As an elementary school teacher and recent graduate school grad, we loved that Kickstarter provided us a method to finance our dream to make the Every Sacred Sunday Mass journal. Even better was that using crowdfunding created a community (that’s y’all!), who are pretty much our favorite people and keep us going with your encouragement and support. Now that you’ve got the crowdfunding bug and are experts at the whole “reward tier” and “campaign update” lingo, check out these five awesome Catholic crowdfunding projects, both past and present, that we think you’ll love. Disclaimer: I’m writing this at 9:12PM on a Tuesday night and this is in no way a comprehensive list!
1. The Ultimate Catholic Comic Book.
Remember reading Calvin and Hobbes or Foxtrot growing up? Well here’s the Catholic version, and it’s pretty enough to leave out on a coffee table. Produced by Matt Martinusen and an awesome team of 4 artists, this project was funded on both Kickstarter and Indiegogo—aka it’s got the highest crowdfunding street cred of all. Matt explained the benefit of using crowdfunding, saying “Crowdfunding gave us a way to share our work with our fans, without whom none of our projects could have been possible”. Doubting Thomas jokes and both a hardcover and digital edition? Yep, we’re fans. www.catholiccomicbook.com
2. Catholic Connect App
Breaking news y’all—You’re probably familiar with Catholic Connect on Instagram, an account that delivers consistent content of Catholic imagery and quotes, but did you know Catholic Connect is about to become the newest Catholic social media platform? From Richy Orozco, the creative force behind this project, the dual goal of Catholic Connect as a social media app is to “empower practicing Catholics with useful everyday resources to strengthen their involvement within their community, which will also bring fallen away Catholics back and strengthen their faith”. For me, I know I keep hearing about Catholic events in Houston literally the day after they happen, so I can’t wait for the calendar features of this app! Check it out on Kickstarter at: www.kickstarter.com/projects/2116358556/catholic-connect
3. 8beats Movie
We’ve got a live one! 8 directors, 8 beatitudes, 8 short films, 8 hours left to pledge…Okay, you have a few more than 8 hours, but not much! These films look like they are going to be beautiful. Like, stunningly beautiful. When asked what motivated this project, executive producer Anthony D’Ambrosio explained, “Creativity is essential to what it means to be made in the image of God. We are called to be creators with him - even if we are not artists, we create families, create businesses, create ministries, programs, etc. within which the Gospel can be advanced.” With over 100 Catholic creators working across North America to bring these films to life, this is a Catholic project of epic proportions. Join in at: www.indiegogo.com/projects/8beats-movie-film#/
4. The Created Book
Currently running on Kickstarter until October 21 (and already cruising past their funding goal!), the Created Book produced by Cory Heimann of Likable Art follows the guiding principle of the first five words of the Bible: “In the beginning, God created”. This artwork compilation brings together over 50 Catholic artists and creatives including Bishop Robert Barron, Erica Tighe, Jen Fulwiler, and our very own Christie Peters (ahhh!!) to each share their own five words of creative inspiration. Sneak peak—Christie will be sharing a phrase that her grandfather taught her that still motivates her artistic process today. As it says on the Likeable Art Kickstarter page, “We’re artists because God is”, and we couldn’t agree more. Support this book at: www.createdbook.co/fbv
5. The Opus Joyus Show
I watched so much Veggie Tales as a child I still can’t help but sing about finding my hairbrush each time I misplace it (I apologize if now that song is stuck in your head too). Good news for families tired of listening to the same shows—there’s a new kid on the block for Christian, and specifically Catholic, video series! Opus Joyus was funded on Kickstarter at the end of 2016, and their films create “Catholic heroes that model our faith in a relevant way”. Yes please. From Jason Taylor, the Opus Joyus director, “What motivates me is creating something awesome that kids and families can get excited about and actually want to watch”. This series of 5 episodes plus a movie complete with Catholic teachings and catchy songs is currently under production to be released in early 2018, so stay tuned and check out the trailer at www.opusjoyous.com.
Bonus: MISSIO
Ok, I said 5 projects, but you guys—Even Pope Francis is into crowdfunding! I hadn’t heard of this until I started doing a bit a research to write this blog post, but there is a Catholic specific crowdfunding website to connect Catholics around the world in fundraising for humanitarian causes. Worth checking out at: https://www.missio.org/default.aspx
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To wrap up, I got this quote from Jason of Opus Joyous and loved it so much I wanted to share. As Anton from Pixar’s movie Ratatouille says, “The world is often unkind to new talent, new creations. The new needs friends.”
So thank you. Thank you for being the friends that have believed in this project even in its infancy. From ourselves at Every Sacred Sunday and Catholic creatives as a whole – we couldn’t do it without you!
In peace,
Kassie