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An Accion Initiative

Project Owner Packet

Seed Chicago is Accion Chicago’s curated Kickstarter page. This program features projects of small business owners and community organizations that create jobs and cultivate economic growth in Chicago’s neighborhoods.

Kickstart your project today.

Frequently Asked Questions

Communications Planning and Best Practices

Online Resources

Kickstarter Project Widgets How-To

Customizable Communications Templates

Seed Chicago is a project of Accion, if you have any questions please contact hmarceau@accionchicago.org.

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Frequently Asked Questions: Questions Regarding the Seed Chicago Program

What is Seed Chicago? Seed Chicago is Accion Chicago’s curated Kickstarter page. This program features projects of small business owners and community organizations that create jobs and cultivate economic growth in Chicago’s neighborhoods.

How does it work? Every project on Kickstarter is independently created and crafted by its owner. The filmmakers, musicians, artists, and designers you see on Kickstarter ave complete control and responsibility over their projects. They spend weeks building their project pages, shooting their videos, and brainstorming rewards to offer backers. When they're ready, creators launch their project and share it with their community.

Every project creator sets their project's funding goal and deadline. If people like the project, they can pledge money to make it happen. If the project succeeds in reaching its funding goal, all backers' credit cards are charged when time expires. If the project falls short, no one is charged. Funding on Kickstarter is all-or-nothing.

Seed Chicago is a curated page. Curated Pages are a way for organizations and institutions to share projects they love on Kickstarter. Seed Chicago launches projects in waves – we have 4-6 waves every year and the projects involved in those waves launch their projects at the same time.

How long do the projects last on Seed Chicago? Seed Chicago projects last for 30-days.

How much money can I raise on Seed Chicago? Seed Chicago limits its project goals to $10,000.

What if I need to raise more money than $10,000? If you believe that your project can achieve a higher goal, then you must submit a letter explaining your goal, what you will accomplish with the funding, and why you believe you should be allowed an exception. We urge our project owners to ‚aim small, miss small.‛ As mentioned earlier, all Kickstarter projects are all-or-nothing projects. You must raise 100% of your goal in order to receive any funding. If you ask for $3,000, but only raise $2,999 then you will not receive any of that money.

What is the review process? The Seed Chicago approval process is three-fold. First, you must receive approval by Accion Chicago. All submissions must include a completed questionnaire from the Seed Chicago Project Owner Packet. This questionnaire helps us to understand your project and helps you to work through what your Kickstarter project will look like. Once submitted, your project will be reviewed by our internal review committee. You will be notified soon thereafter about your status. Secondly, you must receive approval by Amazon Payments to accept pledges from backers. This process takes up to 7 business days. As a result, we urge you to begin this process immediately upon submitting your questionnaire to Accion for review.

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Thirdly, once you have received approval from Amazon Payments you must submit your completed project to Kickstarter for review. This process takes anywhere from 2-10 business days. The entire review process takes a minimum of 14 days.

Who should I contact to get involved? Haley Marceau, Associate of Development and Communications at Accion Chicago. Her contact information is as follows: hmarceau@accionchicago.org or 312.924.2154.

Can I be featured on Seed Chicago more than once? Yes. However, we do not allow more than one project from the same project owner to occur during the same round.

What are the benefits of being a Seed Chicago project? Seed Chicago projects benefit from aggregated attention as part of a curated page, which Kickstarter notes improves success rates. Seed Chicago project owners receive one-on-one coaching throughout the process and receive personalized assistance in the ideation, creation, and implementation of their project. In addition, Seed Chicago projects will have access to a variety of planning and management tools developed by Accion and World Business Chicago, as well as opportunities to collaborate with other Seed Chicago participants throughout the project campaigns to share ideas and lessons learned. Seed Chicago projects also benefit from media attention driven through efforts by the City of Chicago and Accion Chicago.

How much does it cost to be a part of the Seed Chicago program? There is no cost associated with being involved with the Seed Chicago program. However, if a project is successfully funded, Kickstarter applies a 5% fee to the funds collected. Pledges will be processed by Amazon Payments, and these payment processing fees work out to roughly 3-5%.

