about.
Crowdfunding doesn't end once the funding comes in.
Manufacturing the product.
Securing inventory.
Shipping orders.
Handling inquiries.
Delivering events or services, depending on the reward.
All of this work arises after the campaign ends.
When deciding on rewards, I always make sure to confirm who will be responsible for the fulfillment process.
One situation that deserves particular attention is when support exceeds expectations.
The structure you need when 100 units sell is very different from when 1,000 units sell.
Don't just think about selling — think about what happens after you sell.
This is an indispensable perspective in corporate crowdfunding as well.
In corporate crowdfunding, one option is to bring in outside specialists for support.
However, hiring external support does not mean the company's own responsibilities disappear.
I provide crowdfunding support myself, and the roles of external support and the company itself are distinct.
For example, external support might handle campaign planning, goal-setting, reward structure, page production, and operational strategy.
Meanwhile, the company side handles providing product information, determining pricing and sales terms, notifying customers, and managing manufacturing and shipping.
The actual division of roles varies depending on the contract and the project.
What matters is deciding before you engage anyone — how much you'll hand off to external parties and what you'll keep in-house.
If this remains unclear, you'll end up with tasks that both sides assumed the other was handling.
Even with outside specialists involved, it's still important for the company itself to build relationships with its customers.
After the campaign ends, it's that company — not the outside party — that will continue the relationship with backers.
When it comes to the internal structure for corporate crowdfunding, here are the three things I always verify before launch:
1. Is there a person responsible for keeping the entire project moving?
2. Is it clear who makes important decisions, and what falls within their authority?
3. Are responsibilities assigned for everything from attracting backers to fulfilling rewards?
If any of these three things are unclear, there are times when it's better not to rush the launch — even if the page itself is finished.
Building your internal structure is one of the pre-launch steps for crowdfunding.
In corporate crowdfunding, the outcome isn't just about the funds raised.
Gaining new customers.
Launching new initiatives within the company.
Accumulating experience in sales and PR.
Opening the door to your next product or business venture.
These are all outcomes worth considering.
That's why I don't necessarily think the best approach is for the company to step back entirely and hand everything over to external parties.
Make use of outside specialists, while also keeping the experience and learning inside the company.
Rather than treating crowdfunding as a one-time project, make it an experience that leads to the company's next challenge.
For that reason, getting your internal structure right from the very beginning really matters.
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If you'd like to consult about crowdfunding, please check my profile page.
