crowdfunding | Reprise: Why do you donate?

OK, I'm just going to come out and say what I've donated so far.

$15 to Haikujaguar, because I had really enjoyed the Aphorisms and Admonishments. (Will probably fund an installment of Black Blossoms next month.)

€5 for Oleg Serkov (http://www.jamendo.com/en/artist/Artist_%2878%29), because 5 of his songs made it to my permanent playlist.

Not sure how much for the EMG Sketch Fest (http://www.ellenmilliongraphics.com/sketchfest/) - I sold some sketches made during it, splitting the money with the site, and bought some sketches, ditto. This is not only because I really, really enjoy that project, but also because I get something out of it (a bit of money for myself when selling, and a pretty image when buying).

I also donated $25 or so to Commission Control, because that seemed like a useful website to exist, that I might use myself.

Mostly, I donate because I like what I've see, though the donations to the EMG projects have a big element of getting something for myself, too.

When it's really a freely chosen donation, I prefer sending a relatively large chunk (e.g. $15 every three months rather than $5 every month) because that reduces how much money Paypal gets to keep.

I've also noticed that seeing a "donation-meter" rise towards a goal is an incentive for me to chip in.

(I also sent $10 or so years ago to help with the printing cost of a comic anthology. That anthology never happened, and I got no refund - mind, I was too hopeful and meek to ask for one, too. So now I'm a tad leery of paying up-front, if there's no track record of actually going through with previous projects...)

Edited 2011-07-21 18:42 (UTC)

>>When it's really a freely chosen donation, I prefer sending a relatively large chunk (e.g. $15 every three months rather than $5 every month) because that reduces how much money Paypal gets to keep.<<

That makes sense if it's a general donation. With poetry, I've noticed that fans often go for "multiple poems" over "one big poem." In a poll, they'll only nab the big one if it's extra shiny.

>>I also sent $10 or so years ago to help with the printing cost of a comic anthology. That anthology never happened, and I got no refund - mind, I was too hopeful and meek to ask for one, too. So now I'm a tad leery of paying up-front, if there's no track record of actually going through with previous projects...<<

It's important to think about your reasons for contributing. If you're sending money because you want to get something (i.e. a piece of writing or art) and it doesn't materialize, that's disappointing and a reason not to donate to that person again. If you're sending money because you want to support something, it may not matter -- the main point is to communicate interest in, say, sexual or ethnic diversity.

Yep, the last point is true. If a project folds if you left a tip as thank-you for previous content, that's just as disappointing as anything you followed for free folding, but when it's more set up like buying content, and that content isn't delivered, that's worse.

Now I need to figure out where people get these donation meters...

I think ChipIn makes one.

I made mine for Drakeathon in Illustrator, but then I had to fill it in by hand.

Googling "progress meter" finds a bunch of stuff, too."

I make my own! All you need is a program that has layers. On the upside you can make it look however you like, on the downside you have to update it as needed.

I'm contemplating a giraffe-neck chart and wondering where I can steal the image... :-) (No artz skills)

You should. A giraffe-neck chart would be so cute!

heee! I shall try this weekend, then!

Not sure what the rules on selling within the community are yet, but I could do a commission for you in a layered program that you could fill as you go! If $5 sounds fair, send me a PM.

>>Not sure what the rules on selling within the community are yet,<<

If someone says, "I want/need X" and you have/can make X, you're all clear to say so.

>>but I could do a commission for you in a layered program that you could fill as you go! If $5 sounds fair, send me a PM.<<

I just made a post about progress counters in general, and linked to some places with free ones. If you're interested in making such things on commission, however, you might want to make a comment to that effect on that post. There may be other creators here who would like one.

Done and done! =D

I have nowhere near the skills for making a ticker, alas. I'll be lucky if I can paste one in and have it work right.

As I said below I would be happy to take a crack at making you one, along with instructions on how to update it. I can quote you a price if you can provide a description. So PM me if you'd like to talk shop!

I think I'll pass for now, though I do appreciate the offer. Computer stuff has a tendency to crash on me. I managed to get one of the free tickers to work as a sample, so I'm going to give that a try in my next fishbowl and see if it'll work for real.

That's fine. I love the one you chose, actually, swim little fishy, swim!

Well, for one you update by hand, the most basic would be a bit of html and css...
The "width:200px" at the start if for total size, and the "width:60%" for how far along you are.

<div style="width:200px;border: black solid 1px;height:1em"><div style="background:blue; width:60%"> </div></div>

Edited 2011-07-22 06:46 (UTC)

I listed some free places:
http://crowdfunding.livejournal.com/306237.html
... and

viva_la_topknot will do them on commission.