I don’t live or work in Chicago. Can I still be featured on the curated page? No. Seed Chicago is exclusive to Chicago-based entrepreneurs and community organizations.

I don’t live in Chicago, but my business is located in Chicago. Can I still be featured on the curated page? Yes, so long as your business is the recipient of all funds raised on your Kickstarter project.

Questions Regarding Kickstarter

What is a Kickstarter project? Kickstarter is a platform dedicated to bringing creative projects to life. We welcome and support projects in the diverse categories of Art, Comics, Crafts, Dance, Design, Fashion, Film & Video, Food, Games, Journalism, Music, Photography, Publishing, Technology, and Theater.

A project is a finite work with a clear goal that you’d like to bring to life. Think albums, books, or films. The funding goal is the amount of money that a creator needs to complete their project. Funding on Kickstarter is all-or-nothing. No one will be charged for a pledge towards a project unless it reaches its funding goal. This way, creators always have the budget they scoped out before moving forward. A creator is the person or team behind the project idea; working to bring it to life. Backers are folks who pledge money to join creators in bringing projects to life. Rewards

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are a creator's chance to share a piece of their project with their backer community. Typically, these are one-of-a-kind experiences, limited editions, or copies of the creative work being produced.

What are Kickstarter’s Rules? There are three rules every Kickstarter project must follow:

1. Projects must create something to share with others. Kickstarter can be used to create all sorts of things: art and gadgets, events and spaces, ideas and experiences. But every project needs a plan for creating something and sharing it with the world. At some point, the creator should be able to say: ‚It’s finished. Here’s what we created. Enjoy!‛

2. Projects must be honest and clearly presented. Our community is built on trust and communication. Projects can’t mislead people or misrepresent facts, and creators should be candid about what they plan to accomplish. When a project involves manufacturing and distributing something complex, like a gadget, we require projects to show a prototype of what they’re making, and we prohibit photorealistic renderings.

3. Projects can’t fundraise for charity, offer financial incentives, or involve prohibited items. We’re all in favor of charity and investment, but they’re not permitted on Kickstarter. Projects can’t promise to donate funds raised to a charity or cause, and they can’t offer financial incentives like equity or repayment. We also can’t allow any of these prohibited things.

What are some things I should do before launching a Kickstarter project?

1. Make a detailed budget of your costs. Use this to set your funding goal. 2. Look closely at other Kickstarter projects, especially Staff Picks. 3. Brainstorm with friends about what rewards to offer and other project ideas. 4. Consult the Creator Handbook for tips and tricks from our staff, as well as the tips posts

on our blog. 5. Have a plan for spreading the word about the project.

Running a project is a lot of fun and a lot of work. Make sure you're ready before you launch!

What information should I share on my project page? After visiting your project page backers should have a clear sense of:

1. What it is you are trying to do 2. How you will do it 3. How the funds will be used 4. Your qualifications to complete this project 5. The identities of the people on your team (if you have one) 6. How far along your project is

The more information you share, the more you will earn your backers’ trust.

What can be offered as a reward? Rewards are typically items produced by the project itself — a copy of the CD, a print from the show, a limited edition of the comic. Most projects also offer creative experiences: a visit to the set, naming a character after a backer, a personal phone call. Anything that brings backers into the creative process is a great approach. For tips on creating rewards, visit our Creator Handbook. Rewards tiers can be set for any pledge amount, up to the maximum pledge. Rewards must all be eligible per our rules, which includes a list of prohibited items and subject matter, and may not be offered in bulk quantities over 10.

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Can a project raise more than its goal? Yes. Projects remain live on Kickstarter until their funding deadline. That means it's entirely possible for a project to overshoot its goal. In that case, the creator receives all of the additional funds (less fees). Some creators use these additional funds to increase the scale or scope of their project, while others improve the quality or variety of backer rewards available.

