I suppose just a little bit. Actually, yes, quite a bit! When Tara stumbled on KickStarter, I admittedly took about two weeks to look at it. SHE WAS RIGHT! (Yes, Dear I said that.)
After reviewing the site, it made perfect sense. KickStarter's tagline is "A New Way to Fund & Follow Creativity." Well, everything about this project is creative, from the building to the food to the business structure. Then I saw that KickStarter runs all payments through Amazon. I order stuff through Amazon all the time - though not so much these days - so I know they are safe and secure. Next, I started reading about the successful projects and the press that KickStarter was getting. Everyone from the New York Times to CNN to NPR was discussing this company!
I've asked all the questions; and had a lot of folks as me the same questions:
I suppose, in a way, it's like the neighbor kid who shows up with a box of cookies to sell, or some form to fill out for their school sale. We all do it to support the kid. The school gets a minimal "cut" after the fundraising company takes theirs, which covers their overhead and the box of cookies.
This is a bit more though... Our project will have a huge community impact, and will have a ripple-effect.
For starters, it will provided affordable places for vendors, both artisans and farmers. Secondly, your pledge will ripple back through the community. We plan to buy as many renovation materials as possible from Habitat for Humanity, which means the money will go back into helping families in need. Also, we expect to use as many local contractors as possible, which means we're supporting them and their families. So, though we are not a non-for-profit, this is a project in the community, about the community and to support the community. We really do expect to have a little bit of something for everyone. And we're doing it without grants (which means not using taxpayer money).
The bottom line is that we are committed to making this project affordable for the vendors. If we can keep our debt low, by raising the necessary funds, then we will be passing that "savings" onto the vendors.
So, that's one reason that we felt the pledge/rewards thing could really work. More importantly, we've tried to set pledges at every level, so that everyone can have a piece of the action, and also get something in return.
Be sure to check out our Facebook page. We will be posting pictures of our rewards.
Hope to see you in person in April!
After reviewing the site, it made perfect sense. KickStarter's tagline is "A New Way to Fund & Follow Creativity." Well, everything about this project is creative, from the building to the food to the business structure. Then I saw that KickStarter runs all payments through Amazon. I order stuff through Amazon all the time - though not so much these days - so I know they are safe and secure. Next, I started reading about the successful projects and the press that KickStarter was getting. Everyone from the New York Times to CNN to NPR was discussing this company!
I've asked all the questions; and had a lot of folks as me the same questions:
- Why would people do this?
- Is this safe?
- Is this tax deductible?
- What does one get for a donation?
I suppose, in a way, it's like the neighbor kid who shows up with a box of cookies to sell, or some form to fill out for their school sale. We all do it to support the kid. The school gets a minimal "cut" after the fundraising company takes theirs, which covers their overhead and the box of cookies.
This is a bit more though... Our project will have a huge community impact, and will have a ripple-effect.
For starters, it will provided affordable places for vendors, both artisans and farmers. Secondly, your pledge will ripple back through the community. We plan to buy as many renovation materials as possible from Habitat for Humanity, which means the money will go back into helping families in need. Also, we expect to use as many local contractors as possible, which means we're supporting them and their families. So, though we are not a non-for-profit, this is a project in the community, about the community and to support the community. We really do expect to have a little bit of something for everyone. And we're doing it without grants (which means not using taxpayer money).
The bottom line is that we are committed to making this project affordable for the vendors. If we can keep our debt low, by raising the necessary funds, then we will be passing that "savings" onto the vendors.
So, that's one reason that we felt the pledge/rewards thing could really work. More importantly, we've tried to set pledges at every level, so that everyone can have a piece of the action, and also get something in return.
Be sure to check out our Facebook page. We will be posting pictures of our rewards.
Hope to see you in person in April!
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