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Also interesting is In Our Back Yard (ioby.org), which went online in beta form in 2009 and focuses around
giving of money and time and the sharing of ideas for projects focusing on local civic improvement, which in
the past has meant a strong slant on the environmental. Any project that is led by someone who lives in the
community and that benefits the public is eligible to use ioby. The organization operates nationally and has
supported projects in 85 cities, including a couple of Detroit projects. ioby is also unusual in that it:
• helps to encourage peer-to-peer learning between projects;
• offers fiscal sponsorship so that informal, unincorporated groups can still collect tax-deductible donations;
• offers guidance to smaller charitable (non 501c3) projects that wish to be eligible for tax-deductible
donations;
• sees projects funded by locals (most donors live within about two miles of the project site); and
• requires completed projects to submit a project evaluation and final expense report to ioby so that they can
ensure the projects are completed as described in the project application.
Before embarking on a crowd-resourcing effort, you need to be aware that successful campaigns are hard work
and that sums raised tend to be small (all of the four case study city campaigns mentioned above were under
$10,000 — most well under). Several more tangible pointers are included in Table 3.13.
Table 3.13: Lessons from crowd-resourcing drives
Aspect
Getting the ask right
Lesson
• ask for a modest suggested donation and set a realistic target because….
• most sites (Indie GoGo is the main exception) only allow groups to claim pledged money if the
target is hit
• a big ask and small support base will deter givers
Getting the video right
• supporting videos must be high quality and engaging 83
• secure pro bono help with camera operation and sound
• good videos demonstrate passion and enthusiasm, include some asset users if possible
• good videos make it very clear what they want to do and why
• good videos demonstrate work they have already done successfully
Marketing the video well
• the video and site should be vigorously marketed to and by key local groups
• the video and site should be marketed via Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and other social media
The danger with online giving is that it may be prone to “Clicktivism,” people giving online (a click of their
mouse) but then forgetting about an issue (so the opposite of activism). Any efforts to persuade people to give
need to also try and encourage people to get more involved or at least be contactable by the recipient non-profits.
83
Further advice is available at http://www.fundraising123.org/article/11-rules-video-fundraising#.UiZB8jaThc4.
113 | The New Barn-Raising