Crowdfunding the Arts Doesn't Work

Songs for the Struggling Artist

My theatre company is over twenty years old. We started in 2001 and we’ve seen some things.

For our first show, we raised funds by writing a letter – yes, an actual paper letter – and we mailed it to anyone we thought might write us a check. This worked pretty well. I’d have to double check the numbers but it’s not impossible that it was the most effective fundraising we ever did. There are a couple of reasons for that, I imagine. One is the First Steps Toward a Dream Effect. This is the thing where people love to fund the FIRST something. They enjoy helping people take a first step toward a big dream. (They don’t love so much the slog of keeping something afloat.) But I think the other factor that helped this first show’s fundraising was just the moment we were in and the circles to which we had access.

To read more of Crowdfunding the Arts Doesn't Work visit the Songs for the Struggling Artist blog.

This is Episode 304

Song: Crowd Go Crazy

Image: collage of Messenger Theatre Company shows

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Emily Rainbow Davis