Stretch Goals, Teaming Up, and the Impending Fundraiser

I’m guessing you know what’s right around the corner.

That’s right. The annual Worldbuilders fundraiser starts on Monday, November 9th. Just a handful of days away.

It’s been a bit of a madhouse for the last couple weeks while we’ve been getting ready. Every year the fundraiser gets bigger and better. And this year we’re doing things we never could have dreamed of pulling off before.

As a result, we have a new addition to the Worldbuilders team. Her name is Mindy, and she’s been thrown into the fray at… well…  let’s just call it an interesting time.

So… yeah. This is it. Your official advance warning. Start your engines.

Huh. Okay. That felt kinda strange to say. I don’t know where that “start your engines” metaphor came from. I take that back.

Worldbuilders-Logo_Web - crop smaller

Did I mention we’ve raised $3,500,000 for Heifer International?
Because we have. We very have.

If you’re one of the true believers who read the blog regularly and enjoy helping out with the fundraiser ever year. Or if you’ve always kinda wanted to help out but didn’t know how, I have a few things you might want to consider before this year’s festivities kick off.

1. Team Pages

Last year was the first time we’ve had an easy option for people who wanted to create and manage their own teams inside the bigger Worldbuilders Fundraiser. We didn’t think much of it at the time because, well… we were busy getting all the books and prizes ready for the lottery.

But my readers are clever, quick witted folk, and some of you jumped right in and started making teams of your own. Some teams offered their own stretch goals and prizes. Some had friendly rivalries (Team Nerdfighteria and The Wayward Backers in particular)….

Worldbuilders 2014  teams

*Salutes The Wayward Backers*

It was, to be perfectly honest, one of the cooler things that happened last year. It delighted me to see what y’all came up with, and it made me proud to see so many people taking the fundraiser and making it their own.

Last year someone set up a Spanish team. A family decided to forego Christmas gifts and raise money for goats instead. A convention in Luxembourg rallied their members to donate.

And I’m sure many of you remember a young girl named Charlotte who made a video because she wanted to raise $500 dollars, enough for a Heifer. You can see her smiling face in the picture above. You’ll probably also notice that she helped raise a lot more than her initial goal.

So if you’re amazed at the fact that over 60% of the world still cooks dinner over an open fire, but you don’t have the $1000 it would take to help an entire village get stoves. Or if you wish you could help a town get clean water but on your budget $300 might as well be a piece of the moon….

Well, maybe you could start a team, then rally your friends and family to help make it happen.

Trust me on this. People are good. If you give them a chance they will surprise you.

2. Stretch Goals

Over the years, we’ve had some awesome stretch goals. Here’s some of my particular favorites:

Molly’s Greatest Adventure

Trey Ratcliff’s bathroom selfie:

Trey Ratcliff - Bathroom Selfie

Amanda is particularly fond of everything Hank Green did for us, but last year’s angsty cover of Shake it Off cover was particularly fine.

The Doubleclicks Love You Like a Burrito!

Or what about that time Kevin Hearne did the Thriller dance?

We’re always trying to think of cool new stretch goals, and cool new people to help out with them. So if you have a clever idea feel free to mention it the comments below.

That said, let’s be reasonable in our expectations. Of course it’d be cool to see me and Nathan Fillion kiss, but obviously I don’t know Nathan Fillion. Because if I knew Nathon Fillion, the two of us would be playing Betrayal at House on the Hill in my tree house right now.

3. Donations and General offers of assistance.

Are you an author? A book collector? Someone who desperately needs to reclaim some shelf-space and the illusion of control over your life?

Are you a publisher? A game designer? Are you a maker of cool geeky things and you’d like to make the world a better place by donating a few to a good cause?

Are you a juggler? A gymnast? A singer? Can you bend spoons with your mind or something else you think would make a fun stretch goal?

Are you a programmer? An artist? A musician? Are you Nathan Fillion?

(If so, I’m sorry about that whole kissing thing I wrote up there. I didn’t mean to make things weird.)

Either way, drop us a line. We’d love to hear from you.

[email protected]

Soon,

pat

P.S. Don’t forget to leave your stretch goal suggestions below.

This entry was posted in Acts of Whimsy, Worldbuilders, Worldbuilders 2015. By Pat31 Responses

31 Comments

  1. cynrtst
    Posted November 6, 2015 at 3:56 AM | Permalink

    This year we Waywards are going to beat you all! Maybe we’ll do a raffle this time, it worked for our previous fundraiser!…..

