How To Fund A Revolution So Nobody Gets Hurt

So what's the guarantee that your money, if you choose to help raise funds for this project, will go to SixApart and get the project done? That's the important question that has to be answered before we can even go there, right?

Normally, I'd start a pitch with "what's in it for you." Actually, that's exactly what I did right here if you're new to the blog. But in order to make you feel comfortable with the idea of fundraising, maybe the first question I need to answer is "what's in this for me?"

All I really want is a better blog platform… especially the custom templates for creating blog-based storefronts I'm envisioning. I think that idea alone could revolutionize the way the blogosphere makes small business work. There's no guarantee I'll actually get my desire but it's why I built this blog. It's why I'm going to put long hours in writing and designing here. I think that by working together we can make it happen.

There are bound to be some side benefits, too. I expect I'll get some press. I would guess that I'll be having some very interesting conversations with some very interesting people. It's possible that I might be offered some interesting work. That's all good, but, again, what I really want is a better blog platform and, by extension, some interesting new business models for bloggers.

What I don't want, at all, is your money. I don't want to touch it. Period. So how do we get it from you to Six Apart?

I haven't got the patience to form a not-for-profit and I have a horrible phobia of filling out forms, so I'm going to delegate someone else, who already has a good track record in place as a fundraising entity to take your money and give it straight to Six Apart. This is where I would point a stick at the following chart if I was standing in front of you.

 

 

Nice information design isn't it?

I've been wanting to use Fundable to enable a project for a long time. They are very cool people and I've heard good things. You can check out their site here. Or listen to a segment about them on NPR's Marketplace here. Visit their FAQ or read some stories about successful campaigns that have used Fundable to organize group fundraising.

I pretty much had them in mind from the moment it occured to me that we should pay Six Apart for this work. Yeah, sorry, my first thought was that we should just tell them what a great idea it all is… If my friend Neil hadn't said something, maybe we'd have all had a free ride. But I'm not sure how far that would have taken us.

To make this work we have to convince Six Apart that we're serious. That we have a vision of how we, as users, see the development path of TypePad. Serious people pay when they commission work. The good news is, that if we use Fundable, we only pay if we meet the goal. I don't know how much we'd need to raise, but I'm sure I can get a number from someone at Six Apart soon if they're willing to deal.

 

 

In the mean time, it doesn't hurt to figure out a little advance strategy. There are several ways to go about using Fundable. I was concerned when I read the following on their site:

Unless you're in the right social position (like the head of an organization), recruiting even 30 people can prove challenging. Please read the Guide to Starting a Group Action, especially if you have ambitious plans. Fundable sets no limits on how many people a group leader expects to recruit.  That said, Fundable reviews most group actions that aim for over 40 contributors.

And,

[Group actions must be completed within either] 14 or 25 days.  All pledges will be deleted if your group action falls short of its collection goal after this period of time.

So I called to talk to them. John was very helpful and explained some things and suggested others. One of the things I wondered was whether there are any ways to extend the time frame for a group action (no) and why it is set to such a brief deadline in the first place? Answer:

Fundable holds your pledge until the group action reaches its collection goal, and then collects payment.  This works much like a self-serve gas station in which your credit card is "authorized" before you pump gas.

The reason for the short time frame is that they can't leave pledges in their billing system any longer than that without having them automatically expire. What he suggested was to start now with a smaller amount and do successive pledge waves to meet partial goals. That's actually a pretty brilliant way to handle this for two reasons:

1. We could probably arrange to schedule deposited payments to Six Apart as work is completed.
   That protects everyone, and is pretty much the way you would expect to handle commission work.
2. If Six Apart agrees to some design changes but not others, or wishes to schedule them to fit their workload, we could pay on a line-item basis.

Either way, I think it's a pretty safe way to proceed. It lowers the risk for everyone. Now if I can just get some prices from Six Apart, we can form a group and start ponying up.

Tags: typepad, Six Apart, blog, blogs, blogging, business, web2.0, weblogs, design, collaboration, fundable, fundraising,smartmob, typepadhacks

Comments

[Posted: Mar 17, 2006 5:59:36 PM]

I am ready to press some cash into 6A's hands, though I read somewhere that they just got another round of VC funding ($12 million). So, I know they aren't hurting for cash. But I do like your idea. Money is almost always a good incentive and if our lobbying involves having easier access to some design changes, so be it. I came by your site through Steve Rubel. I have bookmarked your site and look forward to visiting it daily. Keep up the great work!

[Posted: Mar 17, 2006 6:45:29 PM]

Seshu,

Glad to hear you like the idea. I've had a positive response in several comments now, which makes me feel I may in fact be on the right track here.