OMG WTF Haiti…texting for a cause

The Stanford Social Innovation Review has an article this month about donations via mobile phone.  The $32.5 million raised by the Red Cross for the Haiti earthquake through text donations revealed the potential of this tool, and piqued the attention of fundraisers everywhere who were skeptical about the potential of text donations.  Some worry that this will result in smaller donations (text donations are limited to $10) and that people will give in response to urgent appeals, but not for long-term operational needs. And of course, there are the overhead costs to organizations for using the service.

I think these are kinks that will be worked out as this fundraising method becomes more mainstream, which it will. The more important point is that this money was raised through $5 and $10 donations, and much of it from 18-29 year olds, a population that does not typically give in large amounts anyway.  Text donations shows that the impulse buying  mentality can be mobilized for social good, as well as personal consumption.  In fact, research on why people give suggests that making a spur of the moment donation to a global crisis might give us the same satisfaction as that impulse buy at the checkout counter. So let’s stop letting the corporations have all the fun and mobilize psychology and technology for good.

Click here for just released research by Helicon and Wolf Brown on donor motivations.

Thrill yourself

Some people might have preferred to forget this part of the conference, but I think that the challenge Philip offers to the arts sector is worth remembering. After explaining the Krulwich principle (thrill yourself) and the Avatar principle (we look to art to inspire us) he says, “I look forward to the recession and the day when a fire will blow through this forest.” He says “if you’re thrilling your audience and making amazing work you will survive. And if you’re not, you shouldn’t have a career.”

You might not agree with him 100%, or at all, but its worth thinking about. Why do we do what we do, if not to thrill and inspire?

The rest is up to you

Perry Chen describes how Kickstarter provides a structure to “lubricate” the process of getting support for creative projects. Its simple structure masks the extensive thinking the site creators have done about the psychological nuances of the relationship between the creator and stakeholders of a creative work. The elements of a good fundraising campaign are built into the site itself…after that, its all you.

Some key components that make the tool successful:

1. It forces specificity. It makes you articulate a clearly defined project, exactly what you want from the backer and what they will get in return.
2. It provides ways to keep people involved in the progress of the project on an ongoing basis. This fulfills people’s desire to see behind the scenes into “how the sausage gets made.
3. It turns backers into co-marketers for the project. After people pledge money they are invested in the project and have a desire for it to succeed, leading to an ever-widening team of promoters.
4. It encourages experimentation and risk taking. It allows people to test concepts without obligation—if they don’t raise the money in the time allowed they don’t do the project. Backers don’t get charged unless the full amount is raised.
5. Its neutral. Kickstarter doesn’t have a vested interest which projects get funded. The people that succeed are the ones that can demonstrate the real value and relevance of their project.
6. It uses your pre-existing network as a starting point. As Philip Huang pointed out at the conference, fundraising starts with who you know.

What’s in it for me?

Perry Chen talks about how people using Kickstarter are finding innovative ways to provide value to their backers. He distinguishes between tokens of appreciation (think: snazzy totebag) and items that have real value to the recipient. Note, this doesn’t necessarily mean something more expensive. In addition to thanking someone for their support, these gifts have the potential to create a deeper, more personal bond between the artist and the recipient around the creative project. Check out Kickstarter to see some of the cool items people are offering in exchange for support.

Philip Huang hustles the audience

This wins the Most Memorable Moment prize for the conference, hands down. To describe his experience fundraising for the Fund for Artist grant he received, Philip Huang said, “i’m not going to talk about how i did it, i’m going to show you how i did it.” He stood up, told the audience to take out their wallets, and pitched the Witness the Fitness Tour, a performance that would take place on the sidewalks in front of all of the San Francisco 24 Hour Fitnesses. He solicited a competing proposal from a fellow artist. Michelle Tea proposed a series of feminist performance workshops in women’s dressing rooms of downtown boutiques. Money rained from the balconies-together they raised $400 in three different currencies. It was subversive, hilarious and totally on point.