Kickstarter. What an incredible idea!
I’m so in love with this concept I hardly know where to start. I just heard about Kickstarter a couple of weeks ago, when I got an e-mail from my friend Jesse. I knew he’d been involved in making a movie recently, and it had seen some success, yet had a limited release. Now he and his partners wanted to spread the word, and hopefully get themselves in the black. A DVD release seemed the answer…but where would they get the money Jesse’s e-mail explained it all: how they could get their DVD seed money of $10,000, and how I could be their angel. It was all about Kickstarter.com.
When you need money for a creative project, go to this website, and fill out a proposal to start your fundraising. Set giving levels, offer rewards to donors, make your dream sound irresistible. Set a time limit: folks pledge their support, and if the goal is not reached, the money is never collected. *
As I look on the home page, there are some incredible projects that need our help: a design studio that came up with edible cups for a Jell-O mold competition now want to bring this sustainable invention to the world. They’re looking for $10,000. A woman plans to buy a used truck and make it a mobile print shop, crossing the country and teaching her craft. A New Orleans street band is trying to produce an album: you can pledge as little as one dollar to these guys, but if you give them $10, you’ll get a CD when it’s done.
Kickstarter calls itself “a new way to fund creative ideas and ambitious endeavors.” Will I start a new project of my own on Kickstarter in 2011? I have no idea right now. But I do plan to make it a website I visit often this coming year, and I hope to give (even if it’s a tiny amount) to lots of creative people who need a little help from their friends – and some friends they’ve never met.
Oh, and as for Jesse? They passed their $10,000 goal, and for the $30 I donated, I’ll get a DVD of the film – and I’ll be listed in the credits!
Toss a coin in someone’s e-wishing well.
*If the goal is met, Kickstarter charges a 5% fee of the funds raised. Amazon also charges a credit card processing fee.
Thanks Erin for your good deeds!! Hope you like the film
Happy New Year!!
XO
jesse
I’m a Jesse Archer fan — loved “Four Letter Word”). I’m sure I will!
What a great organization! Thanks for spreading the word. I coach a number of budding entrepreneurs and this is a great resource. It’s also just a lot of fun to browse through all of the cool projects people are working on. Watching our politicians (who have every resource at their disposal) get virtually nothing done, or put all of their efforts into undoing anything good that has been done, it is easy to get depressed. How inspiring to see all of these individuals accomplishing such unique and interesting projects on just a shoe-string!
Isn’t it great? And I agree, Chris — seeing everybody’s dreams is the best reading around. Talk about inspirational!
Kickstarter is the coolest thing ever. One friend used it to fund her film production, and my favorite bread baker used it to expand his shoestring operation. So fabulous.
It’s just incredible, isn’t it, Debbie? Reading the home page and witnessing people’s dreams is the best reading I can imagine.