More than 5,500
individuals are making sure those voices and their lessons for us today are heard.
During the month-long campaign, the Museum’s drumbeat of outreach online and offline drove potential supporters to pledge, including on social media (with the hashtag #SaveTheirStories) and through email appeals, supported by videos that show the people who donated the artifacts to the Museum. At the halfway point, the Museum conducted a “Kickstarter Live” video segment with the curator, in which she answered questions from the public. The project also garnered significant media coverage.
Depending on the amount they pledged, supporters could get behind-the-scenes updates on the work (and often the discoveries made) during the process of cataloging, translating and publishing the stories. The Museum also offered other rewards, such as a “Save Their Stories” tote bag; limited edition watercolor prints from Holocaust survivor Simon Jeruchim; a “Save Their Stories” journal; and exclusive behind-the-scenes virtual tours at the Museum and its new David and Fela Shapell Family Collections, Conservation and Research Center.
At the height of the Museum’s busy summer season, Museum representatives spoke about the Kickstarter project to some of the 9,000-plus people who visited each day; many were persuaded to donate after learning about the campaign. “People told us to contact them if we weren’t close to reaching our goal, so that they could give more,” Weinstein says.
The response to the Kickstarter campaign was immense, with the Museum getting messages of people who wanted to volunteer to translate the diaries or who wanted to donate diary artifacts that have been kept close by their families.
After reaching its goal of $250,000 in three weeks, the Museum announced a stretch goal of an additional $50,000 before the campaign ended on July 12. Ultimately, the Museum’s inaugural Kickstarter campaign netted $380,000.
“We were beyond surprised with the outpouring of support we received from people who’ve contributed to the Museum
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