Crowd-sourcing meets fundraising in a digital age

Starring…

Nick Burne Ed Whiting Tamasine Johnson

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http://slidesha.re/iofcrowds

Crowd Quiz!

1. Users of Wikipedia have made more than 2 billion edits2. Users Kiva.org have loaned more than $200 million3. Roughly 2/3rds of people who have donated on Cancer

Research UK’s My Project website are new to the charity4. In 1997 American fans of the band Marrillon underwrote an

entire US tour to the tune of $60,000, with donations following an internet campaign - an idea conceived and managed by the fans before any involvement by the band

5. A writer for Wired Magazine coined the term crowdsourcing in June 2005

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What is crowd-sourcing?

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Why?

Start with...

A QUIZ OR A VIDEOTREND #1Transparency

TREND #2Choice

Start with...

A QUIZ OR A VIDEO

TREND #3Social media

TREND #4Gamification

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What’s so different about crowd-funding compared

to what we do now?

Traditional model (B.W.)

ORG

Web 1.0

.ORG

Web 2.0

.ORG

? ? ? ?

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It’s NOT about you…

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It’s about US

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It’s about THEM

Crowdfunding - our experience

Ed WhitingFounder, WeDidThis.org.uk

@WeDidThisUK

1. Arts organisations pitch projects to the WeDidThis marketplace, offering rewards tied to specific giving.

2. Individuals and companies pledge funds to projects.

3. Organisations receive funds once they reach their funding target (if unsuccessful, pledges are not redeemed).

4. Great art gets made. Funders get rewarded.

May 3, 2023

How it works

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Similar (US) models have seen success..

Above hell’s kitchen Theatre 61 Backers $16,561 raised

The Duck’s wife Dance90 Backers $6,459 raised

SporeSculpture146 backers $15,308 raised

Leviathan lab presents Twelfth NightTheatre50 contributions $6,625 raised

Blue like jazzFilm4495 backers $345,992 raised

SoLuna Performing arts school.76 backers$10,058 raised

Particularly

And also…

…but its potential is not yet fully realised

May 3, 2023

About us• For UK arts organisations and artists

• Over £25k raised in first 5 months, 8 success stories so far.• Projects launched on monthly cycle, with a ‘prize week’ and

party every month. • Media coverage on BBC news, Metro, Guardian, Radio 4

(among others).• Not for profit - reinvest profits in UK arts sector.

“Art for everyone, funded by everyone”

Benefits for arts organisations• Yes, it’s a new source of funding, and a great way to turn

supporters into funders…… but…• It’s not only about the money!

– Audience development– Cultivation of longer-term funders– Engaging audiences/ funders in the creative process.

• Our new approach is designed to support artists to do all of this - including tighter social media integration, monthly events and funder offers.

Where next- local ‘collectives’?• A crowd of local arts projects fundraising

in the same month.

Events at start and end of the month to bring together potential funders and build momentum.

Use the month to build local press, ambassadors, and corporate support behind the collective.

Cross-funding opportunities, a local critical mass - more than the sum of our parts!

Opportunities to evolve the crowdfunding model….• Partnerships - with like-minded brands and groups.

Help us form a crowd of arts supporters, build opportunities to engage them in different ways.

• Merging Fundraising/ E-commerce space (e.g. WeDidThis / Culturelabel.com partnership).

• Spreading corporate support across arts projects - not just the biggest - and make corporate support for the arts about employee reward as well as CSR/ client entertainment.

FAQs

• ‘All or nothing’ - why?• Why a 1 month fundraising period?• How much to go for? • Gift aid? • Target audience - ours/ projects?

Any other questions?• Want to know more?

• Interested in getting involved?

Email: ed@wedidthis.org.ukFollow us: WeDidThisUK

Any good news?

What now?

• A product not a game

• Refocus & learn from Farmers

• Refine user experience & nurture community

• Spend money on marketing!

Takeaways

• Involve people, don’t just broadcast – it’s about engagement and long term relationships.

• Do, Review, Plan – be brave but learn from your mistakes!

• Crowdsourcing goes beyond Crowdfunding – money is just the start…

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The principles ofcrowd-funding are just

successful online fundraising

Start with...

A QUIZ OR A VIDEOHow can you be more

transparent?

How can you give donors

more choice?

• Save the children

Start with...

A QUIZ OR A VIDEOHow can you make your online donation

experience more social?

How can you use gamification?

Online fundraising SUCCESS

S – storytellingU – unexpectedC – choiceC – credibleE – emotionalS – showS – social

Adapted from Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die, Chip and Dan Heath 2007

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Thank you,we’ll be sticking

around for questions

What can you do tomorrow?

• Find a project & a platform & just test it!• Review your donation process thinking

about crowd-funding principles• If you have the budget think about doing a

crowd-funding test• Organise a brainstorm

Challenges

#1 – Restricted income#2 – Resources#3 – Promotion