On July 3, Brown set up a page on Kickstarter with a small, $10 goal, and a generous helping of offbeat fun. To absolutely everyone’s surprise, in one month, Brown raised $55,492—a whopping 5,550 times his original ask. The project gained tons of media attention, became the fourth most-viewed page in Kickstarter history (even beating out Reading Rainbow), and raised a lot of money for a really small, really silly project.
The Internet is full of weird stuff, and it’s almost impossible to predict what will go viral. For every project that catches the attention of this many people, there are thousands of others that go unnoticed and unfunded. So why did Brown’s potato salad pitch gain such a huge following? Perhaps it was because of its simple silliness—a lighthearted pitch that asked for one thing and one thing only: perfect potato salad. The joke practically writes itself.
Many have criticized the potato salad Kickstarter campaign, arguing that projects like Brown’s ruin the site’s credibility and take attention away from more valuable projects. Fair enough. Others say that Brown’s backers should give their money to nonprofits and good causes rather than salad. Duly noted. But criticism aside, we think this unusual campaign can teach organizations some valuable lessons about fundraising, creativity, and engaging your online community.
1 . Master your medium.
Brown’s appeal resonated with the veteran Kickstarter community because it’s a pitch-perfect homage of what makes a great Kickstarter project: a peppy, earnest video (“Is it going to save the world? Yeah, probably.”), clever pledge tiers (for $1 “I will say your name out loud while making the potato salad”), ongoing updates, and personal thank yous. Before you launch your next fundraising campaign, do a deep dive on the platform, be it email, Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram. Devour all the best practices you can get your hands on, and be sure to set up some KPIs to measure and tune your campaign as it rolls out.
2. Make your mission known.
When asking supporters to donate money for your organization or cause, make it clear what your mission is and where their donations will go. In Brown’s case it was clear (if strange): “I’m making potato salad.” Whatever the goal, no matter how simple, your supporters deserve to know what they’re contributing to.
3. Get real.
Brown’s original goal was $10, which is pretty realistic for something as simple as potato salad. You should also be thoughtful (and very direct) about your financial ask. How much have you raised in the past? How many more contributions can you expect? Be ambitious, but not unrealistic—not every campaign on the Internet is a viral success.
4. Shake up your ask.
Brown’s reward levels began at $1, making it easy for people to support his campaign in even the smallest ways. And it paid off: 5,199 out of 6,911 total supporters donated less than $10. Setting a low minimum may attract first-time donors and supporters who are unable or unwilling to contribute larger amounts. And giving your audience a variety of donation options (as well as potential rewards) can incentivize them to give, too.
5. Be generous.
Brown seems like a really nice guy, and we can probably trace a lot of his success back to his fun-loving attitude. Beyond executing a fundraising campaign, Brown made an effort to connect with supporters—and to spend a lot of time and energy in thanking them. As the Kickstarter gained attention, he added more rewards and attempted to personally thank every single supporter. He was funny, too—promising people bites of the potato salad, the opportunity to hang out in his kitchen, or the ability to provide input on ingredients. After the first surge of donations, he made a video to thank supporters. And his greatest goal? Raise $3,000 and throw a party for “the whole Internet” to celebrate. The big takeaway: take the time to thank donors for their contributions and keep them updated on your campaign’s progress.
6. Don’t forget your friends.
Never forget to reach out to those who already know and love you—your active list and past donors—because they’ll probably support you again. Of the more than 6,900 donors who backed Brown’s project, 72% of them had previously donated to other campaigns on Kickstarter. Brown’s hometown pride in Columbus drew in a significant amount of support as well—17.6% of the donors were from Ohio and most were from Brown’s county.
Of course, tactics from Brown’s Kickstarter might not apply to every campaign. But this $55,492 plate of potato salad has certainly started a lot of interesting conversations around successful fundraising—and probably whet a few appetites, too.