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Author Topic: Niku VIII Funding  (Read 209535 times)

Monty Fowler

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Re: Niku VIII Funding
« Reply #75 on: September 02, 2014, 05:43:09 PM »

More time to give this crowd funding effort time to work. I like that with this outfit, TIGHAR gets to keep whatever was pledged. I assume there are people with expertise in this method but I can't say if it would be worth hiring them to potentially increase the final amount.

LTM,
Monty Fowler, TIGHAR No. 2189 ECSP
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Monty Fowler

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Re: Niku VIII Funding
« Reply #76 on: October 02, 2014, 12:32:55 PM »

So ... now that there is a new expedition date, are we going to dust off the crowd funding resources? Count me in regardless.

LTM, who sometimes needs all his fingers to count,
Monty Fowler, TIGHAR No. 2189 ECSP
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Ric Gillespie

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Re: Niku VIII Funding
« Reply #77 on: October 02, 2014, 01:21:07 PM »

So ... now that there is a new expedition date, are we going to dust off the crowd funding resources?

Our foray into crowd funding was an interesting experiment and quite an education.  It's easy to think that a subject as widely popular as solving the Earhart mystery would be a prime candidate for crowd funding.  That's why we tried it. The reality is that the key to crowd funding is reaching the crowd who might fund you. At any given moment there are thousands, maybe tens of thousands, of crowd funding campaigns going on a mind-boggling variety of platforms (We chose Indiegogo because it's second in size to Kickstarter and, unlike Kickstarter, you can set it up so that you receive the money you raise even if you don't reach your goal.) You can't rely on people just stumbling across you campaign.  You have to go out "on the street" and ask people to come visit your campaign. Most of the people who visit your campaign are shopping for "perks."  You have to have a selection of goodies for them to "buy." During the time our campaign was running I spent at least two hours every day setting up,improving, maintaining and promoting it.  What you want is for people who do visit and contribute to spread the word to their friends.  Some do. Some don't. It's like priming the pump.  Clearly we do not have a big enough following to prime the crowd funding pump. Setting up and servicing a campaign to raise $10,000 takes just as much time as for a million dollar campaign. We got a total of about $4,100 in donations.  After Indiegogo took their cut, we ended up with a check for $3,600 sent about three weeks after the campaign ended.  Not worth it.
Lesson #1 -  Before you go crowd funding you need to have a really big following that you can direct to your campaign.   
 
Count me in regardless.

Bless you.  This is a particularly crucial time.
The level of funding needed for the 2015 Niku VIII expedition is a fraction of the 2014 expedition budget, but we still have payment deadlines that must be met.

The Nai’a charter will cost $264,0000 plus an estimated $12,000 in fuel.

• An initial deposit of $41,300 must be paid by the end of October, otherwise the boat will be released for other charters.  At this writing we have $11,900 in hand toward that goal.  We have firm pledges for another $15,000. Needless to say, it is essential that we meet this goal if there is to be an expedition in 2015. Please do what you can now.

• A payment of $111,350 is due December 10, 2014.  Our plan is to raise this amount primarily through the sale of Sponsor Team Member berths. We have three available for $50,000 each.  We have a number of prospects but nothing firm yet.

• A final payment of  $111,350 is due March 10, 2015.  The fuel estimate must be paid before departure. We have a pledge from a major foundation to cover the last $100,000 so if we can make the December payment we’re in good shape to complete the budget. 

« Last Edit: October 02, 2014, 01:23:48 PM by Ric Gillespie »
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Krystal McGinty-Carter

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Re: Niku VIII Funding
« Reply #78 on: October 02, 2014, 03:51:39 PM »

I worked a considerable amount of overtime this past 2 weeks with the meltdown in ZAU. (Who took that guys red Swingline stapler???)  Lemme look over some finances and see what I can spare.
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Ric Gillespie

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Re: Niku VIII Funding
« Reply #79 on: October 02, 2014, 05:45:07 PM »

Been taking a back seat on forum of late, Thought it would be nice for newer members to get involved in discussions and bring new idea's to the table.