What happens to pledges if I’m unsuccessful? You will not receive any pledges if you are unsuccessful. The backers who made these pledges will not be charged.

What happens if I raise my goal really quickly? Great! Let’s set a stretch goal. A stretch goal is a funding target set by the project creator beyond the original Kickstarter goal. Stretch goals as a term and a practice emerged from the Kickstarter community as a way for creators to "stretch" beyond the initial, official goal of the Kickstarter project and raise more money (and often make cooler stuff!). Funds are collected whether stretch goals are met or not, as long as the project has met its Kickstarter funding goal.

What happens when a project is overfunded varies depending on the project, and stretch goals are not right for every project. If you are thinking about stretch goals you should consider:

1. Project complexity: Stretch goals can make a project more difficult to complete. Fulfilling rewards can be demanding, and any time you add new stuff (more songs on your album, better materials or options on your creation) the demands increase. More costs to consider, more things to ship — things can get complicated fast. It can be tempting to add stretch goals — especially if a project goes orders of magnitude over funding — but this shouldn't be done without careful planning.

2. Communication: If adding stretch goals, think carefully about how to announce them to your community of backers. Take the time to explain your intentions, your motivations, and your plans. Any changes made midstream should be accompanied by an assurance that you are honoring your initial promises to backers. Simply proclaiming, ‚New goal!‛ without recognizing what you’ve achieved together can rub backers the wrong way.

What happens if I don’t reach my Kickstarter goal? Unfortunately, you will not receive any of the money you raised while your project was live. Kickstarter is an all-or-nothing platform. In the event that you do not meet your goal, your backers will not be charged.

Can I re-launch my project if I’m unsuccessful? Yes.

Can I raise money for General Operating costs? No. every project needs a plan for creating something. At some point, the creator should be able to say: ‚It’s finished. Here’s what we created. Enjoy!‛

Can I raise money for charity? No. Charity is not permitted on Kickstarter. Projects can’t promise to donate funds raised to a charity or cause, and they can’t offer financial incentives like equity or repayment.

Do I need a video? Kickstarter does not require a video, but the Seed Chicago program does require a video. Projects with a video succeed at a much higher rate (50% vs. 30%), and they also raise more money.

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I’m having trouble with my Kickstarter account. Who can I contact? http://tinyurl.com/kickstarterhelp

Questions Regarding Amazon Payments How do I get the money if I’m successful? It will be deposited into your account (that you previously set up with Amazon Payments) after your project ends.

Do I need to have an Amazon Payment account to launch a project? Yes.

What are the steps required to set up an Amazon Payments account? There are two steps to setting up your Amazon Payments account (the second is multi-part). Step 1 is connecting your project to Amazon Payments, where you enter your name, contact information, and other identification details. Step 2 has a few parts:

1. Verify your email address with Amazon - Amazon Payments sent you an email with instructions for verifying your email address. If you can’t find it, you can request a new verification email by visiting your Amazon Payments account.

2. Add and verify a US bank account - Bank accounts can be verified instantly (if supported by your bank) or through a process that can take up to seven business days to complete.

3. Complete the tax interview - Amazon Payments collects taxpayer information for all account holders.

4. Add a valid US credit card - If the card you entered upon account registration in Step 1 is valid, no further action is needed.

5. Amazon's account review - Additionally, Amazon Payments will review your account information to ensure that you meet eligibility requirements. This process usually takes around 48 hours, so please be patient. We’ll send you an email when we receive an update on your account status.

Once you've completed Step 1, you'll be able to see the status of all these other components by visiting your Amazon Payments profile.

Amazon is asking me for my business details, but I don't have a business. How do I set up my account? Amazon Payments' account setup process (Step 1 - set up to receive funds) will ask you for both your personal contact details and your business name and address. If you're running your project on your own and not as a business, that's fine. Simply use your own name and address. Select your business type as "Individual," and feel free to put Kickstarter down as the website.