I'm new to the exact term of "crowdfunding" but I have unwittingly participated in it several times. My disposable income is quite limited, but I find it's still easy to support people by making smaller donations.

I supported a friend of mine who designs t-shirts, stickers, necklaces and all manner of cute things. I gave money, she gave me a few t-shirts and free stickers. I still promote her stuff and mention her whenever I feel the audience will be inclined to purchase her stuff. Honestly, she's one of the first crowdfunded artists I've ever met and last I've heard she's doing well with a few online shops selling her stuff for her now. Speaking of promoting, her website is Everyday Cute (http://everyday-cute.tumblr.com/).

Then one of my favorite artists announced she was coming out with a graphic novel and needed money to promote it at ComiCon. In exchange we would be given various rewards based on our donations. I've been following her for years, I love her artwork and would have bought the comic anyway, so it seemed reasonable to give to her. In exchange I will be getting a signed copy with a quick sketch on the inside cover.

Finally (and I'm just waiting for my check to clear before I give to this one) there is a creator of a webseries called "Awkward Black Girl" that I adore on YouTube. She needed extra money to complete the season. The show is legitimately funny and gives me something I haven't seen on television in years. As a black woman who sees no black women who act like her on television, I've got to support someone who breaks the norm and does it so well. I want more episodes and I will give to keep them coming. The incentives are great, but honestly are an after thought in terms of my motivation for giving. Her Kickstarter page is here (http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1996857943/the-misadventures-of-awkward-black-girl?ref=live) and her webseries is here (http://awkwardblackgirl.com/series/). I can't recommend the webseries enough.

And I've supported various webcomics for years and never gave a thought to the idea of patronage.

It all comes down to: Do I like the content? Do I feel invested in it, or did it engage me? Is it something I want from mainstream but am not getting?

I've been speaking primarily as a patron, but I'm super interested in putting my hat in the ring. I'm clicking around and doing research so I can nail down my gameplan. I used to think, "Well, who would give when you can just get it for free?" but I've been participating in this business model for a while now. I see that it works. I'm really interested in getting my writing to an audience. So glad I got to see this in the spotlight!

>>I'm new to the exact term of "crowdfunding" but I have unwittingly participated in it several times.<<

*nod* That's fairly common. We are still working to get the word out and connect people.

>> My disposable income is quite limited, but I find it's still easy to support people by making smaller donations.<<

Don't underestimate the value of word-of-mouth advertising. Linking, tweeting, reviewing, etc. all boost the signal and drive more traffic to your favorite projects. Some of those folks may spend money.

Everyday Cute, wow. It's not my thing but a bullseye for people who are into cute.

>>As a black woman who sees no black women who act like her on television, I've got to support someone who breaks the norm and does it so well.<<

Yay! This makes me happy for many reasons.

1) I like diverse renderings of humanity too. I'm more likely to jump on a project that has a mix of characters, or represents a character type that's usually overlooked, than Straight White Joe Gets the Girl.

I often recommend "Wonder City Stories" over on Dreamwidth because the cast and storylines are so diverse.

Folks who like poetry are welcome to visit my Poetry Fishbowl once a month and hook up their favorite character type with the current theme. I have some fans who reprise favorite ideas, and sometimes that turns into a series.

2) I want more people to become aware that crowdfunding means influence over what gets made and published. That is, whatever you want -- more strong women, more black characters, plots that aren't about being popular, etc. -- you can find a project that does it or look for an open prompt call and request it. Then you send that creator some folding votes, and they think, "Hey, this stuff is making me money. I should do more of it." If you're talking about an underrepresented category, it only takes a few pieces of art or literature to make a statistical blip.

3) It's good to hear a patron's perspective of why they support a given project. I encourage you, and other patrons, to post reviews or recommendations on the community.

>> I'm clicking around and doing research so I can nail down my gameplan.<<

Check the Memories file. We have lots of posts that talk about how to start a crowdfunding project or make one work. You can also ask questions here -- someone will probably have useful input.

>>I used to think, "Well, who would give when you can just get it for free?" but I've been participating in this business model for a while now. <<

Ask yourself: what can you give your audience that they can't get for free? What can you offer that is difficult or impossible to find elsewhere?

One thing you have going for you is that you're a black woman and you've been paying attention to portrayals of same. You should be staring at a selection of very large gaps where mainstream media does not cover most of the experiences had by black women today. So you could pick one and fill it, and that would attract an audience of people dissatisfied with the usual portrayals. There are a lot of them.

