ABCDEFGH
1
2
3
4
5
GIVING CURIOSITY
6
An audit of creative giving
7
Tracking Kickstarter Crowdfunding over time
8
2010-today
Last updated 11/2023
9
10
Context: Back in 2014, while reflecting on the end of the year giving, I noticed that my non-profit giving had decreased from the previous year, but I'd given to over 20 crowdfunding campaigns (17 on Kickstarter). Nearly 40 since 2010. What was happening? It wasn't just that everyone was doing a kickstarter. it felt.... different. It was a way to contribute to community and the world. I thought of it as a type of giving, but the systems only recognize 501c3. Surely, I wasn't alone.

Curious about the pattern, I looked into it. What were the patterns of these contributions? Did they scratch that meaningful giving itch? Was this just the giving version of Web 2.0, or a signal of a desire for other ways to channel our resources towards values? How could we expand this definition of giving in our lives? Could this little personal phenomenon describe some of the larger shifts in giving and community? (Fast forward, yes)
11
12
A couple of years later (2016), after a tumultuous election, I wrote a little piece about the trends and how we can expand our definition of giving— critical causes like media, fragile systems, but also— communities and creators.
13
14
It's 2022—several elections later, the rise of Web 3.0, shift of crowdfunding platforms, and a tumultuous social media environment. I've continued to update this list intermittently. I've even co-taught a class where half of the students tried their hand at crowdfunding. The observations hold true about needing to expand our notions of giving in community. But they've also deepended in the context of our shifting systems and technology.
15
16
So, here we are... still noticing.
17
18
Some areas I looked at over the years
19
Log & typeWhat types of projects did I support over time and what categories did they fall into? (Was this different or complementary to other giving or investing?)
20
Backing motivationWhat was the motivation for backing? How correlated was it to the connection to the creator or community? How did use play into it—how often was it for personal use or gifting (similar to shopping) or just wanting it in the world?
21
Annual changeHow did giving change over years and did that have any connection to employment or volunteering mix?
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31