I’m having trouble with my Amazon Payments account. Who can I contact? Please visit your Amazon Payments profile to see what steps remain to complete your account setup. Note that you must log in to Amazon Payments with the exact same email address and password you used when you connected your project to Amazon to receive funds in Step 1 (important!). This may be different from your Kickstarter login, and that’s fine.

If you need assistance verifying your account, please contact Amazon Payments and reference your project token. To find your project token, go to the Edit Project page, click the Account tab, and you'll see it in the Amazon Payments section. Contact Amazon by phone: http://tinyurl.com/amazonbyphone

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Contact Amazon by email: http://tinyurl.com/amazonbyemail

Questions Regarding Press and Media How do I describe Seed Chicago to the press or my backers? Seed Chicago is Accion Chicago’s curated Kickstarter page. This program was created as part of Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s Plan for Economic Growth and Jobs, was incubated by World Business Chicago, and is now managed and administered by Accion Chicago. Seed Chicago features projects of small business owners and community organizations that create jobs and cultivate economic growth in Chicago’s neighborhoods.

Questions Regarding the City of Chicago’s Involvement Does Mayor Emanuel know about the current projects? The City of Chicago worked with World Business Chicago to develop a program that would assist community organizations, businesses, and individuals in raising funds for their venture. As a result of that collaboration Seed Chicago was born. The Mayor is very aware of the program as a whole, and his team is aware of the individual projects that are live on the page.

How involved is the Mayor in promoting his projects? The Mayor’s Office is multi-faceted and has an arm called the Chicago Small Business Hub. Accion works closely with the members of that team as well as the Mayor’s Media Team to push out information to press and social media about Seed Chicago and its project owners.

Does the City of Chicago help us get the word out about the projects? Yes. They spread the word to local Neighborhood Business Development Centers, speak about the program at presentations and conferences, issue a press release, post on social media, include the link in their newsletter, among other ways.

Is the City of Chicago and Mayor Emanuel invested in our success? ‚Invested‛ is a tricky word – but Accion Chicago, World Business Chicago, and The City of Chicago are all invested in the success of Seed Chicago and the projects featured on the curated page. However, no money is given or granted to any of these organizations or the project owners as a result of a projects success. Seed Chicago is a result of the Mayor’s Plan for Economic Growth and Jobs – one of his many initiatives to help bolster the City of Chicago. As a nonprofit organization with a mission to help small business owners succeed, Accion was a natural fit to manage the program and we have done so since the beginning of 2014.

Why should I fund your project? Won’t you just get a grant from the City anyway? The answer is no. Some of your potential backers may not realize that the funds raised from Seed Chicago do not come from the City, rather they come from your fundraising efforts. Tell your backers that Seed Chicago was a result of the Mayor’s Plan for Economic Growth and Jobs, and that Seed Chicago is just one of many initiatives that nonprofit organizations all over Chicago have taken on to help bolster neighborhoods and individuals throughout Chicago. Remind them that through Kickstarter, if you don’t meet 100% of your goal, you will not receive any money from Kickstarter, the City, or Accion. Simple as that.

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What are my roles as a Seed Chicago project owner? What are the roles of the City of Chicago and Accion?

Roles Around Seed Chicago Accion Project Owner (You)

The City of Chicago

World Business Chicago

Distribute information about the program/projects

x x x x

Issue press release for each round x x x

Pitch story to media outlets x x x

Post Social media updates x x x x

Manage application/selection process x

Manage Kickstarter Project Page x

Curate Seed Chicago Page x

Develop Individual Kickstarter projects

x x

Coach project owners throughout process

x

Ultimately, YOU are responsible for the success of your campaign. The City of Chicago and World Business Chicago are simply megaphones that help to spread the word. Accion is here to assist you along the way with whatever you may need. Our goal is for you to succeed.

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Communications Planning and Best Practices: Beginning your project:

Review Kickstarter project guidelines and requirements. These can be very helpful for learning what types of projects are typically successful on the site. The most important aspect of beginning a project is making sure there are ‚definable expectations.‛ Donors should be able to clearly understand the goals and expectations of your project. It’s important to keep in mind that Kickstarter does not allow funding of charities, causes, or general business projects. The site is strictly for projects with a creative edge. Before launching a Kickstarter campaign, make sure you have a comprehensive plan and all of the support you need to be successful. You will need:

An idea. Specifically, an idea that’s been committed to writing and subjected to (both internal and external) scrutiny.

