This post is part of a series ‘7 Things Artists Could Learn From Board Game Kickstarters‘ where I highlight some of the lessons artists and arts organisations could learn from the world of crowd-funded boardgames…
<< PART 3: Use Kickstarter to create a new community around your project
Develop projects where a Kickstarter campaign is an integral part rather than an afterthought
If you are following the suggestions in parts 1, 2 and 3 of this post, you will already be thinking up ways to really use the ‘formal qualities’ of your chosen crowdfunding platform to shape your project around modes of distribution, what rewards you are offering and how you will build a community around your project. All of these things will help to ensure engagement with your project, and hopefully a better chance of success!
This importance of shaping your crowdfunding campaign and project in tandem is partly informed by a comment I read on a forum discussing why people were backing or not backing a particular project. The poster said that he was more likely to back a project that really needed his dollar. In the world of Kickstarter boardgames, many projects over-fund (most boardgame projects are set up to encourage this, sometimes even with funding goals that are impractically low). This generates a lot of excitement and buzz around particular projects and a fear of missing out in those who pride themselves in backing new and exciting games.
However, there are equally as many great games that *just* make their target – this is the type of project this particular poster was referring to. This position is about a desire to support things that are interesting, unique, novel and different – most importantly, a project that wouldn’t actually be able to happen or be published without crowdfunding (ie something that just wouldn’t be funded by another route).
Work out why it is you are choosing crowdfunding as a route to fund your arts project. Spend some time figuring out how you can communicate the importance of this type of fundraising to your project and develop your project around these qualities.
- How is your crowdfunding campaign integrated into your project? And how does crowdfunding add to the integrity of your project?
- What does it mean for a ‘crowd’ to fund your project, rather than a more traditional funder (like Arts Council England or a trust or foundation)?
- What makes your project, its outcomes and rewards interesting, unique, novel and different?
PART 5: Focus on your timescale and actually delivering >>
Are you an artist or arts organisation looking for some help in shaping a successful crowdfunding campaign? Get in touch to arrange an online Helpout! I also run workshops for students, arts practitioners and arts organisations in creative approaches to crowdfunding – contact me for more details.
Rachel Dobbs is one half of LOW PROFILE, an artist, educator, tinkerer & freelance boardgame art director with Grublin Games… currently based in Plymouth, UK.