Comments on: Micropatronage

By: Refinance your Home

Refinance your Home — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 13:46:41 +0000

The concept sounds pretty interesting well I think it's time for me to make a concept

By: rosshill

rosshill — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 14:00:24 +0000

I made the following comment at @zaana's blog (http://zaana.wordpress.com/2009/11/03/micropatr...

I would suggest that micropatronage isn’t about what you do with the money, it is about people wanting to support you in whatever you choose to do. They are assuming that you will spend it wisely or accept the fact that you may not (depending on your definition of wise!)

I see it as an ongoing concept that is not limited to a deadline. This solves your dilemma because it unties it from single events or objects.

There are quite a few people I would pay a micro amount (say $20) _every_ month to ‘do their thing’. As a patron I would expect in return feedback on what they are doing (which might look like blog posts, videos, tweets or emails).

Micropatronage = supporting people to do what they do however they like to do it with small ongoing amounts of funding and no expectation of financial return.

By: rosshill

rosshill — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 09:00:24 +0000

I made the following comment at @zaana's blog (http://zaana.wordpress.com/2009/11/03/micropatr...

I see it as an ongoing concept that is not limited to a deadline. This solves your dilemma because it unties it from single events or objects.

Micropatronage = supporting people to do what they do however they like to do it with small ongoing amounts of funding and no expectation of financial return.

By: colduthie

colduthie — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 10:16:24 +0000

It doesn't feel that amazing really ... no unfortunately I don't have copies ... but it was very simple ... so simple infact that I started doing it before I had a computer, just think photocopied handwritten 1 page commentary on meaning and life. Exactly what I do in my blog now, http://www.ergoconsulting.com.au/generativeedge but different delivery mechanism.

Love the newspaper club ...

By: rosshill

rosshill — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 09:31:48 +0000

That's amazing! Do you have any copies of the plog still? I'd love to take a look. It reminds of Newspaper Club which is just starting up and offering on-demand newspaper printing http://blog.newspaperclub.co.uk/

By: colduthie

colduthie — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 05:12:00 +0000

At the time I was immersing myself in the implications of the shifts in society associated with postmodernity. In particular I was working with community groups and faith communities to re-imagine collective living and commitment beyond rationalism. I also found myself in mentoring and coaching roles with emerging leaders. My patrons had all been influenced by what I was doing and bought into the value associated with me doing more of it.
What kind of communication? What I did was essentially a hard copy blog, sent by snail mail every month. Pre-popular internet (and I've never had this thought before) I was doing 'transparent journally', or – and here's a new term – plogging (stands for paper logging rather than web lobbing).
I would 'recruit' patrons from my mailing list. Then I would also have lots of coffees and make lots of phone calls to keep them engaged in the outcomes of what I was doing.

By: rosshill

rosshill — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 10:24:28 +0000

That's something that really excites me - how the concept can connect
funding models with the community of people who like the idea. The basis of
the idea is financial support but as the person or group builds a network of
supporters I am sure it expand to be a network that can help the mission in
any way required.

======

By: Harriet

Harriet — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 10:20:57 +0000

Hi Ross,
Your talk reminded me of the concept of micropatronage, inspired me again – and perhaps fell on fertile ground after a day spent with innovative thinkers. Imagine if micro-patronage could be taken to another level – to support large scale government projects, and re-connect funding models with communities….
Thanks for the inspiration –

http://technologytwitter.typepad.com/my_weblog/...

By: rosshill

rosshill — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 07:51:35 +0000

Oh that's awesome! What projects were you working on at the time? What sort of communication did the patrons want to receive?

By: colduthie

colduthie — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 23:54:29 +0000

I established a network of 'patrons' who believed in what I was trying to do when I left uni in the mid 80s. I supplemented the income with part time jobs (getting up very early to clean supermarkets & teaching high school p/t). But most of my income came from 'micropatrons'. We lived very simply … our income from patrons amounted to only $30K a year … but we sustained that for more than 10 years. I bought a flat and even raised kids while my primary income came from supportive people. Key lessons: 1. Communicate extravagantly, 2. (surpirse surprise) 80% of the support comes from 20% of your patrons & 3. Establish some kind of framework to build sustained interest. (I did it through a sponsor organisation before PayPal!)
I don't pretend my experience is transferrable, things have changed heaps … and if I'm honest, I'd much prefer the scenario where we develop commercial sustainability that is tied directly to our work, rather than 1 step removed. But certainly an idea worth pursuing …