A plan. You need a plan that includes a list of any necessary partners and services.

A timeline. Lay out your plan for e-mails, social media, etc. as it relates to your project launch/end date.

Relevant experience. A demonstrable track record that can serve as proof of competency for your funders.

All of the required skills and connections. Figure out all of the skills needed for your campaign. For each skill you don’t have, you’ll need the support of someone who has it. As much as is possible, you want that support confirmed before going live (i.e. social networking – find someone to tweet on your behalf, or to develop the tweets for you to use).

Clarity of goals and expectations. This includes whether you are doing this for profit, the level of professionalism that will be present in the final product (for whatever ‚product‛ means in your case), where the money will go, and what people will be getting from the exchange.

The most successfully funded projects on Kickstarter have several things in common, including, but not limited to the following:

Simple product/service design

Easy to understand description in less than 200 characters

Credibility through testimonials and associations

Clear ask and clear description of where exactly the money is going

Well lit photos/videos of the product/service in action

FAQ session to help potential investors get over any last minute concerns

Carefully designed pledge levels

Frequent updates

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Setting incentives:

Incentives are required! Offer rewards to attract donors. Many donors will be encouraged to give to your project if you are offering interesting, once-in-a-lifetime rewards. For example, most rewards will be something associated with the project such as providing a copy of the CD you are creating or naming a signature dish after your #1 donor. The more creative you are with offering rewards, the more donors you will be able to attract. There is no magic bullet. We encourage every project to be as creative and true to itself as possible. Put yourself in your backers’ shoes: would you drop cash on your incentives? The answer to that question will tell you a lot about your project’s potential.

Building your project:

Set realistic funding goals and deadlines for your projects. All projects on Kickstarter have a funding goal and a time limit from 1 to 90 days. Seed Chicago limits projects to 30 days with a maximum goal of $10,000. Remember, no money will change hands if you do not meet your funding goals. Kickstarter is an all-or-nothing platform. It is essential to set a realistic dollar amount. We recommend you set your goal low so that your odds of meeting you goal are better. You can always exceed your goal! Setting your dollar amount too low may scare off donors who are unsure whether the funding is enough to actually complete the project. Setting it too high may result in not being able to fulfill your funding goals. Set your goal to meet the minimum needed for your project. Meet your goal, and then exceed it! Tell a compelling story. Most donors on Kickstarter are compelled to give because of the story behind the project and project creator. People want to know who they’re donating to! Providing potential donors with info on who you are, what your ideals are, and what your goals for your project are will greatly increase the chances of encouraging donations. Create a first-person video and answer donor questions. Speak directly to your donors with personal, first-person videos introducing yourself and your involvement with the project. It’s important to answer any questions that potential donors may ask you. If donors ask you questions and you do not respond, chances are they will decide not to donate and won’t share your project with their network. Be personal, be responsive!

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Communicating:

The overarching goal of communicating effectively about your Kickstarter project is to raise awareness and attract backers to receive funding. Identify key messages about your project for use in external communications. One message should describe your project. Another should share information about why your project is unique. Another still should explain why it’s important to the community (and to you!) and why funds are needed. Another way to think about developing key messages is to think about how you’d want the Mayor to explain your project to others. What are the three things you’d want him to say about it? Understand your audience to decide which communication channels to use to spread the word about your page. Take some time to think about who is likely to back your project. It could be people in your current neighborhood or the neighborhood where you want to start your project. Once you understand your audience, think about where they go to receive information. How will you reach them? You share information and engage your target audience through various channels. What are those channels? Consider your networks: Kickstarter is not a magical source of money. Funding comes from a variety of sources — your audience, your friends and family, your broader social networks, and, if your project does well, strangers from around the web. It’s up to you to build that momentum for your project.

