Crowdfunding Astronomy Outreach Projects: Lessons Learned from the UNAWE Crowdfunding Campaign

TL;DR

This paper discusses the lessons learned and best practices from the UNAWE crowdfunding campaign on Kickstarter, aimed at funding astronomy outreach projects and resources.

Contribution

It provides an analysis of a real crowdfunding campaign for astronomy outreach, highlighting effective strategies and challenges faced in funding science education projects.

Findings

Successful engagement strategies identified

Key challenges in crowdfunding campaigns analyzed

Best practices for astronomy outreach funding outlined

Abstract

In recent years, crowdfunding has become a popular method of funding new technology or entertainment products, or artistic projects. The idea is that people or projects ask for many small donations from individuals who support the proposed work, rather than a large amount from a single source. Crowdfunding is usually done via an online portal or platform which handles the financial transactions involved. The Universe Awareness (UNAWE) programme decided to undertake a Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign centring on the resource Universe in a Box2. In this article we present the lessons learned and best practices from that campaign.