They raised $50,000 for their cause in a single day.
Surprised and elated at their success, they decided to set a “stretch goal” of
$150,000, which they achieved in just under a month. More than 4500 people (and
counting) have donated to their cause, and now there is a second stretch goal of $250,000. As of the moment I write this, they have raised more than $188,000.
They are Toad the Wet Sprocket, a uniquely-named band who
gained relative fame in the 1990s, who broke up 15 years ago, and who have now
reunited and recorded a new studio album. Their noble “cause”? They wish to
distribute their album independent of major label control. They are running
their campaign through Kickstarter, a “crowd-sourcing” website that makes use
of social media.
I know all of this because I am a fan. I came to know Toad
the Wet Sprocket in high school and own all their full albums and several of
their LPs. Their fan base, while relatively small, is passionate and committed,
and apparently remains so even 15 years later. And 4500 of them gave the band
money to make a new album. Contributions range from $1 to $1500, so not only is
the fan base passionate and committed, they also have some expendable income.
I reflect upon the things we give our money to, as well as
why we give it. How do we assign a worth to a cause? How do we choose from
among the countless worthy causes that exist? Everywhere we turn, someone needs
money: national and international charities, local non-profits, passionate
politicians, the church you attend, the high school softball team, your kid’s
dance studio, super PACs, and on and on. How to decide??
Now, one thing that Kickstarter fundraisers do is offer
increasing rewards for higher donations. For $50, for example, a donor would
receive an early digital download of the album (with four bonus tracks) and a special edition CD signed by the band. For a whopping
$10,000 donation, Toad will come to your house (or wherever you want) and perform a special concert for you and however many people can fit in your backyard. And there are a number of levels of rewards in between. So, we
could say that the 4500 people who gave money to Toad’s “cause” aren’t really
making a charitable contribution, but
rather they are making a purchase. It’s a quid pro quo: Their fifty bucks doesn’t come back void, it gets
them something in return.
What do we get in return for truly generous giving? What do
we get in return for cooking a meal for someone who just got through surgery or
had a baby? What do we receive for putting our change in the Salvation Army
bucket at Christmas? What is the benefit of giving money to a missionary who
wants to go someplace you might never go yourself? If these are investments,
what is the return?
We’re raising support, too, and sometimes I wish we could
give a tangible “return” to those who give to us. That way all involved could
point to something specific. The Kingdom of God rarely works in such a linear
fashion, however, though the rewards Jesus describes are absolutely guaranteed.
They just aren’t always directly quantifiable. For our part, we can keep you
informed about us and what’s going on, and thus you can feel a part of our
ministry. We can pray regularly for you – that’s something, right? We can host
you when you come to visit us in the Bronx (wink wink) and show you around the
city. But the real return for generosity comes from God, not from us, and we
honestly have no idea how He will choose to return your investment. That’s for
Him to decide.
Fifty thousand dollars in one day. If we can raise that much
in a year
we will be elated.