Promoting: Promote Your Project: An exceptional project can lead to outpourings of support from all corners of the web, but for most projects, support comes from within their own networks and their networks’ networks. If you want people to back your project you have to tell them about it. More than once! And in a variety of ways! Here’s how:

Smart outreach: A nice, personal message is the most effective way to let someone know about your project. Send an email to your close friends and family so they can be first to pledge. Then use your personal blog, your Facebook page, and your Twitter account to tune in everyone who’s paying attention. Don’t overwhelm with e-blasts and group messages, but be sure to remind your networks about your projects a few times throughout the course of its duration. Take the time to contact people individually. It makes a big difference.

Meeting up: Don’t be afraid to take your Kickstarter project out into the real world. Nothing connects people to an idea like seeing the twinkle in your eye when you talk about it. Host pledge parties, print posters or flyers to distribute around your community, and organize meetups to educate people about your endeavor. Be creative!

Keeping it real: Whatever channel you use to tell your project’s story, don’t spam. This includes posting your link on other Kickstarter project pages, @messaging people to beg for money on Twitter, link-bombing on Facebook, and generally nagging people you don’t already know. Over-posting can alienate your friends and fans, and it makes every other Kickstarter project look bad too.

Brainstorm additional ways to promote your Kickstarter page

Add a link on your website to your Kickstarter page.

Host an event! Host a party for your friends and family (and their friends and family) and get the word out about your project and the good it will bring to your

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neighborhood. This is an excellent way to create buzz around your project, as well as to accept donations then and there.

Blog! Patch.com is a good resource to target people in your neighborhood. Patch blogs give anyone from gardening enthusiasts to community leaders to local business owners the power to easily share ideas, expertise, questions, or even just a cool photo with the whole neighborhood. Let people know about your new Kickstarter page and write a blog about your project. Make sure to include a link to your page. Patch has pages for Chicago as well as neighborhoods like Bucktown-Wickerpark (http://bucktown-wickerpark.patch.com/) and Lincoln Park (http://lincolnpark.patch.com/). To get started, go to Patch.com and enter the zip code where you are looking to open a business or community project. If they don’t have a page for the zip code you’re going to, the site provides the next closest location.

Post a video highlighting your incentives or sharing an interesting story that’s not featured on your Kickstarter page to YouTube. Make sure to add a link to your Kickstarter page.

Engage friends of Facebook fans

Engage potential customers, like-minded individuals, and community members by posting information about your page on their social channels

Reach out to your local chamber of commerce to see if they have an outlet that helps businesses promote new initiatives/announcements

Send an email/newsletter to your current business distribution list to encourage them to back your project

Ask businesses in the area where your project will be located to post a flyer about your Kickstarter page

Hand out flyers to people who frequent your business/engage with your organization

Use the “Update” section that’s on your Kickstarter page to keep backers up-to-date on your projects progress

Word of mouth – share info about your page with everyone you meet, especially if you are speaking to large groups or at events

Post the link to your Kickstarter page on Kickstarter’s Facebook and Twitter handles, etc.

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Resources:

Kickstarter Basics o http://www.kickstarter.com/help/faq/kickstarter+basics o ‚Kickstarter Basics.‛ Kickstarter. Web. 2013.

Kickstarter Guidelines o http://www.kickstarter.com/help/guidelines o ‚Kickstarter Guidelines.‛ Kickstarter. Web. 2013.

Kickstarter School o http://www.kickstarter.com/help/school o ‚Kickstarter School.‛ Kickstarter. Web. 2013.

Kickstarter Management Tools o http://www.kickstarter.com/blog/better-tools-for-project-creators o Sheppard, Zack. ‚Better Tools for Project Creators.‛ Web. 11 Mar. 2013.

Learn in 10 minutes how to create a Kickstarter project o http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bawaqfy8sy4 o ‚Productivity Tutorial: Raising Funds with Kickstarter‛. YouTube. Lynda.com. Web.

2013.

