Long Island’s ideas on Kickstarter
Kickstarter’s mission is to host “campaigns that make ideas into reality,” to connect these ideas to communities who can come together to fund them. Exploring the Kickstarter campaigns of a region, like Long Island, can tell us a lot about the place and its needs and priorities.
This analysis updates Newsday’s original exploration of LI’s Kickstarter projects back in 2018. Examining the number of projects over time shows that 2015 had the most total projects launched on Long Island, but 2013 had the most successful projects. A project is successful on Kickstarter if it reaches its funding goals.
But if we look at the total amount of money that was actually spent on Long Island Kickstarter projects, the picture changes.
2020 saw the most successful Kickstarter project on Long Island, with a total pledged amount of more than $6.3 million for terraplanter.
That project far surpasses the second most-pledged project that raised $255,616, a board game called “Trekking the World.” In fact, terraplanter’s goal was only $20,000, but it raised 319 times its goal.
It also boasts the highest number of backers (of all time), coming in at a whopping 55,236, compared to 6,897 for the second highest, a coin pouch project called “The Magic Coin Pouch.”
Top 5 2020 Long Island kickstarter projects
| Project | Goal | Pledged | Backer count |
|---|---|---|---|
| terraplanter – visibly follow the journey from seed to plant | $20,000 | $6,391,763 | 55,236 |
| Trekking the World: A Globetrotting Board Game | $32,200 | $255,616 | 6,534 |
| Scott Snyder & Tony Daniel’s NOCTERRA 1 Collector’s Edition | $40,000 | $218,380 | 4,068 |
| Back from the Dead: Enamel Pin + Merch Line | $3,000 | $130,955 | 1,581 |
| STRO and SPORQ: Ditch Single-Use Straws & Utensils for Good | $5,000 | $91,153 | 1,752 |
While a fascinating look at a different form of economic/philanthropic activity on Long Island, this data is not the full picture, since data from similar platforms such as Indiegogo or Patreon are not available.