Final yr, BackerKit launched our first-ever Pintopia, a cooperative crowdfunding occasion for enamel pin designs. Our aim was to rejoice and facilitate communication and collaboration between creators whereas permitting backers to find new creators. Throughout 2023’s occasion, 20 initiatives from a various group of creators all launched on BackerKit on the identical time — and all 20 had been efficiently funded.
Teamwork makes the dream work
Our first Pintopia cohort consisted of creators with totally different ranges of expertise in crowdfunding and enamel pin design. The BackerKit group labored with individuals, instructing them tips on how to set themselves up for fulfillment and offering them with an area on our Discord server the place they might be taught from one another and share recommendation.
One superb side of crowdfunding is how data and greatest practices are exchanged from creator to creator. So it was vital for us to develop an ecosystem the place individuals might go from DIY (do-it-yourself) creators to DIT (do-it-together) creators, amplifying their impression and artistry via collaboration.
When creators group up, the success of 1 undertaking has a ripple impact that enables everybody to learn. We noticed this concept play out in so many thrilling methods throughout Pintopia. First, the creators turned a group, supporting one another at each stage of the occasion.
Katie Bacigalupi, creator of Historical past of Floral Fads, says, “It felt like a group effort. All of us rooted for each other and needed to see one another succeed.” Launching a undertaking by yourself takes lots of exhausting work, however when you might have one other creator there in your nook, somebody you’ll be able to bounce concepts off of or ask for steerage, it makes it simpler to beat challenges and finally succeed. Asherbee, creator of Gourmand Ghoulfriends, says, “Typically, being solo is simply actually troublesome, nevertheless it was good to see us all work out points collectively.”
We additionally noticed the ripple results of this collaboration in the way in which that backers interacted with Pintopia initiatives. When everybody launches on the identical time, it’s type of like a buffet for backers, and so they have an opportunity to find creators they might not have in any other case been uncovered to. They will get their glow-in-the-dark cat pins, their film moth pins, their skateboarding breakfast meals pins, and a lot extra! Ultimately, 80% of every creator’s pledges got here from the communities of different creators.
Lastly, launching as a cohort created enjoyable alternatives for individuals to work on designs collectively. Throughout Pintopia, anybody who backed three or extra initiatives acquired an unique collab pin. To develop these designs, three totally different creator pairs teamed up and melded their particular person kinds collectively.
“It was a delight working with Carrie of Aspenhearted to create our Jupiter Purring design for Pintopia,” says Carly Okay, creator of Cosmic Stability. “It was a ton of enjoyable to see what they did with my easy planet design. Plus, it was simply actually cool to work with a fellow creator on one thing like a pin. That was a brand new expertise for me.”
This was an opportunity for these six pin designers to stretch their artistic boundaries and experiment. And in doing so, they had been capable of provide one thing particular to backers who supported their work.
By the point Pintopia had ended, not solely had all 20 creators’ initiatives funded, however there have been additionally practically 1,200 distinctive backers. Half of these backers pledged to a couple of creator, and 27 passionate pin followers backed all 20.
The BackerKit group had a good time serving to creators join with one another and is thrilled that backers had been capable of rating some unbelievable pins. One of many issues we’re most happy with was that Pintopia introduced new creators to crowdfunding and helped give them the boldness, instruments, and assets to proceed launching initiatives. Carly Okay says, “Pintopia was my first profitable enterprise into the crowdfunding world. It lastly bought me the place I knew I may very well be, and actually put me ready the place I might actively be taught and develop.”
Prepare for the following Pintopia
We had such a blast throughout the first Pintopia that there was no query — we needed to do it once more. This yr, 125+ creators can be collaborating. Meaning extra designs for you! Every creator will launch a solo pin assortment and group up with one other Pintopia participant to design two distinctive collaborative pins. Pintopia launches on Thursday, March twenty eighth at 10 AM PT and ends on Thursday, April 18th at 1 PM PT. We stay up for seeing you there!
Take a look at this yr’s collaborating creators at the moment!
