Happy to share docs and experiences..

We thought we'd hire someone to run the campaign,
yet our staff of 3 ended up being the lead, which was
fulfilling and challenging.

We did use crowdrise, which we found was helpful for
everyone to see progress. Out of the 200k in cash donations,
maybe 30k was directly donated thru the crowdrise platform.

Yet you can enter all donations onto the site. We took time
to write our 'story' and tagline (#support the bike).

The real power in the campaign was bike rides, pot lucks, concerts,
writing our own op-eds and press releases, creating a giant wheel dome
moved around town by giant bike trailer, art, lemonade stands, lunch
meetings with potential donors, and more meetings, creating committees,
making the shop the hub of campaign activity, relaying a strong vision,
creating a buzz and energy that endured yet was not obnoxious (fine line
there).

We started by trying to raise the whole 1.1 million in 9 months, and ended
up with the 200k. Getting that 200k put us 'in the game' and provided 
basically
a down payment.

We now work with 10 tenants, which has its own challenges, and joys too. We
learned you do not have to be a capital campaign pro to succeed, just 
tenacious,
positive and, in our case, stressing the importance of community as well as
bike riding.


Quoting Judith Feist <judith.feist@gmail.com>:

> Wow. That's awesome. I might pester you in the future with questions.
> Congrats, that sounds amazing!
> judith caroline feist
>
> https://judithfeist.wordpress.com/
> https://www.instagram.com/judithcarolinefeist/
>
>
> *"*Radical simply means 'grasping things at the root'"- Angela Davis
>
> "i don't think my art is political. i think it's about the stuff that
> doesn't let me sleep at night." -felix gonzalez-torres
>
> I think [the bicycle] has done more to emancipate women than anything else
> in the world...It gives a woman a feeling of freedom and
> self-reliance.~Susan B. Anthony
>
>
> On Fri, Jan 25, 2019 at 12:47 PM <mist@strans.org> wrote:
>
>>
>> Hi all,
>>
>> If any group is thinking of taking on a big capital campaign to buy
>> their building
>> and property, I'd be happy to talk about our experience here in
>> Missoula over the
>> last few years.
>>
>> The nutshell: our 4,000 sq ft community shop was for sale as part of a
>> larger 2 acre property
>> with a 28,000 sq ft building (lots of additions, annexes, offices,
>> warehouse, etc).
>>
>> We went for it and succeeded in buying the whole thing, for 1.1
>> million dollars. It's
>> in the heart of Missoula, on the trail system with great vistas to the
>> mountains.
>>
>> We raised $200,000 in cash donations in 9 months, secured a $100,000
>> county loan
>> (4% over 20 years) and had a local woman loan us the balance of 900k.
>> We pay her
>> $6,200/mo as the mortgage (6% over 25 years).
>>
>> A key component: we have secured enough renters to bring in $7,600/mo.
>>
>> That amount covers the local loan, the county loan, insurance and
>> property tax (we
>> gained tax exempt status on 85% of the property).
>>
>> We have like minded renters, from a mushroom grower to t-shirt shop to
>> non profits renting
>> the offices, a clay studio and so on.
>>
>> It has been a challenge, yet we feel very secure. We are growing bike
>> programs, a venue
>> space and we will likely take on the other spaces for more programs as
>> we pay down the
>> loan notes.
>>
>> The arrangement with the local person was a 'contract for deed', which
>> gives us all the
>> rights and responsibilities as property owner.
>>
>> Send me an email if you'd like to talk more. I do think this is a good
>> model: buy a
>> piece of property and rent out enough to cover the bulk of costs.
>>
>> -Bob Giordano, Free Cycles Missoula

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