Kickstarter

If you’re not familiar with it already, Kickstarter is a GREAT program and a tremendous resource for creative projects.

To get it going:

Creators start a project – for example, funding a new book or music CD. They create a page that has information about the project – pictures, videos, information – and create giving levels for people to pledge to. A music CD project might give a free copy of the CD to anyone who pledges $10, a signed copy for those that pledge $20, etc. First time projects have to be approved by the Kickstarter staff, and creators must use or have an Amazon merchant account so that payments can be processed.

How it works for “backers,” or project supporters:

If you want to support a creative project, you “pledge” your donation. At the deadline, if a goal is reached, your donation is processed and the project is launched. You aren’t charged a dime unless you know the project is going to move forward, which is pretty cool!

"our credit score is most excellent"

Why it’s awesome:

It’s hard for creative projects to get funding. Imagine your favorite local band going into a bank and asking for $5,000 to help them record their next CD? They’d be laughed right out of the building. Kickstarter allows creatives to get support from not only their fan base, but anybody else that happens to come across the project and like what they see.

Kickstarter is not only be a great fundraising tool, it can be a good outreach tool as well. Altered Esthetics, where I’m on the board, recently held a Kickstarter project to get our 2012 arts calendar printed. Not only did a lot of our regular artists and donors pledge to the project, but we had a lot of new backers as well – people we had never heard of before!

It’s also a great way to find new projects you like. You can search by genre, keyword, and area to find a project that interests you – and quite possibly help make somebody’s creative dream come true.

Bicycle Theory is actually a part of a Kickstarter project, too! We’re trying to help a local nonprofit launch a cycling tour in our neighborhood. You can check out our Kickstarter page at: kickstarter.com/projects/469564467/celebrate-northeast-minneapolis-with-the-ne-ride

The Catch

Kickstarter isn’t entirely a free resource. There are credit card and processing fees from both Amazon and Kickstarter of up to 5%. Creators are advised to figure in about 10% towards processing charges. (Though in my experience, it’s never been quite that high.)

The other catch – and this one’s pretty brutal – Kickstarter is an all or nothing deal. If you don’t meet your goal, you get NOTHING. So if you’ve got $24,999 raised out of $25,000 by the time the clock runs out – the $24,999 in pledges are gone.

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Jamie Schumacher is Bicycle Theory’s Internet Marketing & Nonprofit Strategist. She’s also our resident blogging and social media expert! To find out more about creating or improving your online experience, contact Bicycle Theory!