Fundraising 2.0

While I am familiar with the concept of crowdsourcing, I had never actually spent much time looking at the breadth of projects available to fund. From the serious to the ridiculous, from the clever to the mainstream there does seem to be something for every type of interest on the Kickstarter site. I chose to analyze three projects with different intentions and varying degrees of creativity as well as support.

O2 The Dance Company presents: Between the Branches

by O2 The Dance Company

This project immediately appealed to me in part, because of a passion for the arts and in particular dance. The video immediately drew me in with a sense of professionalism as well as openness and authenticity. As a dance teacher I was also encouraged by the caliber of the company portrayed through the footage. The text narrative enhanced my understanding of the sense of this company in relation to their community connection. It also used an emotional appeal by expressing a string desire to not only succeed as a Company but to grow opportunities for dancers in Alberta and in Canada.

They are a third of the way to goal with six days remaining so I would say it is moderately successful.

In terms of recommendations, I think the video could have been even more powerful if it was a bit shorter or was separated into a couple of impactful clips. Also, I would consider changing the music to something a bit more uplifting to change the tone of the request. The mood created was somewhat melancholy which negatively contrasted an uplifting message.

REink - A Personalized Notebook
by orangedoor

I was so intrigued by the product and message I am planning on backing this project! I think the product itself is creative and practical and these characteristics are reflected in the content as well as the design.



The style of the video and use of statistics was powerful! I was also impressed by the name & logo and the play on words that were developed to create a compelling closing statement. ReThnk Ink. ReWrite. ReNote. ReDraw. ReMember. ReInk.

In the text based narrative, the description of the product is concise. The idea of personalization is also key and should resonate with a generation that is used to accessing custom options. They have included illustrations to highlight the rewards in a more artistic way which is consistent with the style and energy of the site.

There has been some moderate interest generated.

From a recommendation standpoint, I wonder if the name gives enough insight into the project? I think the recyclable aspect deserves more of the focus than the personalization. Perhaps Reink: a Reusable Notebook would garner more attention, particularly from a target market interested in sustainable products.

Tiny Houses

by Brad Penney and Heather Giles

Viewing a project without a video certainly shows the stark comparison between multimedia and text based project descriptions. I also didn’t find the narrative to be particularly compelling or descriptive. My first thoughts were that it looked like a shed or a trailer so I wasn’t convinced of its uniqueness in the marketplace.



Without an interior shot or details on how one lives (electricity, plumbing, etc.) it seemed to be lacking any sort of business case or plan.

Wile the idea of living in a small affordable space has merit, I would recommend additional development of the case through a video that features that speaks to the benefits and describes how you actually live in this space.