This isn't the place to do it Richie.  This is no joke.  We need to raise this money or there won't be a Niku VIII.
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Monty Fowler

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Re: Niku VIII Funding
« Reply #80 on: October 02, 2014, 06:10:55 PM »

All joking aside, a check is inbound yours. Check the mailman's saddlebag in the next few days as he ambles past.

LTM,
Monty Fowler, TIGHAR No. 2189 ECSP
Ex-TIGHAR member No. 2189 E C R SP, 1998-2016
 
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richie conroy

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Re: Niku VIII Funding
« Reply #81 on: October 02, 2014, 06:17:24 PM »

Ric

No one is more gutted than myself about this years expedition being cancelled, my hobby turned to obsession a long time ago that's why i believe we need a new approach to the way we come across to crowd funding sources 

Thanks Richie
We are an echo of the past


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Bruce Thomas

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Re: Niku VIII Funding
« Reply #82 on: October 03, 2014, 06:19:53 AM »

Richie raises a good point on the jar worth clarifying but it's hard to do that in a thread devoted to a far more important matter, which is funding the next expedition.  Perhaps Richie's post with the jars photo could be transferred to the Jar Report thread by a global moderator?

Joe Cerniglia
TIGHAR #3078RC
Richie's post has been moved.
LTM,

Bruce
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Bill Richards

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Re: Niku VIII Funding
« Reply #83 on: October 03, 2014, 08:05:06 PM »

"Before you go crowd funding you need to have a really big following that you can direct to your campaign."

Ric - Don't give up on crowd funding yet.  If 2-2-V-1 starts putting out more smoke after Wichita or the 2015 Niku VIII comes up with additional wood for the fire and the frigging news media picks up the coverage then crowd funding may be a good way to go.  Obviously your sojourn into crowd funding has generated some good lessons learned and IMHO added another tool to your bag.  Keep the faith and stay the course!

wildbill
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Monty Fowler

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Re: Niku VIII Funding
« Reply #84 on: October 04, 2014, 01:50:30 PM »

Ric makes a valid point about crowd funding - it's great if you have an elastic deadline and a project that can be indefinitely postponed, as you slowly raise the money.

That is not the case with Niku VIII, which is constricted by several parameters that TIGHAR really has no control over. Since we are a lean organization, we have to balance resources expended against returns expected.

Am I saying we give up on crowd funding? No, of course not. It may still be the goose that lays the proverbial golden goodie. But we need to pursue other more realistic avenues that hold out the hope of a much quicker return.

Or so it seems to me.

LTM,
Monty Fowler, TIGHAR No. 2189 ECSP
Ex-TIGHAR member No. 2189 E C R SP, 1998-2016
 
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Krystal McGinty-Carter

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Re: New Artifact Report: A Freckle in Time
« Reply #85 on: October 05, 2014, 10:53:51 PM »

An advert as in, what exactly?  Television? Radio? Billboards? These avenues, while ambitious,  are astronomically expensive for a small non-profit. While you might find someone willing to run it for free, you still have to secure production costs. Ric has put out some very compelling videos via Youtube. One would think that a mass social-media sharing event of those videos would be more cost effective and possibly reach just as many people.

  I had suggested, during the indieogo event, that TIGHARs post videos explaining how the Earhart project is significant to them, and to reveal what it was about Earhart and her disappearance that caught and held their attention.  Its easy for a non-profit to get lost behind the "faces" of the organization. They could be uploaded to The TIGHAR youtube channel and shared via facebook and other social media.  I think if the general public saw the enormous following that TIGHAR has, and could hear their reasons for continued support, they might be  encouraged to join in.

As far as making a blanket statement that "If found, a certain amount of proceeds will go to charity' etc. I personally feel that it could come off as a little pretentious and could send the wrong message: That TIGHAR is trying to solve the Earhart mystery for personal profit and fame, rather than for the preservation of an important part of aviation history.  Only Ric and his team can determine if that is the right angle to take.

Just my two bits.

