Hello & Bonjour to Etsy Canada! We at Indiegogo are coming to Toronto to do a series of workshops on crowdfunding this week and have put together a special program for Etsy sellers:
Indiegogo Crowdfunding Workshop (RSVP HERE!)
Thursday, June 27th from 6p-7:30p
Center for Social Innovation Annex
720 Bathurst St. Toronto
2nd Floor, Meeting Room #1
Etsy is all about connecting people who love their particular craft or skill with people who share their passions — and, in turn, build a business. This global community interacts much like those on crowdfunding platforms like Indiegogo, and it brings together many of the same creative and entrepreneurial spirits. Whether you need to raise money to buy materials to start your Etsy business or you’re ready to move into a brick-and-mortar storefront, we see crowdfunding as an emerging and key component in the maker ecosystem — and we see Etsy’s values as going hand-in-hand with Indiegogo’s commitments to being open and global.
At Indiegogo, we believe that everyone should have an opportunity to fund what matters to them. There are no gatekeepers — you don’t have to polish your shoes or put on a suit to impress a banker. People all over the world use Indiegogo to raise anywhere from a few hundred Canadian dollars to hundreds of thousands of euros and pound sterling for all types of campaigns with no fee and no application process. A perfect example: Etsy Toronto locals Bianca and Michael of Kid Icarus raised over $10,000 to create a space to expand and foster the arts and crafts community.
“Oftentimes, Etsy sellers find it hard to ask for help. Crowdsourcing can be a great way to start. Kid Icarus is a great example of the power of leveraging your community to do big things. They’ve developed a loyal following in Kensington Market and beyond, it was cool to see the community rally around their dream of running a bigger space. Since then, they’ve paid it forward by creating a space that creates even greater community participation. We’re excited to partner with Indiegogo to help our sellers learn about opportunities within their own networks.”
-Etsy Canada’s Seller Development Manager, Nada Alic.
A quick search on Indiegogo.com shows nearly 200 projects that include the keyword Etsy. Examples range from Amae Love Designs securing some pre-orders to Becca Bakes raising funds to help her move from Boston to Gainesville. Because Indiegogo is open to a huge range of projects, including causes, we have also seen Etsians raise funds for issues that are near and dear to their hearts and use some of their Etsy goods as perks. The bottom line: Since there are no barriers to the type of project you can start on Indiegogo, the only limit is picking among all your ideas!
Creating a Successful Campaign
At our workshop this Thursday in Toronto, we’ll to cover all the nuts and bolts of how Indiegogo works as well as dig into what makes a campaign successful — all based on our mountains of data that we’ve been collecting since 2008. We’ll also show you how you can use some of the content you create for your campaign to further promote your Etsy shop. If you’ve already launched a campaign or have one in draft mode, we’ll also be conducting some live critiques!
If you don’t want to wait until the workshop, you can find lots of great tips and ideas at any time in our Learn Center and our Customer Happiness team is always ready to answer questions by email at support@indiegogo.com! If you’re ready to get jump in you can sign up for a free account and get started!
A big thanks to Nada Alic from the Etsy Canada team for helping us organize this event. We hope to see you there! (And if you don’t live in Toronoto or can’t make it — stay tuned to the Indiegogo blog for crowdfunding tips for Etsiers!)
Sign up for this week’s free workshop! And if you’re interested in starting an Etsy store, use promo code MakeYourLiving here for 20 free listings!
