Crowd Funding – Why Give? – Part 7

After the launch of the Mulligan Kickstarter page last week – I must confess that I did check their progress for a while obsessively. It was just too cool to witness in real time as donations came in. A day after their launch they had met the 30% threshold, which seems to be the point of near guaranteed success to finish the campaign fully funded, which after all is the only way the moneys pledged will be paid to the fundraisers. Now, ten days later they have surpassed their $10,000 amount! (While writing this I’ve had to readjust this paragraph several times to adjust to their fast accent to the $10K mark and now that they’re safely over I can at least stop worrying about being current!) Ha!

I just finished watching the first four minutes of the feature – a privilege reserved for backers! Smart move.

One reason I’m engaged – other than knowing co-producer David – is that the director, Will immediately friended me on Facebook after I ‘liked’ the Mulligan Facebook page. Then, less than 24 hours later I got a nice thank you email with some fun facts and additional information, as well as an attachment of the Mulligan poster. They immediately made me part of their ‘family’; this of course AFTER I donated. So why donate in the first place?

I know virtually nothing about the film. I didn’t know Will’s work until I watched the pledge video. So, first and foremost I’m a backer, because of David. I abused him for a few years at Clock Wise Productions, first as intern and then as assistant editor and editor (the abuse was fully mutual, by the way, including my favorite David story – more on that some other time). Secondly, David ASKED for my support in a private email.

The thinking goes, I guess, that if we all support the project with a relatively small amount, say $25 which is what we might spend on an evening going to the movies and having a drink (ok, half a drink in New York), we do some good and support independent art. As my mother always says (this in German: auch Kleinvieh macht Mist): Also small farm animals produce shit. This is to say – much small shit also piles up to a big pile of dung.

In other words: prepare your lists of people to ask for support – personally - and give them something to get excited about. And we’re back to the all important preparation. The selling points are: ask, great video, decent backer give a-way’s. As for the give-a-way’s: I think they are quasi inconsequential to friends and family, but super important if the video should go viral and attract an outside your inner circle following – these are now people who don’t know you personally and will support on the basis of, ‘cool’ and ‘passion’ factor, or ‘activism’ factor (more for docs) AND who really want a piece of the pie. I.e. get to see advance footage, get an advance peek at the final project, or get a DVD at a good price break, etc.

Bye, bye, I’m back to their website to watch them go over 100% - follow me! Mulligan Kickstarter.