If you were to look at a snapshot of the financial activity during this first crowdfunding effort of the San Dieguito Heritage Museum you would see what could look like nothing happening at this precise moment.
That judgement would be badly mistaken.
The activities we are engaged in can be accurately described as a system with (built in) delays or (inevitable) dips. I’ve send out one crowdfunding email to a group of people and some of those people have responded to that email by visiting our RocketHub.com crowdfunding site.
Some of those visitors to our crowdfunding site have chosen to enroll in what we are doing and some have not. Some will likely look at an email (and follow the crowdfunding link) AFTER someone calls them to remind them!
A percentage of those who have supported us financially (and maybe some who didn’t) are urging their friends to take a look at our site as well.
Others are trying to figure out how to use the right words to convey the message or want me or someone else to help them with their words.
Businesses are checking to see if they would like to participate by supporting us with dollars or by donating something like gift cards as “goods” for our crowdfunding project.
One thing I want to make absolutely clear is that this is normative activity. (Some prefer to use the term normal.)
This being our first time, we’re also learning a lot in the process and that’s ok.
Our crowdfunding effort was never going to be an inevitable up and up and up and up with no pauses. That’s not how it works, generally. Maybe if we had a database of 100 million people it might look like that, but there’s no guarantee even then.
And it was never going to be just a group of strangers telling other strangers who then tell other strangers about us. I WISH it worked that way! Anyone who tells you that doesn’t have accurate information.
The timeline of financial support is not the most important thing EXCEPT that there is an actual date on the calendar when a particular crowdfunding campaign is OVER and so sharing the information is better done NOW instead of later.
Nonprofit crowdfunding projects WORK because those who are involved with the nonprofit tell their friends and people they know. AND, many of them support the campaign financially themselves. It’s not a requirement, but it helps. Most people can afford a $20 bill (or even a $5 bill).
ONE important thing that happens is that the solid foundation built in the first campaign is there for the world to see on the internet for as long as RocketHub exists. When we reach our goal, our track record of success is in plain view for everyone to see.
FUTURE supporters will be encouraged to support us because we had a goal and reached it.
THAT is a HUGE reason to support us financially and through communicating with people you know.
We have over five weeks left in our campaign. But let’s not delay because there are inevitable delays in the system anyway. Some people take a while to get to an email (7 days?). Human beings are involved and so some will have to learn what to do and some will move slower than others.
Others will have a faster experience. A very nice woman named Julee, basically told me that she is not a technology whiz, but she was able to give her financial support over the phone in under a minute. Julee knows what to do!
I think that’s very cool. AND EXCITING! And it bodes well for our future with crowdfunding and for SDHM.
How can you help? Send people to our RocketHub crowdfunding site.
Your friends can search San Dieguito Heritage Museum at RocketHub.com or they can follow this link:
OR, you can just send them to this blog, San Dieguito Heritage Voices, and tell them to look for Inevitable Dips.
Julee Helps A Young Visitor Enjoy Her Time At The San Dieguito Heritage Museum
San Dieguito Heritage Voices 