Or maybe you're looking to write something that's pretty common, like flash fiction. Think about ways you could make yours different, like writing it on postcards. You could scan each one to put online ... and donors would be entered in a drawing for the original. Then it wouldn't be like everybody else's flash; people could only get that from you.

Look at your own life and interests for inspiration about what kind of crowdfunding project and perks to do. Think about what kind of audience you want and what they might enjoy. It's kind of like throwing a party. People will come to my fishbowl, drop me a prompt, then stick around to talk with other prompters. For your party, who do you want to invite?

>>So glad I got to see this in the spotlight!<<

Yay, it's working! I'm really glad to see so many new people showing up here. Thanks for joining us.

I'm a black female scifi/fantasy writer who favors characters of color and/or a cast consisting of mostly females. I have my niche market, I know they're out there and ready for it. I just need to figure out how to reach them without begging for money and give them a reason to give.

>>I'm a black female scifi/fantasy writer who favors characters of color and/or a cast consisting of mostly females. I have my niche market, I know they're out there and ready for it.<<

Okay, great.

>>I just need to figure out how to reach them without begging for money and give them a reason to give.<<

Try to think of something that you could afford to give away as a free sample. That's a widespread crowdfunding technique for hooking an audience. If they like what they see, some of them will probably give you money for the premium stuff.

Something you could do now would be to make an introductory post to the community, so more people will see it. Describe yourself, what you've sponsored, what you're thinking about writing. That will help other folks figure out how well they match your interests, which should give you more networking contacts.

I thought of a possible audience-contact idea, once you have your project going. Look for people who share something in common with you (female, black, F&SF writer, writing about a diverse or mostly female cast, etc.) and talk to them about cross-promotion. I'm pretty sure that my audience would be interested in the kind of thing you write, so if I posted about your work on my blog, some folks would probably go read you. If you returned the favor later, you'd probably send me some new traffic too. "Wonder City Stories" over on Dreamwidth is another very close match.

Mention this stuff in a post and you should turn up more -- pretty much anyone writing in these areas has heard readers grumbling that they want more female characters, more black characters, etc. and thus keep an eye out for such to recommend. The audience you're aiming for is already huddled around a handful of projects. Every time we connect those dots, we make the audience pool bigger and happier.

This is all really good advice. I've got to pull my stuff together and get more of a direction. Thanks so much!

I've had my eye on "Wonder City Stories" since I came here, I want to sit down and give it a real read. I'm such a comic book nerd and it looks like something right up my alley.

*bow, flourish* Happy to be of service!

I describe "Wonder City Stories" as a comic book soap opera. It seems to specialize in doing the things that conventional comics hint at but stop short of. So we get to see the rest of the action.

I donate where thing seem interesting, or where I really honestly enjoyed something. I also donate in the interest of karma and networking, I'm planning on trying some crowd-funded things of my own when I have more followers/friends/readers/fans, etc. I also, almost exclusively, only donate to people with at least a small following. Those people seem more trustworthy, in some way.

Like ankewehner above, meters work as incentive for me too. I can see how much the creator has and how much they want/need/what their goal is, and the visual feedback of, "I donated and the meter goes up!" is just pleasing, somehow.

>>I also donate in the interest of karma and networking, I'm planning on trying some crowd-funded things of my own when I have more followers/friends/readers/fans, etc. <<

Yes, I think this is key for the many people who are both creators and donors. There are a handful of people who donate to my project and I donate to theirs.

>>I also, almost exclusively, only donate to people with at least a small following. Those people seem more trustworthy, in some way.<<

The social aspect of crowdfunding is important, because it helps people tell which projects are entertaining and reliable. This is one area where it would help to have a major crowdfunding hub site that would let people enter projects and 'favorite' them or something like that, so you could see at a glance which ones were most popular. Crowdsourced selection isn't perfect, but watching audiences in this field reveals that they tend to be pretty astute. A project that has a bunch of followers is probably worth at least a look.

>>Like ankewehner above, meters work as incentive for me too. <<

This is cool to hear.

Kinda sucks that all domains with "crowdfunding" are being squatted on. I hate domain squatters.

That is frustrating, yes. I still hope that, at some point, we'll be able to launch a crowdfunding hub site to make it easier for creators and patrons to find each other, and offer more services for handling information. If so, we'll work on figuring out a domain name at the time. Modifiers are your friends!

Reprise: Why do you donate?

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