Helena Fruscio

In The Arts & New Philanthropy, James Underclofer’s states that “philanthropy/investor sites such as Kickstarter are revolutionizing giving.”

Delegation of an individual’s dollars is less tethered to incorporation status, and more to the donor/investor/client’s “personal motivations” - as Underclofer noted in his students.

So how do both for-profit and nonprofits adjust to this new climate?

They must change the way they communicate their message and engage potential donor/investor/clients.

So what is that change that equals success in this shifting environment? 

Ongoing storytelling.

As can be seen on Kickstarter and indiegogo, successful campaigns offer an engaging story that is not just told with a single video or written piece, but in an ongoing manner, from many different perspectives, in many different venues, with timely, active engagement.

With this mode of approach, a campaign becomes a piece of the donor/investor’s life. They become invested in the success, invested in re-telling the story, and in turn become a promoter.

Since it’s founding, Berkshire Creative has embraced online, ongoing engagement, so when we began our “Creativity Lives Here” campaign on indiegogo.com, it was an easy transition.

We are seeing an amazing level of community engagement through telling ‘our story’ - that Berkshire Creative’s support of the Berkshire creative economy is important to the vitality and future of our region - from a diversity of viewpoints and forms.

I agree with Underclofer that “contributed revenue sought in the 'old fashioned' way will ebb, and the new philanthropy...will play a much more significant role in the life of arts organizations.”

So what are some take-aways for organizations and businesses looking to navigate this new fundraising climate?

• Be consistently engaged-think of it as being in a conversation with your donor/investor - to drop off abruptly would be rude.
• Provide your community with ‘electronic collateral materials’ (images, phrases, etc) that empower your investors/donors to take ownership and spread the campaign and message.
• Be everywhere (twitter, facebook, flickr) - these are free tools to help you spread your message - use them.
• Lastly, be willing to innovate and explore. The ‘new world’ we exist in is constantly evolving, at an ever increasing pace, a willingness to try new things will help you be a part of the change, instead of behind it.

Do you have anything else to add to the list of take-aways?