  2. chaelek
    Posted November 6, 2015 at 7:47 AM | Permalink

    Every morning I look into the mirror and weep, for I am not Nathan Fillion.

    But thanks for reminding me..

  3. Jeremy
    Posted November 6, 2015 at 8:08 AM | Permalink

    Yay!!! Super excited for the fundraiser this year. This will be the first year that I’ll have the extra cash to really participate. I tried to get my family to donate instead of get my presents last year but they were strangely resistant to it. Hopefully I can get them on board this year. Thanks for all you and your team does! This fundraiser always seems to restore my faith in humanity!

  4. DShannon
    Posted November 6, 2015 at 8:51 AM | Permalink

    “Are you a maker of cool geeky things and you’d like to make the world a better place by donating a few to a good cause?”

    HEY WAIT! I’m a maker of cool geeky things! Mr. Rothfuss, I make handmade chainmail, including geeky things like dice bags and bowties (yes, chainmail bowties!) and pretty things like necklaces and other things normal, respectable people wear. I’d love to contribute.

    Here’s my portfolio of sorts: http://imgur.com/gallery/r2Tkb

    • Posted November 6, 2015 at 11:13 AM | Permalink

      *Points to e-mail address listed above*

      • DShannon
        Posted November 6, 2015 at 11:31 AM | Permalink

        I’m just gonna… pretend like I saw that the first time.

  5. priscellie
    Posted November 6, 2015 at 9:48 AM | Permalink

    I just got word that the Cinder Spires and Alera maps materialized in your P.O. box this morning! They’re ready for pickup when you next make your way out there. So excited for this year’s fundraiser!

  6. tegemea
    Posted November 6, 2015 at 10:19 AM | Permalink

    If I wear a Nathan Fillion mask, can I play in your tree house? I like climbing trees.

    I am not much of an artist or craftsman, and while I play cello, the doubleclicks pretty well have that covered. I can run a kick-ass D&D adventure for Pat, but I think that’s more a prize for me than anyone else.

    Here’s all I’ve got: I’m trying to generate immortalized cell lines from human corneal endothelium to study and develop treatments for Fuchs Corneal Dystrophy. I can name a cell line after somebody, assuming it works …

    • Posted November 6, 2015 at 11:19 AM | Permalink

      Actually, that sounds kinda badass to me. I’d bid on something like that….

      • tegemea
        Posted November 9, 2015 at 2:52 PM | Permalink

        I’m going to collect this and similar ideas for next year, then. It would be too risky to put it out there but then not have any successful cell lines.

  7. wallrike
    Posted November 6, 2015 at 1:10 PM | Permalink

    Hi!

    I know it’s logistically implausible (two kids, a book, various other projects), but I’d still love to see a Worldbuilders trip to Nepal or another Heifer site someday.

    Seeing the Worldbuilders crew interact with animals in general would be great. Maybe visiting a zoo or going back to Heifer Ranch or something and learning about/caring for the animals?

    I think it would be really cool to get some serious data visualization for the money Worldbuilders has raised. $3.5 mm is a LOT of money, but what does that impact look like? Maybe a mix of estimates from Heifer’s operational folks and some spiffy graphics designers could put together something to really show donors and participants what kind of profound impact the Worldbuilders campaigns have had? Head of cattle, farms irrigated, trees planted, children fed, whatever.

    I’d also love to see more of the people further in the chain – learn not only about specific Heifer projects, but also the people behind Heifer and who support Worldbuilders.

    • wallrike
      Posted November 6, 2015 at 2:31 PM | Permalink

      As I’ve just started watching some tabletop stuff, how about some gaming videos? I know we’ve done Author D&D at ConFusion and there have been some gaming sessions (True Dungeon, the Kingkiller game, the GenCon King of Tokyo auction), how about more “industry people play games together” stuff (with or without fan involvement)? Either a more SFF-focused flavor of Tabletop or something unique – cooperative storytelling, American Gladiators-style ridiculousness with lots of foam, or maybe even some Let’s Play/video game stuff. With the industry connects Pat and team have, maybe you could even get early access to a big game – say, Tides of Numenera?

      Oh, and anything that involves Mary Kowal and puppetry always makes me happy. Rather than erotica, how about doing a puppetry staging of a scene from one of the books?

  8. sandibd
    Posted November 6, 2015 at 2:11 PM | Permalink

    Sorry I have no super clever skills and don’t know any cool authors. But as someone who has enjoyed antics of the past….

