22nd April 2012, 11:28 AM
Hello All, and it's nice to see the continued interest in our project. And we agree with David - let's assume success, rather than failure. It's funny - when we first launched we were criticised in advance for raising too much - and now it would seem it's the opposite issue - but we're still on the firing line.
Of course we considered every angle of risk before undertaking this project, most particularly because we are working in partnership with a charity (Vivacity) and operating on a foundation of trust with the people who have invested in Flag Fen Lives. We could not anticipate what public appetite would be and how much we could raise on Sponsume, but we did plan around it for every conceivable scenario. With that said, we are confident that we will reach the goal.
At present we are 50% funded on Sponsume, with the deadline approaching - but that is not the whole story. This is the first time anyone has tried a project like this, and as such it's been a process of learning and adjustment - and that includes our partners, Vivacity. We have to accommodate their needs and respond to their abilities as the caretakers of Flag Fen. I'm not at liberty to discuss the particulars, but I will say that there are some very positive announcements coming this week and next, and we are really looking forward to sharing the new dimensions of the project as a result. The Peterborough area has finally woken up to the importance of the resource on their doorstep, and we look forward to welcoming the local offer on board.
Added to this is the fact that Flag Fen has just (within the last month) been scheduled by DCMS, and one can begin to appreciate the complexity of the bigger picture for us. We are feeling really confident about how it is all tying together - and yes, we will be presenting the project at the EAA in Helskinki, as well as at UCL as part of the Financing Archaeology workshop in May, and at York for the Archaeology Festival in June. We're as transparent and open to sharing as we can be - and very proud of the story that we can tell up to this point.
As to the question of whether or not we considered how our success/failure would affect other projects' ability to use crowdfunding, the answer is no. That is not our responsibility. We focused on the unique aspects of the business we wanted to build, our values and mission, and the needs of the amazing site that we will be working on. I would argue that a much bigger issue, and barrier to success for anyone wanting to use crowdfunding, is the amount of time and effort that goes into running an ethical and successful project. It's incredibly time-consuming, particularly when one is also holding down a fulltime job - as are all the members of DigVentures.
You can't just open up your online shop, take the money and go - and because of the visibility of our project (which we invited) we are ultra-aware of fulfillment being our biggest commitment. And we are in a similar position to David at the moment as far as being paid for our time - whilst donating time and volunteering services is a part of what we do, it cannot stay like this forever, for us as individuals or for archaeology as a discipline. For those who do volunteer as a result of personal beliefs, that's fantastic - but doing things for free shouldn't be a requirement in order to do what we do. So our advice to anyone considering crowdfunding would be to think about the time investment, and consider carefully what you offer and whether you can deliver that - which is about so much more than just putting someone in a hole on site.
All best
Lisa Westcott Wilkins, Managing Director, DigVentures
Of course we considered every angle of risk before undertaking this project, most particularly because we are working in partnership with a charity (Vivacity) and operating on a foundation of trust with the people who have invested in Flag Fen Lives. We could not anticipate what public appetite would be and how much we could raise on Sponsume, but we did plan around it for every conceivable scenario. With that said, we are confident that we will reach the goal.
At present we are 50% funded on Sponsume, with the deadline approaching - but that is not the whole story. This is the first time anyone has tried a project like this, and as such it's been a process of learning and adjustment - and that includes our partners, Vivacity. We have to accommodate their needs and respond to their abilities as the caretakers of Flag Fen. I'm not at liberty to discuss the particulars, but I will say that there are some very positive announcements coming this week and next, and we are really looking forward to sharing the new dimensions of the project as a result. The Peterborough area has finally woken up to the importance of the resource on their doorstep, and we look forward to welcoming the local offer on board.
Added to this is the fact that Flag Fen has just (within the last month) been scheduled by DCMS, and one can begin to appreciate the complexity of the bigger picture for us. We are feeling really confident about how it is all tying together - and yes, we will be presenting the project at the EAA in Helskinki, as well as at UCL as part of the Financing Archaeology workshop in May, and at York for the Archaeology Festival in June. We're as transparent and open to sharing as we can be - and very proud of the story that we can tell up to this point.
As to the question of whether or not we considered how our success/failure would affect other projects' ability to use crowdfunding, the answer is no. That is not our responsibility. We focused on the unique aspects of the business we wanted to build, our values and mission, and the needs of the amazing site that we will be working on. I would argue that a much bigger issue, and barrier to success for anyone wanting to use crowdfunding, is the amount of time and effort that goes into running an ethical and successful project. It's incredibly time-consuming, particularly when one is also holding down a fulltime job - as are all the members of DigVentures.
You can't just open up your online shop, take the money and go - and because of the visibility of our project (which we invited) we are ultra-aware of fulfillment being our biggest commitment. And we are in a similar position to David at the moment as far as being paid for our time - whilst donating time and volunteering services is a part of what we do, it cannot stay like this forever, for us as individuals or for archaeology as a discipline. For those who do volunteer as a result of personal beliefs, that's fantastic - but doing things for free shouldn't be a requirement in order to do what we do. So our advice to anyone considering crowdfunding would be to think about the time investment, and consider carefully what you offer and whether you can deliver that - which is about so much more than just putting someone in a hole on site.
All best
Lisa Westcott Wilkins, Managing Director, DigVentures