Crowdfunding Preservation

Crowdfunding platforms like Kickstarter were designed to help fund the next great creative and entrepreneurial endeavors, but now they are increasingly being used to help preserve the past. The Smithsonian's Kickstarter campaign to raise funds for the conservation, digitization and display of Neil Armstrong's and Alan Shepard's spacesuits was wildly successful, exceeding both their original goal of $500,000 and their stretch goal of $700,000.

Of course, not all crowdfunding efforts are so successful. Crowdfunding can be tricky and requires you to create a campaign that will attract a crowd. (It helps if your project is as iconic as an Apollo or Mercury spacesuit.) To inspire pledges, many crowdfunding projects offer rewards for different levels of support. The Reboot the Suit campaign offered 25 different pledge levels with an array of incentives. For example, people who pledged $25 or more will get an exclusive behind-the-scenes video tour of the conservation process. If you kicked in $30, you'll also get some freeze-dried ice cream to satiate your inner astronaut. If you made it all the way up to the top pledge level of $10,000, you'll get to see Neil's spacesuit in person.

The Conservation Center for Art and Historic Artifacts (CCAHA) built their own crowdfunding platform and used it to raise money for the preservation of Pennsylvania's Top 10 Endangered Artifacts. The campaign inspired creative strategies to draw attention to each object, including a Thaddeus Stevens look-alike contest to save Thaddeus Stevens' wig and a happy hour click-a-thon to save the visitors' book of imprisoned abolitionist Passmore Williamson.

Preservation Funder is a new crowdfunding site that is dedicated to helping nonprofit organizations engaged in historic preservation projects for the public benefit. Unlike many crowdfunding sites, Preservation Funder is not all-or-nothing, so you don't have to reach your goal to collect the donations. Another nonprofit-friendly feature is the ability to have sponsors match donations.

Crowdfunding is proving to be successful for a variety of preservation projects from building restorations to collections care. So if you have a project that needs funding and the creative ideas to spark public engagement, this may be the perfect time to consider a crowdfunding campaign of your own. Here is a guide from CCAHA on how to make your campaign a success.