You. Guys. Rock!

Wow. 2012 was a massive year. Bigger than words really, so I’m going to start with a photo:

That’s some of the 175 projects YOU MADE HAPPEN last year. If I started trying to list them all – well, I’d probably lose you. So I won’t, yet.

I just quickly wanted to share some of the things that we’ve learned this year – because really, we’re almost as new to this as you are. We learned a lot in 2012 – a hell of a lot. And if I could share 5 thoughts with you, they’d be:

1) People rock

Over 11,000 people pledged to projects in 2012. And 15% of those were overseas. So the WHOLE world is supporting kiwi creativity. Specifically on the PledgeMe journey our wranglers (Rachel and Jacqui), brand ambos (Amy, Prue, Karl, Kelly, Willy, Sam and Megan) and inspiring advisors make coming into work every day awesome (even more awesome than free coffee).

[Camilo, Jacqui, me and Yasmine at our Advisory Board meeting]

2) Rewards are rewarding

People like getting real, authentic things that show they’ve supported you. Things they couldn’t get anywhere else. Home-made cake? One of the quickest rewards we’ve seen pledged up. Your very own religion? Yup – that happened. Just down to the normal copy of your album, or DVD of your film. Here’s a few of our favourite rewards from ol’ 2012:

Clockwise from top left: Ashei covering their pledgers 
favourite song; Mangle and Gruff's EP; Minuit's vinyl 
reward; Anna with her Dregs DVDs (photo credit: Matt Evans); 
Monster Calendar cards; Uncle Berties Postcards

3) Learn to take a deep breath every now and then

Turns out I can talk faster than most humans (true story). I even had someone write that about my TED talk. So – every now and then take a deep old breath and keep on telling those stories. And, give it to me straight – is it too fast?

4) The random ideas are sometimes often the best

Whether it’s raising funds to put on a synchronised swimming ballet, or to print a book to teach yoga in prisons – we’ve seen some quirky stuff come through. But, it’s what inspires us – every day, and that’s what inspires hundreds of you to give every week.

5) It’s not just about the money

Truly! Some of the best things to come out of the projects are the validation given to an idea, the offer of support from your friends and some of the random outcomes of the journey. One band offered to cover the favourite songs of their pledgers – and now some of those songs make up their normal acoustic set (a pop girl singing Rise Against = pure magic).

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So, what’s next in the PledgeMe world? Well – we’re about to hit $1million pledged, and *fingers / toes / everything crossed* we hope to hit double that again by the end of 2013. Pretty cool, huh?

Now – what did you learn in 2012?

Oh, and just in case you wanted the full list… Here’s all the projects we saw funded in 2012:

Project successes 2012:

Copper, BROKE BUT SEXY, Dregs – NZ Street Art Documentary, comRoid – community polaroid, we are immortal, Send King Homeboy to Berlin, Germany!, Tiny Toones NZ Debut, LARAMIE PROJECT:10YRS , The Knight and the Fool – A Short Film, Will Frost’s CD – Shelter, Broken Glass – Short Film, Fill Up The Silence, The Talent Munich 2012, Mangle and Gruff EP,  Fracking Whatatutu, Keyboard Athletes, Stand  UP! , A new take on the undead, The Trans-Pacific Partnership Promo CD, The F.E.U.C. – Short Film, Music video for I Love The Way You Shine, Beautiful Surrender Video, MAJ’ic Music n JAM’aica, Try This, Shine Lady Tours Europe, Winter Jam – Active Citizen Scholarships, Ralphi, A Man Runs into a Woman, Loomio, Uncle Bertie’s Botanarium, Motions and Memories, Stand Tall Music Video, PHANTOM EMPIRE – Help us finish our album! Cross Them Out EP, Zygote: A Kinetic Artwork, Fuyuko’s Fables, Penny Black Movie, The Big Sing-UK/Italy, MOKO – Soul in the Sea, My Special Friend, WJO USA Tour!, MUNTED, Airmail, Gone Curling…, Astro Empire EP funding, My Boyfriend got a Beatle Haircut, Burlesque Art Exhibition, Oracle Drive, Need to know Music Video, TNT TRIO MUSIC PROJECT, Speed Date an Author, Seasoner Table-Top Planter, anthesiac (reset the sun), Square Eye Pair, Day After Night – A New Musical, Fort Blaze, spoilers of utopia, Dance Challenge, The Road That Wasn’t There, The Free Store Container, Munfred Bernstein, Ghost TV, MasterChef’s Chris Turner, Oral History of Occupy Chch, Wide Awake and Highly Strung, Kiwi Moto3/GPMono Racebike, Faster Pussycat Kill Kill, Celebrating NZ Fashion, Inside Out Tairawhiti, Plethora, Kiwi design to go global, Dame Whina Cooper Documentary, Aruandê Capoeira Festival, Transference: A Novel, Pink Ribbon Calendar Girls, Dark Cloud : White Light, Our Green Roadie, Silver rides to Battle, Justice for Taame & Rangi, Big Mouths , TLP:10-Auckland Season, Holding On, Fragments, Get Loop Machine For Busking/Gigs, Imagine the Land project, The Common Unity Project, Helen Dennis Music, Teaching bespoke shoemaking in NZ, Indie Game needs $100!, Care Share + Wear – Wellington Region, Skate Of Origin, Eyes of the World, Little Town Liars, Road to Ruin, “Music Video: “”Hands Up””, The Keepers, I WISH I LEARNED, 350 Aotearoa for Auckland!!, NZIHL Grand Final, Educate me!, Jack Landy, ‘lost and found’, Y2K- a fresh new short film by Rina Patel, Nashville album recording, Black Inc. One nation’s identity, a global politic, DressCents, Open Plan: An Art Party, Island Bay Community Orchard, Freedom From Within, Art in the Dark, Help Me Draw Naked People, Get Runaways to AFI Fest, Kaipara Panorama, Ruth’s exhibit, GJP for NYC, Tatou Tatou E 3, Up The Punks 2012, Songs for Christchurch, The Kiwi Diary 2013, Win Children’s Book Award, Olie Bassweight – The Ghost in the machine , Free Billy Mckee, Broken Glass – Post Production, Killing Bears new album, Ginny & Paiges Exhibition, HELLS BELLS, Get Michelle to Chicago, Youth Voice to UNCCC, Third Person, Batterie 100, Food Forest funding, New Minuit album on vinyl??, Monster Calendar, Landing – Short Film, MUNTED: Auckland Season, California Dreaming!!! , Power Shift NZ-Pacific, Let’s Get Jojo to AGFW!!, Animal Sanctuary –  A book of toes, Blood and Koka Kola, Onerahi! Sign makeover, Faction – comic anthology, The Body Lyre: new record, Relocation of Premises, DESSEPTION, The New Zealand Youth Delegation, NORTH feature film, Graduation Show, Light Sleepers’ Wake, Wake Up Downunder , The Actors’ Program: Anthea Freya Hill, Merry Christmas around the World, Help Creative Commons NZ , Swan Song, The Trip to Bountiful, Help Indian Ink’s Dreams Come True in New York City, Puppet Fiction, The Pineapple Jukebox Dance Show, Improsaurus, Unnatural History, Andy Richards Debut LP Album, Fringe at the Gryphon, The Uncertainty Principle, Extreme Makeover: Basement Edition!, The ImpoSTAR!, PSA – Xmas at the Beehive, In Need Of Better Felts, Running NZ Barefoot & Barechested, The Ultimate Short Film Sequel: Ninja! Part II