10 Ways to Donate Without Spending Money

About three weeks ago, I launched my first-ever (and perhaps last-ever) Kickstarter campaign to raise funds for recording my second full-length Gardening, Not Architecture album. The plan, if I reach my goal, is to head to SoCal in September and record the album with producer/musician Steve Choi (RxBandits) over the course of 2-3 weeks, in two different studios. The $5,000 budget will cover the cost and fees for recording and mixing, plus travel and mastering. Although I set that as my goal for the Kickstarter, the actual cost for me to take that time off from work, hire a dog-sitter, pay my bills for that month, and not have to pinch pennies and live off of PB&Js during the process, is closer to $7,500. If I want to put out the album on CD when it's done and do any kind of touring this year to support the release, that number goes up to $10,000 or more.

When you donate to this fundraiser, you are getting something of actual value in return. There are several "rewards" to choose from, each with a different pricetag, and you can pick what you want to get in exchange for your donation! This is a lot like the fundraisers I have done on my own website in the past, but having the Kickstarter name behind it (and the platform for accepting donations) is (hopefully) lending it some extra credibility -- although, if things go well this time around, I might just stick with my own DIY fundraisers in the future and keep that ~10% that Kickstarter ends up taking in the end.

To see the list of rewards, visit the page HERE!

At the bottom of that list of rewards is my Dream Amount of $10,000. If I can hit that amount, then every single person who donated to the Kickstarter -- no matter the amount they donated -- will get the new album on exclusive, limited to the Kickstarter Backers only, custom vinyl with their names in the liner notes and one-of-a-kind album artwork!

It's only taken a little over three weeks to raise 81% of the $5,000, but there is still $940 left to raise, with less than 27 days left to go -- and even more if I want to really go for it and try to hit that Dream Amount! I know that times are tough, and not everyone can donate money, so I came up with another way that friends and supporters can help me reach not only my set asking amount, but maybe even my Dream Amount (and get yourselves some one-of-a-kind vinyl in the process)! Here's a list of ways you can get involved with the G,NA Kickstarter, and help raise funds even if you have already donated as much as you can, and even if you can't pledge any amount of money yourself!

TEN WAYS TO DONATE TO THE G,NA KICKSTARTER WITHOUT SPENDING MONEY

1. Burn copies of the G,NA album and make your own sleeves/inserts about G,NA and the Kickstarter campaign, with the information and URLs, and give them out at a show or leave them at your local record store!

2. @Mention Kickstarter on Twitter (http://twitter.com/kickstarter) and tell them to feature the G,NA project on their home page!

3. Go to my Vimeo profile and grab the link or embed code for the Kickstarter video, then post the video on Facebook, tumblr, Twitter, your own blog, or anywhere else you can think to put it!

4. Send an email to your friends and family who might be into the music, and ask them to pledge on your behalf. People can pledge as little as $1 and they will get access to the Kickstarter blog, and their name will be permanently listed as an Official Sponsor on the G,NA website!

5. Create your own video testimonial and post it on your Facebook or tumblr, and email it to me (sarah at gardeningnotarchitecture dot com) so I can post it in the Kickstarter blog!

6. Click the Like, Tweet, or Embed links under the featured video on the campaign page, and copy the shortened page URL to repost it on your own profiles: http://kck.st/oR2Cxi

7. Email your favorite music blogs and ask them to check out G,NA and the Kickstarter campaign!

8. Make your own flyers with a photo of G,NA and the URL for the Kickstarter page, and personalize it with your own explanation for what the music is and what the fundraiser is for, and hand these out at a show or leave them at a record store, clothing store, book store, etc.

***9. Encourage people to buy the first G,NA album on iTunes and from my online store at http://www.gardeningnotarchitecture.com/shop! Getting the music out there and building the G,NA fanbase are just as important as raising funds for a Kickstarter campaign! Every past album that sells helps me pay for future albums to be made!

***10. Post the link to my own personal Donation page on the G,NA website (http://www.gardeningnotarchitecture.com/contact/donate)! I use Paypal, and you can donate any amount of money you want, and you'll get listed as an Official Sponsor on my website. Some people (including you?) may prefer to donate through Paypal rather than set up an account on Kickstarter -- and this way, I get to keep 100% of the donation instead of paying a percentage to Kickstarter and fees to Amazon at the end of the campaign! Furthermore, even after the Kickstarter has ended (in 27 days), I can still continue to accept donations through my website for recording and touring. So getting the word out about my Donation page is a HUGE help, now and for the future of G,NA!

Hopefully this list inspires people to get creative and help spread the word about Gardening, Not Architecture! All I need is 250 people to pledge $25 each and everyone will get exclusive vinyl!

I will leave you with the Kickstarter video, which was edited and "directed" (via internet) by my dear friend Derek Woods:



♥ ♥ ♥
Sarah

P.S. In the time it took me to put this post together, someone donated another $50 to the Kickstarter! AMAZING!