Imagine This!, a new & socially responsible TV series, asked Ainger Co. Producer, Allyson Ingerman, to blog about issues and resources that members of the IT! community might find helpful and enlightening. Since October 2009, Allyson has written over 20 blogs with emphasis on all manner of things from film production resources to socially responsible business and events.

Imagine This! is a unique project headed by actor Eion Bailey (Band of Brother, And staring Poncho Via as Himself), with the support of an incredible cast and crew.

Imagine This! A television series about challenges and solutions in communities around the globe.

We are a network of filmmakers and storytellers, activists and environmentalists, inventors and engineers, doctors, artists and many others dedicated to creating sustainable, life-altering projects for communities around the globe.

The projects and episode ideas come from the passions and stories of our audience. Every individual has the opportunity to participate in this effort to truly celebrate culture and offer sustainable change. Each season will feature 14 fascinating locations, from a sacred valley to a holy land, from the mother of all jungles to the grandfather of all deserts, as well as few of the United States. (ImagineThisTV.com)

You can read all of Allyson's blog posts on her Imagine This! profile - but here is a sample...

Finding Alternative Sources of Funding (#1)

If you're like me, you have any number of ideas floating around in your head at any given time. Some may be small, like sending a box of cookies to a soldier in Iraq. Others may be large, like creating a documentary series on the effects of burning human waist upwind of living quarters in war zones. But almost all of them take MONEY.

In today's global economic climate, acquiring funds for creative projects can be difficult if nigh impossible. Social responsibility is tossed around a lot, but who's following through with backing?

So, it's up to us to go out and find that dough for our socially responsible and creative projects. But where to start?

How about by with your own personal and professional network? We all have one; from your parents and siblings to your coworkers and colleagues. Even the guy who sells you your morning coffee or your late night snack. They are all a part of your network and they can all contribute through crowdsourcing.

But reaching out can be tough - how do you ask your neighbor to sponsor your project to bring the music of the only Heavy Metal band in Iraq to the masses when he doesn't even like Heavy Metal? Or, like The Floating Doctors, reduce the present and future burden of disease in the developing world?

This is where you need a tool. Something cool, easy, graphical. A way to create a pitch that can be seen by anyone, marketed by you and passed from your hands to your networks hands to their networks hands and so on and on and on...

This is where Kickstarter comes in.

What is Kickstarter?

'Kickstarter is a new way to fund ideas and endeavors.

[They] believe that...

* A good idea, communicated well, can spread fast and wide.
* A large group of people can be a tremendous source of money and encouragement.'

I see your skepticism. So how does this work, really?

So here's the deal.

• To join Kickstarter you need an invite.
• Once invited, you can create a pitch for your project or a portion of your project. [A pitch could include video, pics, texts, etc}
• You set the $$ you need and how long the project funding phase is open
• Publicize your project by embedding in your website or emailing to your network
• People pledge money towards the project (handled by Amazon)
• If the project gets 100% funded by deadline, project creator gets the cash! (And if not, the backers get a full refund)
  

Pretty cool, right?

So if you want to help Stop Violence Against Children with Albinism in Africa or create a Kickstarter project of your own for ImagineThisTV, get yourself funded!

How do you get an invite, you ask?

Well, so far, that's the difficult part. Here's the key. Every one who gets an invite gets a few of their own to be handed out as needed. Sign up for an account - that allows you to back projects, but not post. You can look for newly posted projects, back them and inquire if they might also have an invite that they might pass on.

Beg, borrow and plead if need be. A Kickstarter invite is like a Wonka Golden Ticket - hard to come by and worth every ounce of chocolate you have to eat to find one.

Know any additional sources of funding? Let me know!

*The Floating Doctors on Kickstarter: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/floatingdoctors/floating-doctors

**I don't work for Kickstarter, have any invites (left) or warranty Kickstarter services. 

The original post can be found here: http://imaginethistv.com/profiles/blogs/finding-alternative-sources-of