    I know the Worldbuilders team is very busy before during and immediately after the fundraiser. But how about videos featuring them doing what they do best during those times. Release maybe one a week or so highlighting the hard work they do. This kind of makes the campaign a little more personal and makes us all feel more invested in the success of the project.

    Also maybe auction off someone appearing in their comic strip. That always seems to be popular for people.

    Just a few ideas off the top of my head.

  9. Posted November 6, 2015 at 7:43 PM | Permalink

    My 3and7 year olds love your kitty piano playing so much that they keep making me replay it over and over! I just want to finish reading the blog!!! Lol

  10. Posted November 6, 2015 at 9:08 PM | Permalink

    Is there a Team Nightvale?

    • Posted November 6, 2015 at 9:08 PM | Permalink

      P.s. Been savin’ all year for this. Ready for Monday!

    • Posted November 6, 2015 at 11:45 PM | Permalink

      Team Nightvale is a cool idea. Maybe I’ll talk to Fink and Craynor about that….

      • Posted November 7, 2015 at 10:45 AM | Permalink

        Should I hold off on donating just in case? The money’s going in no matter what, it’s just a matter of when.

        • Amanda
          Posted November 7, 2015 at 10:54 AM | Permalink

          No need! If a team pops up after you donate, you can contact us and we can assign that donation to the team of your choice :)

  11. kitty713
    Posted November 7, 2015 at 3:50 AM | Permalink

    I’ve been saving up for this since summer!! Can’t wait.

    Stretch goal ideas? Honestly I’d like to see Pat take the whole team out for milkshakes (or something) again. They work hard and should be rewarded.

    I’d like to see Pat making snow angels (is there snow on the ground yet?) possibly with the team or the family. Or see Pat climb a tree. Or go run around with goats. My desires are silly and small.

  12. Posted November 7, 2015 at 5:29 PM | Permalink

    My wife and I shall repeat our no takeout November like we did last year, putting the resulting savings into making the world a goat-ier place.

  13. LadyWentworth
    Posted November 7, 2015 at 6:21 PM | Permalink

    Ok, so I’ve been reading this blog since 2011, and literally just registered to comment because yesterday I had this idle thought that if Kvothe lived today he’d probably wear cargo shorts.
    I chuckled all day.
    I’m sorry. I couldn’t resist.

    • kitty713
      Posted November 8, 2015 at 8:31 AM | Permalink

      I like the way you think. And I agree.

  14. Posted November 8, 2015 at 8:22 PM | Permalink

    I just finished introducing my 5 year old to Labyrinth. Tears in my eyes.

    I dunno if it is too late for suggestions but can somebody out there with more musical aptitude do a Labyrinth themed stretch goal? Acoustic/folk version of one of the songs or something? David Bowie codpiece optional (but highly recommended).

  15. Gemma
    Posted November 8, 2015 at 8:51 PM | Permalink

    @lin_miranda has tweeted Pat a few times. It would me amazing if he could do a small musical video, or a 10 minute interview with Pat on the use of words in writing. Like Pat, his word choice is dense and perfect. He builds musicals “like cathedrals.” It took him a year to write one song, “My Shot.”

    It would be a big ask; he was just on Jimmy Fallon and 60 Minutes this week. However, it would also likely expand the reach of Worldbuilders.

    Anyways, I always look forward and save money for Worldbuilders each year. I haven’t broken out all the games that I got from the IndieGoGo, but more cellophane is coming off this weekend.

    • Gemma
      Posted November 8, 2015 at 8:52 PM | Permalink

      Sorry, @Lin_Manuel, that is.

  16. griffyn612
    Posted November 9, 2015 at 7:19 PM | Permalink

    Stretch Goal Idea: Authors LARP as characters on quest. Not as their own characters, but each others.

  17. jackness
    Posted November 10, 2015 at 11:23 AM | Permalink

    Hopefully I’m not too late. I think one of the best stretch goals would be an explanation of what has happened with Pat’s gold rings. What were some of the favors that were asked for? And, maybe even a well worded story of how those favors were delivered. Bonus points if we get to see a video of Pat acting out what happened with help from an author or team members from world builders.

  18. Posted September 17, 2020 at 4:38 PM | Permalink

    I have a little more time to finish some raffle prizes for my ‘team,’ thank goodness! (It’s me. I’m team. Can’t spell team without ‘me’ right?) I’m so looking forward to posting all my shiney raffle prizes. :) I should probably start on my KKC themed pieces though.

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