Although I make it a regular practice to donate to and support various non-profit organizations, I’m somewhat embarrassed to admit I am a neophyte when it comes to kickstarter campaigns.  I’m not really sure why it’s taken me so long to jump in, because I love the arts and believe in supporting them. I guess I’ve always thought that what I could contribute to most films or art projects wouldn’t make much of a dent in the budget needed to produce the work. But that’s where I finally realized I’m wrong. Every dollar makes a difference.

Linda Moroney of Low to the Ground Productions, a good friend that I met through Rochester’s documentary filmmaking scene, is working with Mickey Lemle on a film about HH, the Dalai Lama. Late last year, she participated in a filmmakers’ panel I facilitated where she spoke about some of the exciting adventures and challenges she encountered during her trip to India to film this piece. It was quite the adventure!

Because I love Linda’s work (she’s currently collaborating on another documentary called Turn the Page about a literacy program in the Ontario County Prison System), and because the Dalai Lama inspires me, I wanted to support the creation of this film. So, with some hesitance, I ventured over to the kickstarter page and found that there were levels that provided donor encouragement for almost any budget. So I chose my level (each level offers a different gift of appreciation) and paid through my Amazon account, which gave me a sense of reassurance. I pushed the button, and done!

Then I received the confirmation email. Honestly, and as silly as it may sound, it was one of the most exciting emails I’ve ever received because it was a receipt that exclaimed, “Congratulations, You’re a Backer!”

“I’m a backer?!!!” I thought with wonder.

Wow, those are powerful words! In all the years I’ve donated to charitable organizations, I don’t ever recall feeling that little jolt of , well, power.

Although there is great satisfaction and a sense of “paying it forward” in donating to a charitable organization whose work you believe in, it’s a lovely, intangible reward (the value and importance of which I’m not underestimating, mind you).

There’s just something different and almost seductive about making a contribution to support the production of a work of art. It’s not about the tangible gift of appreciation at all. It’s something more.  It’s almost as if, by donating, you become part of the work! Suddenly, I had a sense of touching the Dalai Lama.

Somehow, the stakes change when going from “member,” “patron, or “donor” to “backer.”  That one small shift in semantics changes me from being a passenger, complacently donating money to a cause, to someone who is a co-pilot, actively driving the success of its creation.

When the money is raised and the project is completed, there will be a tangible contribution to the world that can be seen and can be experienced emotionally. And anyone who has contributed will be a part of it. That is the power of kickstarter.

Hours later, “Congratulations, you’re a backer” still makes me smile.

So…

• For those thinking of contributing to this or another kickstarter campaign: you may be surprised how great it makes you feel to back a project.
• For those developing a kickstarter campaign: How can you make your donors feel as if they’re a part of, even touching the work?
• For Non-profit organizations: How can you run a fundraiser so that you capture that “kickstarter zing” that makes your donor feel as if there is a tangible outcome that can be seen and experienced whose success they’re driving?

It’s worth thinking about.