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August 7, 2020 9:32 AM Subscribe
Tips For Community Fundraising during hard times. [edited to add] Void Academy's Siena Oristaglio offers advice for artists on how to raise funds to support themselves during crisis.
A lot of musicians and other artists have lost most or all of their income because of cancelled gigs and festivals and cons . Because it wasn't regular employment income to start with, they may have more difficulty accessing government income replacement programs, so this doesn't seem that offensive to me at first blush. What makes it feel so inappropriate to you?
posted by jacquilynne at 11:46 AM on August 7, 2020 [4 favorites]
posted by jacquilynne at 11:46 AM on August 7, 2020 [4 favorites]
Jacquilynne, I can't speak for others but I saw the title and thought "maybe this will offer some actionable advice for our next pledge drive at the community radio station that I volunteer at" and then I was disappointed to see that this was not what the linked piece was about. When I read "Community Fundraising" my immediate association is not an individual artist doing crowd funding within their social network aka community. I associate "Community Fundraising" with projects like the uncomplicated soups of my childhood mentioned or my local community radio station where the "Community" part refers both to who will be helping donate funding but more importantly to how those funds will be put to use and who they will benefit.
If the post had used or included the subtitle of the article "advice for artists on how to raise funds to support themselves during crisis" I think the purpose and target audience of the post would have been more clear and I know I wouldn't have had the momentary excitement followed by disappointment reaction that I did. As is, I went in thinking it would be advice about how to do organizational fundraising and instead I got advice on how to do a personal Kickstarter or start a Patreon. If that's the kind of advice you are looking for this seems like a good resource but the title perhaps gives the wrong impression, especially to folks involved in not-for-profit community projects. The article seems to frame 'your community' as a resource that you can tap in order to obtain funding rather than the group that you are doing the work in the service of and the reason that you need the funding in the first place and I can see how that could rub some folks the wrong way.
posted by metaphorever at 1:17 PM on August 7, 2020 [3 favorites]
If the post had used or included the subtitle of the article "advice for artists on how to raise funds to support themselves during crisis" I think the purpose and target audience of the post would have been more clear and I know I wouldn't have had the momentary excitement followed by disappointment reaction that I did. As is, I went in thinking it would be advice about how to do organizational fundraising and instead I got advice on how to do a personal Kickstarter or start a Patreon. If that's the kind of advice you are looking for this seems like a good resource but the title perhaps gives the wrong impression, especially to folks involved in not-for-profit community projects. The article seems to frame 'your community' as a resource that you can tap in order to obtain funding rather than the group that you are doing the work in the service of and the reason that you need the funding in the first place and I can see how that could rub some folks the wrong way.
posted by metaphorever at 1:17 PM on August 7, 2020 [3 favorites]
For the record, the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance part of the CARES act gives people like gig musicians access to unemployment benefits. That's less helpful now without the extra $600 FPUC benefit and actually getting your application processed can be difficult, but if you can substantiate income, you can get at least some money coming in the door.
Do be aware that at least some states are allowing people to backdate claims to the time they initially lost income due to COVID-19, so you may still be able to get the $600 a week for any weeks of unemployment that occurred before FPUC expired even if you haven't yet filed.
posted by wierdo at 1:48 PM on August 7, 2020
Do be aware that at least some states are allowing people to backdate claims to the time they initially lost income due to COVID-19, so you may still be able to get the $600 a week for any weeks of unemployment that occurred before FPUC expired even if you haven't yet filed.
posted by wierdo at 1:48 PM on August 7, 2020
I think a big part of that framing and context problem is on Metafilter, and not on the original author, who is publishing on a blog specifically aimed at providing guidance to creatives. Their audience would likely know what to expect.
That said, in looking at the About page for that website, The Creative Independent, it's published by Kickstarter, without any in-text acknowledgement of the fact that the whole premise is self-interested and one of the primary recommendations within the post is to use the platform that is responsible for publishing the post. So that makes me rather less inclined to want to defend it.
posted by jacquilynne at 2:18 PM on August 7, 2020
That said, in looking at the About page for that website, The Creative Independent, it's published by Kickstarter, without any in-text acknowledgement of the fact that the whole premise is self-interested and one of the primary recommendations within the post is to use the platform that is responsible for publishing the post. So that makes me rather less inclined to want to defend it.
posted by jacquilynne at 2:18 PM on August 7, 2020
metaphorever said it better, but this is just a permission slip for people to use kickstarter and patreon. You don't need permission, go ahead, go wild. Hope you win.
None of that is distant, ancestral knowledge or anything, just "I play the guitar sometimes and maybe people will pay me for it."
However, "Have I taken account of my privileges (with respect to race, class, gender, sexuality, ability and otherwise) in my consideration of whether community funding is the best option for me right now?" rankles me.
I have clients I feed every day (and maybe it's their only meal of the day) who are distinctly disabled. One fellow has no feet and still walks over. One plays the harmonica, badly, on my street corner.
It's a staggering ask to reconcile someone who is kind of good but not like, really good at the guitar and someone who is living hand to mouth.
posted by the uncomplicated soups of my childhood at 2:29 PM on August 7, 2020
None of that is distant, ancestral knowledge or anything, just "I play the guitar sometimes and maybe people will pay me for it."
However, "Have I taken account of my privileges (with respect to race, class, gender, sexuality, ability and otherwise) in my consideration of whether community funding is the best option for me right now?" rankles me.
I have clients I feed every day (and maybe it's their only meal of the day) who are distinctly disabled. One fellow has no feet and still walks over. One plays the harmonica, badly, on my street corner.
It's a staggering ask to reconcile someone who is kind of good but not like, really good at the guitar and someone who is living hand to mouth.
posted by the uncomplicated soups of my childhood at 2:29 PM on August 7, 2020
For anyone who was hoping for resources on organizational fundraising and thoughtful writing on privilege in These Times (tm), I recommend Vu Le's blog and Community Centric Fundraising.
posted by entropyiswinning at 4:51 PM on August 7, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by entropyiswinning at 4:51 PM on August 7, 2020 [1 favorite]
Yeah, my bad, I should have framed it much better.
If it's not too late mods: This is the extra bit of description that should go with the FPP.
"Void Academy's Siena Oristaglio offers advice for artists on how to raise funds to support themselves during crisis."
posted by storybored at 8:00 PM on August 7, 2020
If it's not too late mods: This is the extra bit of description that should go with the FPP.
"Void Academy's Siena Oristaglio offers advice for artists on how to raise funds to support themselves during crisis."
posted by storybored at 8:00 PM on August 7, 2020
Mod note: Added! But in future, please remember to flag your comment if you want a moderator to see it. Thanks!
posted by taz (staff) at 10:47 PM on August 7, 2020
posted by taz (staff) at 10:47 PM on August 7, 2020
Got it, thanks Taz!
posted by storybored at 12:18 PM on August 8, 2020
posted by storybored at 12:18 PM on August 8, 2020
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posted by the uncomplicated soups of my childhood at 10:24 AM on August 7, 2020