Strength In Numbers

The title above refers to what is going through my mind regarding our current Goodbye Promise Kickstarter Campaign. Before I get to those thoughts, I would like to share some exciting things happening for Karen and I.

Some of you may be aware that two years ago we wrote up a list of goals that we have on our refrigerator. I am almost ashamed to admit that the majority of them have not been crossed off. It has been that way for two years. Just as embarrassed I am by what I just wrote, I am just as proud to say that we have now been able to cross of two of our goals (we actually cross them out & then write SUCCESS!) in the last few weeks.

When we originally wrote the list, we had just returned from San Diego. We wanted to return, so we wrote down that we wanted to spend another weekend there. Two years later and we have still not yet been back. That changes in two weeks. We have been asked to speak as Panelists at the San Diego Indie Fest on Saturday March 27th from 10:30am to 11:15am. We will be joined by Jenn Page from LuminaveFilms.com & Matt Jarbo from FlashYourShorts.com. We have never really imagined being panelists so this is quite an honor for us. The panel is on Marketing Your Film. Karen and I will be representing 'Dealing with the Media.'

Back to the goal list. We also wrote down that we wanted to attend the Film Independent Spirit Awards as invitees. We applied for media credentials a few months ago and we were approved several weeks ago. This past Friday our dream came true. We arrived early and watched the red carpet arrivals before being led up to the Press Tent upstairs. We broke away from the Press Tent to the Cabana Tent next door where there was a food buffet and a bar. We had a nice meal before returning to the Press Tent where we decided to sit right up front. We were just a few feet away from all of the night's Award Winners who came to speak to the press.

What really floors me about these two goals is they are directly related to our Film Courage radio show. Yet we wrote these goals down well over a year before we ever thought about doing a show. This is just another example of the mystical forces of the universe at work. What do we learn? 1) It doesn't always happen when we want it to happen. (God's time, not our time) 2) Write your goals down (magical things can happen for you.)



As of the time of this writing, we are 10 days into our Kickstarter Campaign for Goodbye Promise. We have been blessed so far with 32 Backers who have pledged a total of $1931. Our end goal is to raise at least $15,000 by April 22nd, 2010. We have 41 days left. The way Kickstarter works is that it is ALL or NOTHING. We either raise at least $15,000 by our deadline or we will not see any of the money.

One thing interesting that is happening is the number of folks who are backing the project, then saying they wish they could 'pledge' more. In addition, I believe there are a good number of folks who have yet to 'pledge' because they are embarrassed to contribute an amount less than $5. My response to that is that no one should feel embarrassed by any amount they are able to pledge. Your $1 pledge may lead to a $20 pledge or a $100 pledge. Your pledge may generate a chain reaction to future pledges.

I liken this effect to a bartender who is working hard, serving drink after drink to a long line of people. Yet no one has tipped her. Then one gracious fellow puts a one dollar bill on the bar. The woman behind that fellow sees the gesture and pulls out money from her purse to also tip the bartender. This leads to a steady stream of tips for the hard-working bartender.

A Kickstarter campaign is reliant on this same kind of energy. Our campaign gains momentum when several people 'pledge' on the same day. There is Strength in Numbers. Strength in the Number of Backers who support our project. The higher the number of our Backers, the easier it becomes for others to believe in our project and also contribute.

Another great feature about Kickstarter is you have the right to adjust your pledge amount. You can pledge $1 now and any time before the deadline you can raise the amount. Also, in case you are not aware, no money is taken from your account unless the project reaches it's fundraising goal. We will only receive the money from our Backers if we reach $15,000 by April 22nd, 201o and money is not taken from their accounts until after the clock strikes zero.

This blog would not be complete if I did not thank all of the Backers we have gained since my last blog entry. Thank you for believing and supporting our little film. I am so incredibly grateful to each of you! Mike Hedge, Nathan Cole, Erika Benites, Melissa Darpino, Owen Thomas, Peter Bernhard Altmann, Sally Outlaw, Kevin Deen, Matt Anderson, Marcella Selbach, Cassandra M. Bellantoni, Gia Milani, Chad Davis, Jeff Kinney, Thomas Corkran, Patrick Mosher, Joe Lessard, Todd Cattell & Phoebe Owens.

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