Crowdfunding As a Way To Achieve Certification

Jeffrey Metzger, YourResumeConsultant.com

You may have heard of crowdfunding because of campaigns on Kickstarter for things like the Pebble wristwatch. I participated in a crowdfunding campaign for my nephew's school film project (which reminds me — I still haven't received the DVD I should have received for my pledge), and a friend's desire to bring encouragement to those diagnosed with cancer raised $35,000 just as her mom died from lung cancer.

But I came across a first in the resume writing industry yesterday…a resume writer who is using crowdfunding to raise money for certification as an Academy Certified Resume Writer (ACRW) through the Resume Writing Academy.

Crowdfunding is defined as an effort that pools money from individuals — usually via the Internet — to support the effort of an individual, organization, or business. Through small contributions from many people and organizations, a larger goal can be accomplished.

Jeffrey Metzger, of YourResumeConsultant.com, has launched a crowdfunding campaign to raise money for him to pursue ACRW certification. You can find his crowdfunding campaign here.

I reached out to Jeffrey to learn more about his initiative.

Bridget: How did you get the idea to do a crowdfunding campaign to raise money for your certification? Is there a crowdfunding campaign that inspired you?

Jeffrey: As with many new writers [Editor's note: Jeffrey notes that Feb. 11 is the one-year anniversary of him operating his business full-time], cash flow is one of my biggest challenges. I've made some excellent progress in building my business, but I can never seem to get far enough ahead to make meaningful investments in myself. Becoming certified continues to be at the top of my wish list and I feel that the ACRW will give me the right combination of training and, ultimately, certification, that will be a huge boost to my business and personal potential. Crowdfunding is very visible, and I kept coming back to it as an option. I found Indiegogo to be the right fit for what I'm trying to accomplish. In researching the concept, I found many small businesses looking for funding to buy equipment and inventory, but very few (if any), service companies looking for funding. I'm sure it's being done, but maybe I'm blazing a bit of a trail.

Bridget: How are you planning on promoting the campaign?

Jeffrey: Currently, I'm only promoting the campaign (with poor results) via social media. I need to personally get past the idea that I'm looking for a handout, and believe in myself and this traditionally unconventional method of raising money. I know I need to do a much better job in this area.

Bridget: Have you received any feedback from anyone about your campaign?

Jeffrey: I've received a few "atta boys" from friends and family, but nothing more than that.

Bridget: Did you consider any other "creative" ways to come up with the money for certification?

Jeffrey: My main goal was to pay for certification the old-fashioned way — by earning it! But then the bills continue to roll in…

Bridget: Do Wendy and Louise (from the Resume Writing Academy) know you're doing this?

Jeffrey: I did have the pleasure of meeting Louise briefly at the NRWA conference in Maine a couple of years ago (2011), but have not been in touch with either (of them) since I kicked off this endeavor.

What do you think, resume writers? Would you be interested in supporting Jeffrey's goal of certification? I will "match" any donations made by resume writers in the next 7 days (until Feb. 18, 2013) with products from Resume Writers' Digest. That is, if you donate $25 to Jeffrey, I will give you $25 in free Resume Writers' Digest products. Forward your receipt to me at editor (at) rwdigest (dot-com) and I will contact you to arrange your free products!