BACKERS

Invest in your community! Backers are like investors, but are contributing to their community instead of a business.

Learn More Be a Backer

How It Works

Pledge

Sign up so that we know you’re interested, and make a private non-binding pledge of funds.

Be Informed

Be informed of the ideas (Citizen Teams) that are selected to pitch before the 24HCP.

Fund

Fund your favorite team in a “shark tank” style pitch event during the 24HCP.

Follow

After the event, teams that are funded will keep you updated on their progress.

2022 Backers

total Backers funding projects

dollars in private funds towards public projects

Who makes a good Backer?

Business: Any business who cares about their community and wants to see citizens change their public spaces. We also provide exposure to Backers before and during the event.
A Crowd: Sometimes friends or organizations pool funds together for a good cause. Participating in the 24HCP gives everyone “buy in” on what team they want funded!
Philanthropist: You don’t need to be a business or an organizations necessarily. Perhaps just a citizen who wants to give in a fun way.
Birthday Gift: Everyone has at least one birthday per year. In lieu of gifts and a celebratory dinner, use those funds to participate in the 24HCP. Heck, invite your friends to participate (and celebrate) with you during the 24HCP!
Anyone: We really don’t need to put a label on who likes to give back to their community. Afterall, it’s a shared space that we all enjoy.

The Backers

Backer FAQs

Before The Event

What is a Backer?

Backers are like investors, but are contributing to their community instead of a business. Backers will hear teams of citizens pitch ideas to be evaluated, judged and funded by you! Be prepared to be faced with the difficult decision of deciding which projects are worthy of funding. We’ll keep you informed of the ideas leading up to the event, so that you know what to expect. Contributions to projects will be tax deductible unless otherwise noted.

Why are Backers needed?

We’ve all heard the saying “it takes a village…” And when it comes to pursuing community projects, that is also true. There are citizens in the community that have great ideas, but need the financial support to get it done. Backers are a key factor to the success of a project.

I'm ready to get started... how do I sign up?

Easy. Here is the link to sign up.

Once I sign up as an Backer, what happens next?

First, mark your calendar with the date and time of the event. Then, just sit back and wait for us to contact you. We’ll also be in touch about gathering promotional materials (bio, organization logo, etc)

How do I prepare for the event?

There’s really not much preparation required. We do, however, encourage you to read about the ideas being pitched prior to the event (we will provide this information well in advance of the event). We’ll have pens and paper provided to you for notetaking.

During The Event

What happens on Friday night?

Friday night is required for Citizen Teams and Experts. Backers may attend so that they can learn about the projects leading into Saturday evening. This portion of the event is not open to the public.

6:00PM – Experts arrive. Social begins. Refreshments served.
6:45PM – Expert/Citizen Team meetings begin
9:30PM – Last expert meeting ends. Teams can continue to work on as needed basis.

(Times approximate)

The goal of the night is to pair teams with subject matter experts that will help the projects along. By the end of Friday night, the team will be fully prepared for their pitch on Saturday. At the conclusion of the night, teams will have the option to utilize the venue as a work place. Some teams may need to use it, while others not.

What happens on Saturday evening?

The Pitch Event happens on Saturday!

4:30PM – Private Backer Meeting.
5:00PM – Backer and Team Mingle (Note: Teams will have a private meeting with Backers one hour before the start of the event. This is an opportunity to sell the project to the Backers before your final pitch)
6:00PM – Doors open to public; Audience visits with Citizen Teams
7:15PM – Pitches begin (3 minutes / team)
8:15PM – Backer huddle meeting (Backers decide winners)
8:30PM – End of Backer huddle. Backers announce winners.
9:00PM – Event ends. Party continues.

During the final pitch event, each Team Leader will be given 3 minutes on stage to pitch their project showing visuals on the projection. Following the pitch, the Backers will have a couple minutes for Q&A.

After The Event

How do I keep following the progress of the teams?

Updates will be published in a series of “Dear Community” letters written by the project’s Team Leader (on a quarterly basis). The letters are intended to be a letter to the community providing an update on the project. The letters will be used by the 24HCP to publish updates about the projects to our website, social media accounts and blogs used for media outlets.

How can I stay connected to the winning teams after the event?

Though not required, we encourage the Backers to be involved with the funded projects in a variety of ways. You may volunteer your time to work with them, invite them into your business to present on project progress, have your employees join their team (if applicable), or just check in from time to time.