Edited - J. Neville: This post was moved FROM 'Freckle in Time' as fundraising was the point (in reponse to Richie's dual-purpose post, which itself was moved TO 'Freckle...' due to profound technical content... confusing, know whut ah mean?  :P)
« Last Edit: October 10, 2014, 03:06:24 PM by Jeffrey Neville »
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Ric Gillespie

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Re: New Artifact Report: A Freckle in Time
« Reply #86 on: October 10, 2014, 04:31:33 PM »

As far as making a blanket statement that "If found, a certain amount of proceeds will go to charity' etc. I personally feel that it could come off as a little pretentious and could send the wrong message: That TIGHAR is trying to solve the Earhart mystery for personal profit and fame, rather than for the preservation of an important part of aviation history.  Only Ric and his team can determine if that is the right angle to take.

Somebody doesn't get it.  100% of proceeds will go to charity.  TIGHAR is a recognized 501 c 3 public charity.  TIGHAR's is the ONLY effort to solve the Earhart mystery - present or past - that is not a personal or corporate commercial venture. 
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JNev

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Re: New Artifact Report: A Freckle in Time
« Reply #87 on: October 10, 2014, 08:53:29 PM »

Somebody doesn't get it.  100% of proceeds will go to charity.  TIGHAR is a recognized 501 c 3 public charity.  TIGHAR's is the ONLY effort to solve the Earhart mystery - present or past - that is not a personal or corporate commercial venture.

I hadn't given that much thought to it before, Ric, but seems you are right (if Waitt Institute isn't - I guess it's a private foundation?).

What are the principle reasons for setting up shop as a 501 c 3 instead of as a private entity?  It is an interesting contrast and I'm sure there are all kinds of reasons, but like I said I just hadn't really considered the point so much before.

Colin Cobb's 'Stratus' organization is an 'offshore' (non-US, apparently Irish) so not IRS regulated, but is it private, or an Irish government subsidized outfit or something similar?  Don't know, hadn't thought about that either, really.  I guess it is just the ideas of operation behind the founding of such an entity that would drive it one way or the other (private for profit vs. public not for profit).
- Jeff Neville

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Krystal McGinty-Carter

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Re: New Artifact Report: A Freckle in Time
« Reply #88 on: October 11, 2014, 01:13:22 AM »

As far as making a blanket statement that "If found, a certain amount of proceeds will go to charity' etc. I personally feel that it could come off as a little pretentious and could send the wrong message: That TIGHAR is trying to solve the Earhart mystery for personal profit and fame, rather than for the preservation of an important part of aviation history.  Only Ric and his team can determine if that is the right angle to take.

Somebody doesn't get it.  100% of proceeds will go to charity.  TIGHAR is a recognized 501 c 3 public charity.  TIGHAR's is the ONLY effort to solve the Earhart mystery - present or past - that is not a personal or corporate commercial venture.

I didnt mean this as "it doesn't go to a good cause.."   I took it as offers to "donate to an outside organization" in exchange for donations to help solve the case. No disrespect intended. Ill grab my pompoms and go back to the corner.

-Krystal "TIGHAR Cheerleader" McGinty.
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JNev

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Re: New Artifact Report: A Freckle in Time
« Reply #89 on: October 11, 2014, 03:40:56 AM »

As far as making a blanket statement that "If found, a certain amount of proceeds will go to charity' etc. I personally feel that it could come off as a little pretentious and could send the wrong message: That TIGHAR is trying to solve the Earhart mystery for personal profit and fame, rather than for the preservation of an important part of aviation history.  Only Ric and his team can determine if that is the right angle to take.

Somebody doesn't get it.  100% of proceeds will go to charity.  TIGHAR is a recognized 501 c 3 public charity.  TIGHAR's is the ONLY effort to solve the Earhart mystery - present or past - that is not a personal or corporate commercial venture.

I didnt mean this as "it doesn't go to a good cause.."   I took it as offers to "donate to an outside organization" in exchange for donations to help solve the case. No disrespect intended. Ill grab my pompoms and go back to the corner.

-Krystal "TIGHAR Cheerleader" McGinty.

No dis, no corners!  Watch the pom poms, they can ruffle the eyes...  :P

I think what Ric is reminding us of is that TIGHAR IS an "outside organization", so to speak.  Meaning, I think, that it is not set up as a profitable corporation that in turn might 'return' something from profits to charity - technically speaking, there are by definition no profits.  It may be that an advantage is seen by it being geared more toward maximizing donations toward a common goal that donors ascribe to.
- Jeff Neville

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