Cash and Connections: Using Kickstarter to Fund and Promote Your Cultural Heritage Project

By Thomas Smith

In early 2012, a small tech startup called Pebble created a campaign on the popular crowdfunding website Kickstarter. They had developed a mildly successful smart watch which worked with Blackberry smartphones, and they wanted to raise $100,000 to make it work with Android phones and iPhones. Two hours after launching their campaign, they had met their $100,000 goal. By the end of the campaign, they had raised ten million dollars from 69,000 people. Their Kickstarter campaign transformed them into a full-fledged company and launched an entire market sector which companies like Apple and Samsung are now rushing to fill.

Success stories like Pebble's highlight the transformative possibilities of Kickstarter and other crowdfunding websites. While Kickstarter is often used for startup companies, it's also a fantastic tool for those in the cultural heritage space. About a month before Pebble, I also created a Kickstarter campaign. Mine was for my archival digitization initiative, Project Gado. Project Gado uses technology, including an innovative robot, to create sustainable models for large scale archival digitization.

While we didn't quite reach Pebble's scale, our Kickstarter campaign helped bring in funding for our work, build our donor base, increase awareness of our project, and recruit new volunteers. This eBook shares our experiences, and gives you the background you need to use Kickstarter for your own cultural heritage organization. The eBook covers everything from planning your project to avoiding Kickstarter pitfalls which can cost you hundreds of dollars. The eBook includes linked resources to help you run a successful and profitable Kickstarter campaign.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Thomas Smith
• Release date: Jan 22, 2014
• ISBN: 9781310229602

Book preview

Cash and Connections: Using Kickstarter to Fund and Promote Your Cultural Heritage Project

Published by Thomas Smith at Smashwords

Copyright 2014 Ts Tech Solutions LLC DBA Project Gado, All Rights Reserved

Materials from this eBook also appear as a chapter in Management: Innovative Practices for Archives and Special Collections, edited by Kate Theimer (Scarecrow Press, 2014). Thanks to Kate Theimer for edits to this manuscript.

Cover Photo Credit: Will Kirk

Intellectual Property Statement

Project Gado is a trademark of Ts Tech Solutions LLC. All brand names and trademarks used in this eBook, including the name Kickstarter, are property of their respective owners. The use of brand names and trademarks in this ebook is for educational and illustrative purposes, and does not imply endorsement by or of Project Gado.

Disclaimer

All information contained in this eBook represents the opinions of Project Gado, and is provided for educational purposes only. No warranties are made or implied as to the information's accuracy, completeness, or applicability to any particular organization.

Contact the Author

If you have any questions about Project Gado or this eBook, please feel free to contact the author directly at [e-mail]

Table of Contents

Introduction

Planning

Implementation

Results

Lessons Learned

Conclusions

About the Author

Introduction

In early 2012, a small tech startup called Pebble created a campaign on the popular crowdfunding website Kickstarter. They had developed a mildly successful smart watch which worked with Blackberry smartphones, and they wanted to raise $100,000 to make it work with Android phones and iPhones. Two hours after launching their campaign, they had met their $100,000 goal. By the end of the campaign, they had raised ten million dollars from 69,000 people. Their Kickstarter campaign transformed them into a full-fledged company and launched an entire market sector which companies like Apple and Samsung are now rushing to fill.

Success stories like Pebble's highlight the transformative possibilities of Kickstarter and