LikeMinded

LikeMinded is LIVE!! Crowdfunding for communities --- one of the first campaigns East Palo Alto, California playground transformation with Playworks and Playworks Silicon Valley

It has been nearly a year in the making and today LIKEMINDED IS LIVE!!! Come explore, fund and/or create projects in your neighborhood and community --- collaborating towards greatness in your neighborhoods!!

Had an amazing time in Fargo!

Get ready for some big announcements this week including the launch of LikeMinded's crowdfunding for communities platform.

Sounds like a mighty crowdfunding campaign for LikeMinded!

Spotlight on Playworks and the importance of playful relationships: http://www.playworks.org/about/why-playworks

Watching the LiveStream of the Knight Foundation's Media learning Seminar - wonderfully insightful! http://www.knightfoundation.org/live/

This is such an amazing dance group - look and read closely - and then donate a little something NOW please.

Please consider supporting this conference for Youth Leadership - this country sorely needs to be training our up and coming leaders!

AXIS is the nation’s most acclaimed ensembles of disabled and non-disabled performers... please consider becoming a funder of this amazing group of artists.

Consider supporting this awesome project!

Seasoned social entrepreneurs Lynn Luckow and Andy Patrick today announced the nationwide launch of their new company LikeMinded. In completing its initial beta phase, LikeMinded.org has successfully proven its first feature a crowdfunding tool and site designed specifically for 501c3 nonprofit enterprises. Three hundred donors contributed $60,000 to five diverse campaigns, averaging $12,000 per campaign and $200 per gift, nearly three times the national average. Test camp...aigns were conducted with Children’s Discovery Museum of San Jose, Smuin Ballet in San Francisco, Playworks Northern California in East Palo Alto, CA, and The John Ernest Foundation in Dallas. All U.S. based 501c3 nonprofit organizations or fiscally sponsored projects are invited to use LikeMinded at this time. Leveraging five decades of collective experience in nonprofit capacity building and advocacy, Luckow and Patrick developed a Best Practices Guidebook and tailored the crowdfunding tool and site with the sole focus of helping nonprofits: amplify their success stories in the communities they serve, engage more donors and volunteers, and raise funds essential to sustaining and furthering their impact. While other crowdfunding sites exist, it became clear to the founders that nonprofits would benefit by having a site devoted exclusively to lifting up their good work. With LikeMinded.org, every city in the U.S. now has the potential to showcase ‘public good’ projects and initiatives worthy of local community engagement and investment. Crowdfunding is one cornerstone of LikeMinded, and supports the company’s overarching aim of ‘building the capacity of nonprofit organizations and civic leaders to develop vibrant, healthy cities and communities.’ Luckow and Patrick believe that local communities are central to everyone’s quality of life, sense of meaning and wellbeing, and engagement beyond self in a civil society. They also believe that nonprofits are instrumental in fostering collaboration amongst local residents and across the sectors to advance community vitality. Over time, as LikeMinded is host to more campaigns, it also becomes a searchable archive of ‘what works,’ capturing and documenting projects and initiatives that are solving tough problems or promoting aspirations in locales across the U.S. The evolution of LikeMinded as a tool for fundraising, community discovery and engagement, and story archiving will continue to be iterative, based on user input and ideas. LikeMinded is a California C Corp social enterprise, leveraging Luckow’s experience in nonprofit capacity building as CEO of Jossey-Bass, Northern California Grantmakers, and Craigslist Foundation, and the marketing and technology expertise of cofounder and serial CEO Andy Patrick.

Chip in a few bucks to support one of San Francisco's great dance treasures: Smuin Contemporary American Ballet!!! They consume 350 pairs of shoes enriching our lives every year, at an expense of $35,000... Let's help pay for their 'tools of the trade.'

We are doing a bit of fine tuning to the LikeMinded.org site and will be in touch soon encouraging you to register and begin using the platform. Crowdfunding for 'public good' causes is our sweet spot, so if you are working for a nonprofit, think about developing a new fundraising campaign. If you are a fan of a nonprofit in your city or community, tell them about LikeMinded and support the campaigns they create.

Congratulations to Children's Discovery Museum who reached their initial goal of $10,000 in the first 24 hours of the campaign!!! Now, let's keep the ball rolling for them so they can reach their stretch goals. Go! Go! Go!

Another wonderful campaign --- this one from the San Jose Childrens Discovery Museum -- just imagine the beautiful outdoor space and hundreds of visitors every day... you can help make it a reality.... donate now!