a couple of Kickstarters (or Indiegogo)
It’s going to be interesting to watch how well crowdfunding fares over the next few years. I’m getting more and more pleas to donate to or help promote various projects — enough that I’m very much having to pick and choose which ones I go with. You guys have been great about supporting the ones I’ve mentioned here before, but I don’t want to burn out your goodwill.
So, with that in mind, these three are all projects I actually have a personal desire to see succeed:
Pe’ Sla: Help Save Lakota Sioux Sacred Land — this one was launched when a sacred site in the Black Hills was put up on the auction block by the landowner. It’s since been taken down from auction, but according to the updates, the Great Sioux Nation is in private negotiation to buy as much of the land as they can. This is a Flexible Funding campaign, which means they get the donated funds even if they don’t reach their goal; it’s also worth noting that the crowdfunding is in addition to the money being put up by the tribes themselves. So the project helps take some of the burden off them/expand how much they can purchase and protect. Given the history in this country of fucking over indigenous groups by taking their land, this is a nice, direct way to help do the right thing.
The Gamers: Hands of Fate — on a less serious and political note . . . but only partly, I guess. I linked to this one before, but as part of a link dump, with very little explanation. To go into more detail: as described in this update, the filmmakers are actively concerned with and interested in doing something about the problems with gender in the gaming community. I quite enjoyed the first two movies in the series (the first on in particular is a hilarious tour through all kinds of good ol’ bad tropes in D&D), so I’m hoping this one gets the last bit of funding it needs to happen.
Electric Velocipede — finally, a small one for the magazine Electric Velocipede, which published my short story “Selection” some years back. They’re a quirky little market, and about halfway to their goal, which will fund them for the next four issues (i.e. a year).