Cheap / Free Resources for Making Kickstarter Campaign Videos o http://crowdfundingdojo.com/articles/cheap-free-resources-for-making-kickstarter-

campaign-videos o ‚Cheap / Free Resources for Making Kickstarter Campaign Videos.‛ Crowdfunding Dojo.

Web. 2013.

How to Run a Successful Campaign on Kickstarter o http://www.shopify.com/blog/6102922-how-to-run-a-successful-campaign-on-

kickstarter#axzz2WVlIAmlf o Hayes, Mark. ‚How to Run a Successful Campaign on Kickstarter.‛ Shopify. Web. 2013.

7 Secrets of the Highest Funded Kickstarter Campaign EVER o http://crowdfundingdojo.com/articles/7-steps-that-made-the-pebble-epaper-watch-

the-most-funded-kickstarter-ever-that-you-can-copy o ‚7 Secrets of the Highest Funded Kickstarter Campaign EVER.‛ Crowdfunding Dojo.

Web. 2013.

How Successful Kickstarter Videos Are Made o http://crowdfundingdojo.com/articles/how-successful-kickstarter-campaign-videos-

are-made o ‚How Successful Kickstarter Campaign Videos Are Made.‛ Crowdfunding Dojo. Web.

2013.

5 Project-Crushing Kickstarter Mistakes & How to Avoid Them o http://crowdfundingdojo.com/blog/5-project-crushing-kickstarter-mistakes-how-to-

avoid-them o ‚5 Project-Crushing Kickstarter Mistakes & How to Avoid Them.‛ Crowdfunding Dojo.

Web. 2013.

Learn 7 Methods to get Over a Mid-campaign Slump on Kickstarter o http://crowdfundingdojo.com/articles/getting-over-kickstarter-campaign-slump o ‚7 Methods to Get Over a Mid-campaign Slump on Kickstarter.‛ Crowdfunding Dojo.

Web. 2013.

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Kickstarter Project Widgets: Here are instructions to add your project’s widget to your website.

1. Go to your project page. 2. Click “Embed Widget” in the navigation bar:

3. Copy and paste the link to the HTML editor portion of your webpage:

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Customizable Communications Templates: Spend some time drafting the various communications that you foresee yourself using before, during, and after your campaign. This will save you a lot of time and energy when you are busy throughout your project. A little planning goes a long way! Use these templates as examples for a starting point.

Email Pitches: Email Pitch to Friends/Family: This email pitch is intended for friends, family members, etc., who would be willing to help you raise awareness for your project.

Friends of [business name]! Great news! Our project has been selected to Seed Chicago, the city’s curated Kickstarter page for projects specifically focusing on job creation and growth in Chicago’s neighborhoods. A major benefit to being selected to Seed Chicago is our project will receive greater exposure, increasing our ability to meet our funding goal. [Project name and summary]. To learn more about our project, visit our Kickstarter page and watch our video at [link to your Kickstarter page] Also, we’re asking for help sharing the above Kickstarter page on your social sites. To learn more about Seed Chicago, visit SeedChicago.net. Thanks for your support. Sincerely, [your name]

Personal Email to Anyone: Modify each one to give a personal touch.

Subject: [project name] is live! Let’s do this!!! Hey [first name of friend], We're live! We just launched [project name] on Kickstarter! You're the master of marketing. Any help spreading the word would be AWESOME. We created special links to make it easy. [add links to share on social sites & Kickstarter page] Thanks, [first name of friend]! You're the best. -[your name] PS...It’d mean the world to me if after you shared the links above, that you ask your friends to share.

Email Pitch to Blogger: This email pitch is intended for Bloggers, Journalist, etc., who you would like to run a story on your project. The letter should focus on explaining why you are a good fit and making it easy for them to cover you and your project.

Hello [name of blogger]! It’s great to meet you. I’m a huge fan of [name of blog] and wanted to pass on something new that could be a nice fit for your [specific section/topic the feature]. I’ve attached an image of [description of primary image] as a part of my [project name] project. Our Kickstarter page has a video and bullet points on what this project is all about! [link to your Kickstarter page]

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We think [name of your project] could be a great story for [name of blog] for these reasons:

[Reason 1] – [describe your new business venture or project].

