SPECIAL NOTE: We are at capacity for this experiment. Stay tuned for others!
Welcome to our Crowdfunding in a Box experiment!
On this page, we hope to answer your most pressing questions, give you an opportunity to ask more, and let you apply to participate. Let's get right to it!
Q: What this experiment all about?
A: As we began to think about the church in a post-COVID-19 world, we came up with an idea that we think can serve a few needs. It's called, "Crowdfunding in a Box."
Q: What are "the needs" you mention?
A: The first is that many congregations have suffered a financial hit from this pandemic. They need money fast. But as a side benefit, this experiment will help with clarifying the mission of the congregation, and evangelism!
Q: So, what's the experiment?
A: We thought, "let's develop an easy to follow system for executing a successful crowdfunding campaign using best practices from the industry." It breaks down into three main steps:
Q: Um, what's "crowdfunding"?
A: Great question! Crowdfunding is asking the public at large to help fund something. With social networks, it is now easier than ever to ask people to ask their friends to support a project. But this is more than just about money. There are two really important side benefits of the crowdfunding campaign.
Q: OK, I'll bite. What are the side benefits?
First, going through the relatively simple and quick exercises for mission clarity will help churches get to the core of who they are and why they exist. This will help in reimagining what they could become. We will be using Simon Sinek's "Begin With Why" process. Second, the moment that members of a congregation start sharing the video and campaign on social media and telling their friends about it they are, yup, evangelizing! And who knows, when I ask my friends to support my parish because it is important to me and it makes a difference in the community, then maybe someone will see the video and decide they might find a home there.
Q: What will we get if we participate?
A: If you participate, here's how we'll help make this a reality for your congregation:
MISSION CLARITY: for this part, we have contracted with Simon Sinek's organization to lead a workshop on "Finding Your Why" for your church. Two members of your church must participate. You must be able to join us on June 23 from 1-4pm EST.
CAMPAIGN VIDEO: for this part, we have hired storytellers to show you how to tell your story in video form. The goal is to guide you, step-by-step, through the process of making a 3-minute video.
EXECUTION: For this part, we will provide you with a list of the possible platforms you can use and the best practices on how to use them.
Q: How much does It cost to participate?
A: Because this is a TryTank experiment, we cover the costs for the workshop, the how-to training for the video, and the expertise on running a successful crowdfunding campaign. This means it is FREE to you and your congregation.
Q: How will we measure the experiment?
A: Look at you, you scientist you! But you are right, this is action research and we are trying to measure the impact. We will measure how easy/hard it was for you to do the three steps (mission clarity / video / execution). Then we'll measure the tangible outcomes (how much money did you raise) and the intangible outcomes (did clarifying your WHY help?).
Q: How do we sign up to participate?
A: You simply fill out the application (by clicking HERE or below) and then we'll get you a participation agreement and get you ready to start. The participation agreement lays out what we cover here in more formal language ("TryTank will do this...St. Swithen's will do this..." And there is one caveat: we are investing in your participation in this experiment (about $500 per congregation), so if you don't show up to the training or you simply quit just because, we'll ask that you repay that investment.
Q: What if I have more questions?
A: Simply click HERE and send us a note. We'll get right back to you.
We hope you'll join us!
A: As we began to think about the church in a post-COVID-19 world, we came up with an idea that we think can serve a few needs. It's called, "Crowdfunding in a Box."
Q: What are "the needs" you mention?
A: The first is that many congregations have suffered a financial hit from this pandemic. They need money fast. But as a side benefit, this experiment will help with clarifying the mission of the congregation, and evangelism!
Q: So, what's the experiment?
A: We thought, "let's develop an easy to follow system for executing a successful crowdfunding campaign using best practices from the industry." It breaks down into three main steps:
- Mission clarity - quickly restating the WHY of your congregation
- The Campaign Video - creating a simple, yet effective video (cheaply too!) that can raise some funds
- Execution of the campaign - use best practices to make the campaign be a success
Q: Um, what's "crowdfunding"?
A: Great question! Crowdfunding is asking the public at large to help fund something. With social networks, it is now easier than ever to ask people to ask their friends to support a project. But this is more than just about money. There are two really important side benefits of the crowdfunding campaign.
Q: OK, I'll bite. What are the side benefits?
First, going through the relatively simple and quick exercises for mission clarity will help churches get to the core of who they are and why they exist. This will help in reimagining what they could become. We will be using Simon Sinek's "Begin With Why" process. Second, the moment that members of a congregation start sharing the video and campaign on social media and telling their friends about it they are, yup, evangelizing! And who knows, when I ask my friends to support my parish because it is important to me and it makes a difference in the community, then maybe someone will see the video and decide they might find a home there.
Q: What will we get if we participate?
A: If you participate, here's how we'll help make this a reality for your congregation:
MISSION CLARITY: for this part, we have contracted with Simon Sinek's organization to lead a workshop on "Finding Your Why" for your church. Two members of your church must participate. You must be able to join us on June 23 from 1-4pm EST.
CAMPAIGN VIDEO: for this part, we have hired storytellers to show you how to tell your story in video form. The goal is to guide you, step-by-step, through the process of making a 3-minute video.
EXECUTION: For this part, we will provide you with a list of the possible platforms you can use and the best practices on how to use them.
Q: How much does It cost to participate?
A: Because this is a TryTank experiment, we cover the costs for the workshop, the how-to training for the video, and the expertise on running a successful crowdfunding campaign. This means it is FREE to you and your congregation.
Q: How will we measure the experiment?
A: Look at you, you scientist you! But you are right, this is action research and we are trying to measure the impact. We will measure how easy/hard it was for you to do the three steps (mission clarity / video / execution). Then we'll measure the tangible outcomes (how much money did you raise) and the intangible outcomes (did clarifying your WHY help?).
Q: How do we sign up to participate?
A: You simply fill out the application (by clicking HERE or below) and then we'll get you a participation agreement and get you ready to start. The participation agreement lays out what we cover here in more formal language ("TryTank will do this...St. Swithen's will do this..." And there is one caveat: we are investing in your participation in this experiment (about $500 per congregation), so if you don't show up to the training or you simply quit just because, we'll ask that you repay that investment.
Q: What if I have more questions?
A: Simply click HERE and send us a note. We'll get right back to you.
We hope you'll join us!
