Giraffe Call:pondering incentives

With a Giraffe Call coming tomorrow and a more-urgent-than-usual need for the income, I’ve been pondering the incentive levels.

The current donation incentives are:
Everyone who donates gets 100 words per dollar on their giraffe call of choice.

In addition, there are group-levels based on total donation level:

$35- 1000-2000-word fic on the subject of the audience’s choice. (I always reach this level)

$65- 2 microfics for every prompter (I get here about half the time)

$95- write EVERY prompt (I’ve gotten here once)

$120 – podcast of a story and double wordcount for donors (I never reach this level)

$150 – ebook of fiction for this call & last one (I never reach this level)

There is a linkback-incentive story as well, updated 50-words per linkback, and a new-commentor/donor incentive piece written about the setting.

There’s a poll up from the last giraffe call here and here)

My questions:
Do the current incentives serve to incentivize people?

What might better encourage donation/participation, if anything?

Thanks!

This entry was originally posted at http://aldersprig.dreamwidth.org/230397.html. You can comment here or there.

28 thoughts on “Giraffe Call:pondering incentives

  1. The idea of possibly making you write to all prompts puts me off tipping, probably because when I ask for prompts for my writing, I worry about being unable to come up with something if someone posts only one prompt, if you see what I mean? Plus, the sheer workload…

    • Aah! Interesting. (that *does* need a limit, doing 5 for some people was too much in October, but 4 each was fine). I like the work! It’s hobby-work!

      • Your comment last time RE wishing or fearing that you passed the “write everything” threshold was ambiguous, or I’d have tipped. OK, then.

      • Yeah, I feel bad when you get to the ‘write to three or more prompts per commenter no matter whether or not they’ve paid’ level. I usually don’t pay, and the workload stretches out for you for weeks. I leave extra prompts because you ask for them, but I feel like I’m being useless. o_o

          • Well, yes, but it feels a bit different on the performing artist ones, like not tipping a musician on the subway when you’ve been listening for ten minutes.

              • I dunno, I think a bit of honest guilt is good for a person. Or, in more seriousness: I liked the ‘when I get to this level I am buying myself X’ levels. The carpet is the overall goal, but could you put in “IF I get to $x, I get 50% of a carpet”? Or Chinese takeout? I thought that was adorable.

              • Quite frankly, all this guilt confuses me. I would expect that you (or anyone else doing something like this) would only set incentives that you are willing and able to fulfill. Yes? I just, I honestly can’t figure out how you can feel guilty about giving someone money. *thoroughly bewildered* ~Inventrix

                • how you can feel guilty about giving someone money It’s not quite giving, and it’s not quite buying something. As she has it set up, adding a small amount to the pot can add quite a lot to the writing queue, and change the prompt list from “which ever of these suggestions grabs you” to “write this thing I want!” So add me to the list of folks not quite comfortable with that incentive …

                  • I think what confuses and even bothers me about this (seemingly preponderant) view is the whole refusing to tip because of what strikes me as a misplaced sense of guilt. I personally have faith in Lyn’s judgement of her own capabilities, and her capacity to make decisions about what she wants to do in exchange for certain amounts of money. It strikes me as a bit unfair to refuse to tip her to keep her from having to do something she personally decided she would do, just because you (figurative) might not be willing to do the same. Sort of like if you were raising money for a walkathon and someone didn’t give you money for it because they wouldn’t be willing to walk that far, I guess?

                  • Hunh. *thoughtful* I do have a caveat on there that I will turn down anything I’m uncomfortable with. Granted, I haven’t used it, even when I was uncomfortable (Bad Lynnie)… but it’s there. I think I should move $95 to “three stories for everyone..” although this doesn’t actually benefit donors at all directly (Rix kicked it to this level once to get all the extra stories written to everyone else’s prompt, though)..

                    • Granted, I haven’t used it, even when I was uncomfortable (Bad Lynnie) Indeed. Well, it depends why — if you want to poke at something that makes you twitchy, go you, but if you’re being pushed, please say no! although this doesn’t actually benefit donors at all directly Having some fraction of the milestones (one in two or three?) be donor cookies seems pretty reasonable, though as you’re *also* doing words-per-dollar, perhaps that point is covered? (Also, there may be a still-screened anon response, though perhaps you left it that way on purpose.)

                    • All three times, it turned out to be a good story. But ewww zombies. Eww, eww, eww. One in two/three is a good way to look at it. Thanks!

  2. I’m probably not the best person to ask. However, am I imagining that there is one that if someone tips you write all their prompts? It’s not listed above and I think that’s what you do.

  3. With the warning that possibly, I’m the outlier: I like getting physical things. The postcard idea was a good one, for example, I tend to jump at stuff like that. (I know there are some who won’t, but I don’t have that much *stuff*, partially because I had one of those moms who got rid of all my stuff the first time I turned my back XD) That’s my only real suggestion, I like the podcast and ebook incentives, even though those might be hard to reach.

            • Whoops, yes. Certainly for what I’m defining as super-donors. Perhaps for others, or at a donation level? (postage costs money, postage overseas costs more money)

              • Yes, I’d see that as an “anybody who tips at least X” perk, because of the costs attached – don’t forget printing costs a bit, too. I read a general perks-related post on crowdfunding earlier and at least one person said she disliked physical stuff, so maybe making it clear that it would be an option might be a good idea. It might be a possible perk for someone who referred a new prompter or donator. Hm, have a look at the extra commissions Djinni offers and see if something like that makes sense in this context? (I suspect not directly because art commissions are rather more expensive than a printed card would be, but, eh.) http://djinni.livejournal.com/352028.html

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