Crowdfunding for the Arts, Cultural and

Creative sector

‘It was the revolutionary fundraising model that

swept Barack Obama to power – and it could help

arts bodies in Britain stay in business.’

Crowdfunding Today’s Workshop

• What is Crowdfunding?

• How does Crowdfunding work?

• Where to Crowdfund?

• Writing your pitch

• Choosing rewards

• Marketing your campaign

• Keeping in touch with your funders

• Tips and Pitfalls

• Your First Steps This workshop is powered by HI-Arts

What is Crowdfunding?

“Survival of the fittest for creative ideas.

Lots of people – each giving a small amount – can

make good things happen. The ‘crowd’ decides

what’s good, what’s not, what they want to fund

and what they don’t…Good ideas will shine

through and the wisdom of the crowd to fund them

is a really exciting prospect.”

Crowdfunder

http://www.sponsume.com/project/hamish-henderson-archive

£5 or more – Acknowledgement on the Hamish Henderson

Archive Trust website

£10 or more – Acknowledgement in the first Hamish

Henderson Journal

£20 or more – Exclusive signed copy of the Journal

£100 or more – Signed copy of the Journal and a VIP

invitation to the launch

£200 or more – Private View - personal viewing of some of

the materials in the Henderson Archive.

Hamish Henderson Archives

Raised £4,670

(£2,670 over their target)

with 128 donations.

On average people donated £36 each.

What is Crowdfunding?

Let the projects explain…

Help us grow into New Designers

Help us Grow into New Designers

• The New Designers campaign finished on the 26th April 2012.

• They have raised £585 - £85 more then their target

• 30 people pledged to support the project.

• On average people donated £20.

What is Crowdfunding?

Let the projects explain…

Bridport’s Lyric Theatre

Bridport’s Lyric Theatre

• The crowdfunding campaign finished on 10th November 2011.

• They raised £8,429.20 – £429.20 more then their target

• 82 people pledged donations.

• On average people donated £103.

How does Crowdfunding work?

In a Nutshell…

1. Pick the creative project or idea you want funded.

2. Identify how much you need to raise.

3. Pick a Crowdfunding website.

4. Identify your story and your pitch.

5. How will you reward your new funders?

6. Tell everyone you know, and those interested in what you do, about it!

Where to Crowdfund?

Look for a host that offers support and advice in developing and communicating your project.

Find out how long the site will run your campaign

Check to see if the crowdfunding site charges you for raising funds?

Make sure you read any guidelines or terms and conditions before launching your project.

Setting your Funding Target

• Core costs of the project

• Rewards – what additional costs?

• Ask for slightly more

• Community commitment

• Estimate the average pledge

Writing your pitch You need to make the idea stick in the minds of potential funders…

• Keep it Simple

• Make it Unexpected

• Create a Concrete idea

• Make it Credible

• Find the Emotion

• Tell a Story

Who, What, When, Where and How

Creating a Video

Creating a Video is Essential for:

• Connecting with your funders

• Demonstrating trust and value

• Being clear and concise

• Providing a short and sweet pitch

Creating a Video

What type of video?

• Interview’s

• Documentary

• An animation

• Photography Slideshow

Pointers

• Keep it short and to the point

• Clearly relate to the project

• Quality of video footage

• Editing

• Audio

• Creativity

What is a Reward?

What is a Reward?

Let Plum explain…

Meme

• Plum’s crowdfunding campaign ended on October 15th 2011.

• She raised £5,040 (101% of her target)

• 137 people backed her project.

• On average people donated £36.

What is a Reward?

• Your way of saying ‘Thank You’

• Builds support for your future project, cause

and/or organisation.

• Act as a marketing and promotional tactic.

• Must be creative and linked to your campaign.

£5 or more – A thank you Tweet.

£20 or more – A personal thank you and link of your choice on my Hastastic! Facebook

page.

£30 or more – Entry into raffle to win a bespoke commissioned headpiece.

£40 or more – A promotional hat or headpiece made especially for your business event or

ad campaign or simply to wear.

£50 or more – 30 minute talk on millinery from Chloe for your charitable or social event,

plus a unique Hatastic piece.

£100 or more – Afternoon for up to 5 people for a headpiece making class with Chloe.

£500 or more – Pledge Package: Gratitude on all promotional materials, a handwritten

thank you, an exclusive bespoke hat for you or a friend, and a choice of a unique

bejewelled piece from the Lost Treasure Collection.

Why is Crowdfunding relevant to us now?

• It is an enterprising solution to raising funds.

• It is a new approach which cuts out traditional funding

approaches and their requirements.

• It enables communities to mobilise around the things they

want to see happen;

• Communities become investors in their own future.

• It mobilises new money when traditional support is less

available.

• It is a good indicator of the eventual success of your project.

Telling the World about

Your Crowdfunding Project

Social Networking

Next Steps: Marketing your project

Crowdfunding Website

Your Website – friends, partner and supporter websites (Web Release)

Your Blog – friends, partner and supporter’s blogs (Blog Release)

Your Social Networks – friends, partner and supporter social networks (Share)

Community News, Radio, Magazines, Leaflets – local word of mouth (Press Release)

National News, Radio, Magazines – national word of mouth (Press Release)

Email Your Database – friends, partner and supporter’s forward emails (Links)

eNewsletter – friends, partner and supporter’s newsletters (Links)

Mobile SMS – ask them to share their text (Share)

Presentations – at your events, activities, when selling (Word of Mouth)

Posters, Leaflets, Postcards – For your community or beyond (Promotion)

Letters – contact your fans, supporters, volunteers etc personally (Invite)

Tell everyone you know! Get them to tell everyone they know!

Keeping your funders up-to-date

• Update your Crowdfunding site

• Thank You Cards

• Blogging

• Social Networking

• Personalised Emails

• Invitations

Tips

Crowdfunding is not the easy option – any and all fundraising is hard!

It helps, but it’s not necessary, to have a pre-existing community of supporters.

Be resourceful –

It can be hard to incentivise people, capture their imagination.

Be clear –

Set a completion date for the campaign, clearly define your goals and

expectations.

Be Informative –

Offer as much information about your project as you can.

Pitfalls

Projects fail if…

• You don’t express clearly the nature of your project.

• Additional information is hard to come across.

• You don’t tell anyone about it.

• There is a lack of communication between yourself and your new funders.

• You don’t follow up on rewards.

• Your project doesn’t fit with the parameters of the Crowdfunding site you choose.

• You choose not to produce a video.

• You forget to build and nurture your online and offline community around your

project.

• You promise what you can’t deliver.

• You focus on the negative.

FAQs

• How long does a campaign last?

• What happens when my project reaches its target funding?

• How will I be able to contact my funders?

• What happens if I don’t meet my target?

• What happens if I reach my funding target before the end of the campaign?

• Can I pledge to my own project?

• Will the Crowdfunding site take a cut?

• How do supporters collect their rewards?

Your First Steps towards Crowdfunding

• The project idea

• Delivery dates

• Costs to deliver

• Crowdfunding Target

• What would Crowdfunding support

• The benefits of the project

• Crowdfunding video

• Rewards

• Potential donors

• Marketing tactics

• Keeping funders up-to-date