Update- a heritage only crowd-sourced funding website has just launched as well as this project.
DigVentures launched yesterday, “With the Flag Fen Lives project, DigVentures is launching Europe’s first-ever crowd-funded and crowd-sourced archaeological excavation.”
I have written about crowdsourced funding for archaeology projects in the past. These tended to be smaller projects and not on the same level of this-
“We’re running the project through a fantastic partner, Sponsume, who will help us manage the campaign. Our funding window will be open 29th February – April 2012, during which time we need to raise £25,000, to fund our excavation this summer. Back us now!”
I wish them the best of luck with their project.
My only concern is that this may not be innovative enough. Typically most crowd sourced raise money as a sort of phone drive. People call in donate money and if they donate a certain level they get some sort of “thank you gift” usually a mug. In the case of crowd-sourced funding this can get pretty creative. If someone is trying to publish a book for certain amounts you can get lunch with the author. Though some could be very plain for example a project for a band to make an album you get a CD of the album. Basically, you just bought a CD and it is more of commercial transaction then charity. For DigVentures here is the breakdown of donation to gift ratio.
Seed Venturer: for £10 or more Exclusive backstage access to daily content on our website in the ‘Site Hut’, a PDF of the final report, plus an invitation to our end of site party!
Start-up Venturer: for £25 or more Everything above, plus a fully illustrated, bound copy of our site report with your name acknowledged in the front. And did we mention the end of site party?
Gold Digger Venturer: for £40 or more Everything above, plus a special limited edition DigVentures gold shovel lapel pin. That’s going to turn some heads… at the end of site party!
Cool Beans Venturer: for £60 or more Everything above, plus a special limited edition DigVentures tee-shirt. Too cool for field school (bet we see you at the party!).
Dig for a day Venturer: This is where things get really interesting! For £125 or more it’s time to roll your sleeves up! On site Venturers receive everything already listed, plus the chance to dig alongside the experts – and don’t forget to stick around for our DVIP evening lectures.
Dig for a week Venturer: for £450 From this level and above, we’ll assess your field skills and make sure you walk away with the confidence to use them – wherever archaeology takes you.
Dig for two weeks Venturer: for £850 Camp with the team amidst the roundhouses in the heart of the Bronze Age site. Seasoned pros would trade their favourite trowel for this opportunity!
Field school Venturer: for £1300 or more – now we’re getting serious. With our DVIP master classes, evening lectures and training, this has to be one of the best field schools out there.
Ace Venturer: for £2,000 and above – Not just for pet detectives – if you or your company could support our project we can tailor you a perfect benefit package. Value in kind exchanges are also very welcome – we would love to hear from local businesses and anyone else who wants to be involved! Please contact
Some of these I think are pretty innovative gifts for cash. “Fully illustrated, bound copy of our site report with your name acknowledged in the front. ” This is new and different, I have never heard getting your name in a report for as little as £25. On the other hand £450 to dig for a week sounds just like any other fieldschool or archaeology project. They are basically paying for a week at a fieldschool. This sort of comes off as a rebranding of fieldschools but the content is pretty much the same. I am not sure if this is really crowd-sourcing something new or a slight twist on a fieldschool?
Now to be fair to them this is the first attempt at this project so I will cut them lots and lots of slack. I am sure there will be mistakes made and lots to learn from. They are pioneers so the next project will have lots to learn from them.
Margarita de Guzman
March 1, 2012
Hi Doug,
I think we were the third group after Kristina and Colleen to try to raise funds via crowdsourcing on RocketHub. We only raised 81% of our goal, which was great in itself, but the majority of our fuelers were family and close friends. Perhaps you are correct in that the popularity of their blogs, as well as, I think, their academic network, that helped them reach their goal.
RocketHub blogged about our program here: http://blog.rockethub.com/crowdfunding-archaeology-the-story-of-svg
Personally, I am hesitant to try it again but I think one day it will be a great way to raise funds. Good luck to Dig Ventures!
Margarita
Doug Rocks-Macqueen
March 2, 2012
Hi Margarita,
Why are you hesitant to try it again? It looks like lots of people are not going to try this and it would be interesting to see some of the downsides from someone who has tried it.
Margarita de Guzman
March 3, 2012
I think it would be great if I had an expansive reach well beyond my friends and family. I am hesitant because I don’t feel our project succeeded in crowdsourcing per se; almost all of our funds came from family and close friends. The question is, how do we get crowds interested in donating to heritage-based causes?
Doug Rocks-Macqueen
March 5, 2012
Yeah, I see crowd sourcing as sort of slightly improved mouse trap. That is easier to have friends and family donate, quick and easy way for people to buy things, etc. I am really not sure it works that well and has a more of the long tail effect- a few projects do really good but the majority pretty much fizzle. I don’t think this is a heritage problem either but one that just happens with crowd sourcing.
I guess time will tell.
Erik van Rossenberg
March 1, 2012
hi Doug,
this was just launched: http://www.commonsites.net/ for the heritage sector.
Erik
Doug Rocks-Macqueen
March 2, 2012
Thanks Erik
Brendon Wilkins
March 11, 2012
Hi Doug, Margarita and Erik (sorry – late to the party – only just seen this!).
I’m Project Director on the Flag Fen Lives project so here to answer any questions about DigVentures. Just like Margarita, this is all an experiment for us too, and we’re really interested to see what happens, and gauge the long term effectiveness of our crowdfunding and crowdsourcing for archaeology projects.
We’re evaluating the impact of the project on and off line with colleagues from UCL to see just how effective we are in engaging new or established audiences for archaeology, and we’ll present all this at the EAA in Helsinkin in September. It’s early days yet (not even 2 weeks old!) but we are being approached by people who want to dig with us who have never been involved before – which is fabulous. So far no family donations (!) so but I live in hope that a long lost great aunt will come through soon.
The funding round phase of the project is just the beginning of the work for us, and we have some great plans for integrating social media into every facet of our work on site. That’s what I find so radical about the model (rather than just a fieldschool rebrand). Outreach and engagement isn’t something we also do, bolted on the side of our research – outreach is everything we do, because if we don’t enthuse people enough to want to be part of our project, we won’t get funded. Margaritas right though – its not an easy option!
All the best, (and M. – thanks for the good luck!)
Brendon