[Reason 2] – [describe why your project is unique].

[Reason 3] – [describe why it’s important and funds are needed]. If you’re interested, please let me know how I can make the writing process easy for your team. I’m happy to send more hi-res photos. The project launches [day, date, and time]. Thanks for taking the time to check out my project! [your name]

Email to your backers/funders: This email is sent individually to your early backers in the first week.

Hey, I just wanted to say thanks for backing [project name]. It really means a lot. The past few days were insane. You helped us raise [current $ pledged] in less than [# of days since launch] days. We got coverage in [name specific media channels]; over [current # of backers] backers and millions of media impressions. I'm exhausted and totally inspired at the same time. Just wanted to thank you before the day ends. Hope to see you soon, [backer name]. -[your name] [add links to share on social sites & Kickstarter page]

Project Updates: These are examples of updates you post directly to your Kickstarter page. You can also use these as messaging for personal emails.

Update #1 (send on Day 1) Subject: Important life announcement - please forward Hi Friends, I hope you're having an awesome day. For the last [period of time] I've been pouring my life into a new project called [project name]. Today we're unveiling [product/service and benefit it provides]. Check 'em out: [link to Kickstarter page *shorten the link by using bitly.com] It'd mean the world to me if you'd spread the word by simply clicking the Facebook and Twitter buttons on the page in that link. Just two clicks make a HUGE difference!! Hope to see you soon! -[your name] PS…Please forward this email to friends, family, co-workers...anyone you think would be interested. The more the better! Here's the link again: [add links to share on social sites & Kickstarter page]

Update #2 (send between Day 2 to 10) Subject: Special update about [your project] Hi Friends, Most of you probably saw that [# of days since launch] days ago I launched a new [project name] that I've been pouring my life into for the [period of time]. It's called [project name] and it combines my passion for [what excites you about this project] into a [insert ‘product’ or ‘service’] that [describe the value to others]. You can see it and view our launch video here: [link to Kickstarter page]

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The response has been insane! We launched [project name] on Kickstarter and in less than [# of days or hours since launch] we raised over [current $ pledged]. Today we made a special video to thank everyone. [link to ‘thank you’ video] Big thanks to everyone who has supported us so far. It means the world to me. -[your name] PS...here's the video link again: [link to ‘thank you’ video] Update #3 (send between Day 10 to 20) Subject: A chance to make history Hi friends, Thank you so much for your support. Many of you have backed [project name] on Kickstarter, sent encouraging emails, and posted on Facebook. It's all worked. In just [# of days since launch] days, we've raised [% raised] of our [funding target $] goal! We now have a unique opportunity to achieve [repeat your original goal if you are trending behind or describe your stretch goal if you are trending ahead] in funding. It's rare and ambitious and awesome. So, we're going for it. But we can only do it with your help. I promise, this is the last request I have for you... 1. Watch this short video: [link to your video] 2. Back us on Kickstarter: [link to Kickstarter page] 3. Win cool stuff by sharing [project name] with people you know (see below) Thank you sooooo much! [your name] PS...To make things fun, we're giving everyone a unique link to our Kickstarter page. Use it to share online. The person who drives the most traffic to our Kickstarter page in the next 48 hours will win [new incentive], and endless bragging rights. Email [your email] to get your link. *you can get multiple links from bitly and track them PPS...We would love it if you emailed your friends, family, and co-workers about [project name]. We typed something up that you can copy/paste to save time:

Hi _________, My friend just launched an amazing [insert ‘company’ or ‘project’]. It's called [project name] and it's [project description and benefit]. They need to raise [funding goal $] on Kickstarter to bring the project to life. They're only [funding gap $] away. Check it out and if you like it, consider backing it. For [$x] you get [corresponding reward] ($[reward value] retail). You can see it and a cool video here --> [link to Kickstarter page] Thanks!