Etsy is starting a “Team Grants” program where they will subsidize Team projects such as advertising and special events.
This new program is called Etsy Team Grants and will assist creative, dedicated and energetic Teams with Etsy promos and financial resources. This monthly granted funding will help Teams represent themselves at craft fairs, art shows or other local events, help subsidize team advertising (see the Co-Op Advertising Program for a good model of this) or take part in other opportunities. We also want to give Etsy Teams promos (stickers, postcards, etc) to help spread the Etsy message to their communities. The applications are reviewed monthly and we have a set budget for the hundreds of Etsy Teams, so make your application shine! Here are some tips:
1. Elect one person from your team to be the leader of this project, communicate well with your Team, and have them apply on the Team’s behalf.
2. Make sure to include detailed descriptions of Team promotions and events your Team has successfully completed.
3. Tell us why and how your grant would help spread the Etsy message in the most effective way.
4. Be creative! Let us know how your Team will be creatively using the Grant, or contributing more to it.
5. Make a promise to us that you will document the promotion with photos, blog entries or even video!
Funds are allocated on a case-by-case basis, and the article doesn’t specify which Etsy admin(s) make the choices.
q: How do you decide who gets a grant?
a: We can only give so much each month. We will make decisions based on the activity level of your team, the location and focus of your team (i.e. if we haven’t already subsidized an event or Team close to you geographically, or a Team with a similar reach and market, your chances are better), the number of Team members that the grant will assist, and the overall benefits to Etsy.com.
In the Storque article comments, sarawearsskirts says:
we’ll be publishing the grant winners and a follow up on the previous months’ allocations here in the Storque (and likely, also on the Team pages).
For more information, see this Storque article.
Fill out a Grant application here.
May 20 update by JB
The winners of the first team grants have been announced here
May 20th, 2008 at 6:08 pm
http://www.etsy.com/storque/section/etsyNews/article/may-team-grant-winners/1815/
The winners of the first team grants have been announced
May 3rd, 2008 at 7:36 am
I have no doubt that this will only further the favoritism outlined by past actions of Admins. Since there are teams that either have Admins heavily involved or relatives that are heavily involved, that these teams will have choice over any other of the many struggling teams in Etsy.
I just wish they would think these things through before implementing them, but thinking ahead isn’t Etsy’s strong point.
I honestly hope that the new COO does a world of good.
May 2nd, 2008 at 4:39 pm
Any time I see “case-by-case basis” - it says favoritism, the buddy system,, etc. So now they’ll be handing out actual dollars on a “case-by-case” basis? Bad idea. Bad, bad, bad idea.
So much of the promo I’ve seen Etsy do seems like preaching to the choir. They need to think outside the box and bring more buyers in - With high-quality, professional, targeted advertising.
May 2nd, 2008 at 4:04 am
So what about those of us who can’t participate in certain teams, because all of the team communication and organization happens in the Forums?
SOL, I guess.