Dots Campaign Guide

Welcome to Dots by LMP! Here's how it works.

Campaign setup

Click the button below to request a new campaign.
We’ll send you a link to connect Dots to a Stripe account so that you can receive donation payouts. (If your organization doesn’t have a Stripe account, you can set one up at this time. You’ll need your organization's EIN (tax ID), business address, and bank details.)
Next, you'll send us your campaign title, intro text, dot value, and campaign dates. You can also choose to hide or rename any dot on the map.
Approve and go!

The campaign page

Each campaign runs on a single page. There's a title, introductory text, a section for your campaign statistics, and a glorious stage map covered in dots (or buttons, on the mobile version).

There are two kinds of dots: a single-sponsor dot, and a multi-sponsor dot.

Single-sponsor dots: Each dot may be sponsored by one person, for a fixed amount that you decide. All of the single-sponsor dots have the same value, and you decide the dot value based on the amount you, your board, or your fundraisers are comfortable asking for during your fundraising campaign. Once a dot has been sponsored, you can hover over it to see the sponsor’s name.

Multi-sponsor dots: Recognizing that some people might want to give a smaller amount than your fixed dot value, and others more, there's also at least one "Donate any amount" dot in our template. Clicking one of these flex dots triggers a popup where the donor can set the amount they wish to donate. You set the minimum. Unlike the other dots, there is no limit to the number of donors who can donate using the “donate any amount” dot. If your dots are set up in an audience layout, we recommend using these to create special donor circles, like "Commissioning Circle," "Performing Circle," etc. If you're using an instrumentation/stage layout, you may want to use a multi-sponsor dot to represent the conductor or choir director. Or, set up an "Operations" dot that anyone can contribute to.

By default, all of the dots are set as single-sponsor dots, except for one multi-sponsor dot. You can choose to make any of the dots a multi-sponsor dot.

Once it is live, your campaign is visible on the Dots homepage from its start date until its end date.

During the campaign

Your campaign will live at dots.livemusicproject.org/YOURCAMPAIGNNAME.

Donors can choose to remain anonymous; if they do, they will appear on the dot map as "Anonymous."

Each time a donation is made, both you and the donor will be notified by email that the donation has been processed. You will receive the donor's name and email address.

You'll receive your donations throughout the campaign, whether or not you reach your goal. When a donation is processed by Stripe, it is sent directly to your organization, typically within a day. Stripe then deducts fees from the total.

Pricing

There is no setup fee.

You keep roughly 90% of what you raise.
7% goes toward supporting Dots and other services that Live Music Project provides to the artist and audience community.
The final 2.9% + $0.30 covers transaction costs for our payment processor, Stripe, who makes sure that all transactions are handled in a way that is safe and secure.

Tips for a successful campaign

The most important factor in a successful campaign is outreach. Tell everyone you know about your campaign! Reach out to people you know who support your work; local businesses with an interest in reaching your community (nearby music shops/venues/restaurants); and people near and far who might not be within your geographical area but are interested in a particular instrument (for example, someone you know who plays the oboe in another city).

Using visuals helps tell the story of your campaign, too. Screenshot your dot map and post photos on social media, linking to your campaign page. Keep posting screenshots as the map starts to fill up. It will be exciting for your supporters to watch the numbers grow! Email the same screenshots to friends with a link to your campaign page.

Need inspiration? Try this post on social media:

Find an instrument you love and put your name on this map while supporting our ensemble :)

https://dots.livemusicproject.org/YOUR-CAMPAIGN-NAME

Finally, thank your donors within a day or two of receiving their gift. Even a one-line personal email can go a long way. Did their gift bring a smile to your face? Did it make you feel supported or encouraged? Let them know!

Ready to create a campaign? Let's do it!

Create a campaign