Burner Ian McKenzie has put on his prophetic party pants and shared with us this 9-step guide to Crowd Funding.
Ian MacKenzie is a filmmaker & media activist based in Vancouver, BC. He has a background in video journalism, short films, and documentaries, with his work appearing in The New York Times, National Geographic TV, CBC Documentary, The Globe and Mail,Adbusters, and festivals around the world.
He’s helped 25 projects raise $450,000, so it’s fair to say he knows what he’s talking about:
THIS YEAR will mark my 5th visit to Black Rock City aka home to the audacious and irreverent Burning Man festival, held every year in Nevada. Every since I arrived as a virgin back in 2009, the playa has forever marked its dusty footprint on my heart.
I have prophesied about the partipants. I have professed my love for The Temple. And I have contributed when I could towards the cascade of glorious and participatory art projects that manifest from the ether and passion of fellow Burners.
These days, I divide my time between my own film projects (like Occupy Love), and offering crowdfunding strategy and workshops to others. (To date, I’ve assisted over 25 projects, helping raise almost $450,000).
As a gift to the Burning Man community, I’ve collected my best advice for creators to harness the power of crowdfunding. After all, it’s a perfect fit: much like Burning Man, the true currency being exchanged isn’t money, but relationship (also know as shared indebtedness).
As Rob Trump said in a recent article in The New York Times:
“[Crowdfunding] as a phenomenon is made much more comprehensible once you realize that it’s not following the logic of the free market; it’s following the logic of the gift.”
Gifting? Sounds like it’s made for Burning Man then. Although Gifting did come dead last in our recent poll about which of the Ten Principles are most important.
Ian has also provided some links to examples of successful Burner projects. Crowdfunding: now more than just a way to sell VIP wristbands to your camp.
