WE DID IT!!!! THE CAMPAIGN WAS A SUCCESS!!! THANK YOU ALL!!!

THANK YOU!!!!

THE CAMPAIGN WAS A GREAT SUCCESS!!!!

This is it, here we are.
Thanks for reading.

Support Team

We did it! 100% Thank You All , now what?

WOW! Thanks to our friends family and contributors for making this possible!we have reached our goal of 3500 euros funding to cover the cost of Avah's commute...

There may be some who still want to support Avah with a contribution. For those who want to know more, here is a quote from our Indigogo Campaign FAQ section:

Q: What will you do with money that exceeds your goal?

A: Extra contribution funds would go towards the tuition and gear for Avah's ballet education for this year and the 2015/16 Season. For example her (many pointe) shoes, and ballet clothing.

And the rest of the story..

We took a chance to try the crowd funding route to sponsor Avah.
Because of the cost involved, Avah's commute seemed a high goal by itself and really we are pleased, beyond what can be explained here in this blog, that we have been so well received and supported. There are many costs which need to be paid for beyond the travel costs; including her shoes and outfits (every year a different color coinciding with the academic year), her tuition is also increasing every year as well.

What can you do to contribute?

We are offering photographs of Avah for purchase, if you contribute 30 euros you can receive one of these photographs with a personal thank you message.
This reward for your contribution is called a 'Perk'. The support generated by these contributions goes toward her commute and the other ballet academy costs mentioned above.

Exclusive for the last days of the campaign

This Exclusive New Perk is called 'Cinderella - Beating the Clock' and you can acquire this photograph of Avah with a contribution of only 30 Euros!

Cinderella Beating the Clock

To find out more about the Indiegogo Campaign and contribution follow this link.
https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/avah-the-ballet-commuter

This is it, here we are.

Thank you for reading.

The Cinderella Story - Beating the Clock - More than 90% funded and with 12 Days to Go!

Hello Again,

A warm Thank You to All of our Contributors who have so generously given. We have a fantastic 3300 Euros of funding so far for Avah's commute and there are still 12 days left in the campaign! 

New Perk

To sweeten the deal and entice the sponsorship of enough people to reach our goal, we are offering a new Perk! 
This is new photograph of Avah that you have not seen before.

This Exclusive New Perk is called 'Cinderella - Beating the Clock' and you can acquire this photograph of Avah with a contribution of only 30 Euros!

Cinderella Beating the Clock

This unique photograph of Avah will be available only until the Avah the ballet commuter campaign ends in just under 2 weeks. It is a limited time offer.

If you have not contributed to Avah's campaign, this is another reason to support her. If you have contributed, this is another reason to be proud of your choice to support Avah and an opportunity to share your enthusiasm and raise the 3500 Euros needed before the clock strikes 12 midnight October 29th!

This is it, here we are.

Thanks for reading.

Support Team

Avah at the Back to Bach Rehearsal and Nearly 80% Funded!!

Hello Again,

This week has been frenzied, the wind rushed up from it's winter place to nip noses and tease of the coming winter. Then the autumn warmed after the hardest cold rain washed the summer from our eyes. We are waiting and counting the days until vacation and school is out. Now Avah has vacation, starting next week, but tonight she and her fellow students may watch the final dress rehearsal for Back to Bach presented by 
the Dutch National Ballet.

After leaving home for school this morning at 6:45 Avah will be home at nearly midnight. Hooray for vacation!

The campaign is going very well, we are getting a constant trickle of contributors every day. Avah the ballet commuter has been nearly 80% funded! 

This is all possible because of you.

Thank you!

Please share or support Avah the ballet commuter

This is it, here we are.

Thanks for reading. Thank you for your support.

Support Team

Avah was in the Newspaper Yesterday, Interviewed about the Crowd funding Project

The Amersfoortse Courant ran a story yesterday about Avah the ballet commuter!

AD Amersfoort October 7, 2014

Positive review of the Dutch National Ballet Academy "Dansers van Morgen" in the Dance Europe Magazine

Jessica Teague has written a glowing review of the final 2013-14 School performance in June of this year called Dansers van Morgen.
This excerpt is from the August/September edition of Dance Europe Magazine.

Post by Nationale Balletacademie- The Dutch National Ballet Academy.

Thanks for reading.

Support Team

An article in the Spits about action for Students who travel or are not eligible for a train card

An article from the Spits, October 1st, 2014

This article supports reduced train fare for students.

