Is Brooklyn-based microfinancing startup Kickstarter the next fountain of non-profit arts funding? Let us see. (We already know what I think about book publishing.) In the meantime, I’m backing equally Brooklyn-based art space—and podcast!—Marian Spore’s summer campaign, which hopes to raise $4,000 in the next 21 days to support projects by Marina Zurkow, Joe Winter, and Thom Kubli. Current status: $1,585. Go, Spore.
The trick with Kickstarter lies in its donor incentive system: Arts non-profits in particular need to strike a sweet spot in determining the value of their content, whether it be physical—should Marian Spore meet its baseline goal by July 14 at midnight, I will receive a limited-edition poster designed by UK-based burneverything in exchange for my paltry $15 donation—or virtual: part deux of my donor package, the inclusion of my name and a link back to this domain on the gallery’s website, is arguably worth much more given the nuanced relationship between the longevity of web content and the social capital it generates. I could have secured my spot on Spore’s virtual donor wall for a mere $5, the lowest contribution level, a fact that belies a general tendency among non-profit arts organizations to underestimate the web as a means of generating fiscal capital.
Briefly: People, support Kickstarter, Marian Spore, and other web-based arts fundraising initiatives. To Marian Spore and others seeking to play online as such: don’t sell yourself short along the way.
