Chapter 3: Fundraising

Incentives

Finding creative ways to get donations for a skatepark requires learning a little about what motivates the potential donor, whether they are a corporation, organization, or individual. Imagine if somebody approached you and offered to sell you something you didn’t want for $100. That person would have been far more effective if they knew a little about what you liked and or needed. Even if the product being offered was clearly worth more than the asking price, you had very little incentive to buy it because it had little value to you.

Every person who faces a potential financial transaction, especially when they’re employed to do so, compares the value of the reward to the expense. If the reward’s value exceeds the cost, it’s a sale. If the cost exceeds the reward’s value, it’s not a sale. Everyone instinctively performs this calculation dozens of times a day. The value of jaywalking is crossing the street earlier while the cost is putting one’s life in possible jeopardy. By carefully looking both ways, the pedestrian reduces the cost until scales tip in favor of the benefit.

While campaigning for funds, the advocate’s task will be to illuminate the benefits and minimize the costs. Thankfully, even at their broadest level skateparks present many fantastic benefits for very little cost, so creating compelling reasons for potential patrons to donate is not too difficult.

Grassroots Incentives

Successfully negotiating even a $5 contribution is an exercise in cost versus reward. Here are a few different incentives one might use to solicit donations. While this list is by no means complete, it merely outlines some concepts that are known to work.

“The good of the community.”
This is the most common and successful incentive available. The skatepark will simply help the community. Skateboarders are an established but underserved population, and the skatepark will help address their needs; skateboarding is a healthy cardiovascular activity that promotes good health; a skatepark is a much safer alternative to skaters’ only current option, street skating.Certainly the advocate understands this and their enthusiasm will rub off on those potential donors they encounter. This incentive is appropriate for donations of any level and is implicit within all other incentives. The patron’s reward is the well-being they feel by knowing they contributed to the good of the community.