We are over 60% of our goal!

Thank you contributors!

We could not be happier with your generosity.

 In 11 short days of our 35 day campaign for Avah's commute, more than 2000 Euros have been raised.  And yet, we still have nearly 1300 Euros to go to reach our Goal of 3500 euros to cover this school year's travel.

Thanks for reading.

Support Team

Please share.

Over 50%! Avah the ballet commuter mentioned in the Setting the Barre Blog

A quick update, we have over 50% of our goal!

Thank you!

a cool Reaction from the internet:

A quote about Avah the ballet commuter from a professional ballet
dancer's blog called Setting The Barre. 
Setting the Barre Blog

When I received a plea on the STB Facebook page to assist a teenage girl in her path to professionalism with Dutch National Ballet, I felt so compelled.  Her commute to ballet school puts an extreme stress on the family (something any ballet student can relate to) and, like many social media-savvy folks in need, Avah is reaching out to the interwebs for support.  I have donated to her cause, and would like to share the link to her campaign video here, in case you may feel as inclined as I to help a young girl live her dream.

How cool is that? Kirsten is a dancer from Rhode Island in the US. Her blog is really worth reading if you are interested in an actual dancer's life. 

Another blog by dancers with strong writing is the blog from the San Diego Ballet. San Diego Ballet Blog

This is it, here we are.

Thanks for reading.

Why did you choose Indiegogo for your crowd funding platform in the first place?

Hello Again,

Crowd funding sites are a venue, like a stand at a convention center. The location and facility is in place, but we must draw the crowd into that location and provide enough to hold their attention, inform and inspire them. We have been very fortunate so far with the contributions, reactions and publicity we have received.

The core is and always has been Avah's dream and passion, and our desire to support her in realizing it.

Just like going door to door with a jar, crowd funding actively engages people in a passive way and asks if they are interested in donating for something. 
In our case, we have a visually pleasing, realistic campaign based on our actual need. 

So Why did we  choose Indiegogo?

There are many major players in the Crowd funding scene, two of the largest and possibly the best known are Kickstarter and Indiegogo.

Kickstarter

Kickstarter has a great reputation for makers of things. Products, Art projects, Comic Books, games and recording albums are the stuff of a Kickstarter campaign. Kickstarter has a decision panel that decide if your project fits into their criteria for what a Kickstarter campaign should be. This means that they can say no to your project, but also this is a filter for the quality of the projects. Financially they have an all or nothing structure meaning that to get the funds you must be funded 100% of your goal.

Indiegogo

For Avah the ballet commuter we have decided that Indiegogo was a better fit for what we wanted to do. Our campaign is not a product, but instead, opportunity based. 
We did not feel that we needed a review panel to decide the worthiness of our cause, we let the contributors decide this. Financially Indiegogo allows campaigns to receive the funding as fixed or flexible. Fixed is all or nothing like Kickstarter and flexible allows campaigns to keep the funds that are raised for a slightly higher fee.

The choice

When we discussed the things we wanted to do and make for the campaign, the time it would cost and the gamble that it could end up with nothing at the end were the determining factors. We had no experience with crowd funding and the cost of Avah's travel is 3500 Euros so we made a conservative decision to use Indiegogo. The support is good and they provided many tools to understand how to run a campaign.

People decide for themselves if it is compelling enough to give.

click here for the Indiegogo campaign


Thanks for reading!

Support Team

We are Beside ourselves, 40% of our Goal in one week!

We could not have hoped for such a result so soon in the campaign, but the numbers don't lie.
Just seven days ago we launched our Indiegogo campaign with looks of 'well here it goes' on our faces. 

Now the sweet cool October breeze wisps our hair as we wander around the neighborhood, gathering thoughts about what to say to you. 
Wondering, what should we write to tell the utter happiness that shines in our eyes when we talk about our Contributors and the feeling that someone believes in what we are doing.
The warmth and novel charm of being Liked. The sweet comment from someone stating the respect that they have for Avah's passion and dedication to dance. 

Thank you Contributors-Likers-sharers and G+ers.

We are at 40% of our goal in seven days!

Please keep sharing and liking. We have come so far because of your effort and generosity.

This is it, here we are.

Support Team

https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/avah-the-ballet-commuter
http://www.facebook.com/avahtheballetcommuter
http://www.twitter.com/AvahBallet