The Rocky Mountain Land Library is an outdoor-themed overnight library located on a cattle ranch outside of South Park, Colorado. Its collection of over 50,000 natural history books will one day line the shelves of old bunk houses and barn lofts, offering visitors a place to camp, fish, study and explore.
In the spring of 2017, we launched a Kickstarter campaign with a goal of $125,000 to renovate the library's first building, a weather-worn ranch house that would become the property's first habitable structure, complete with a kitchen, dormitory and food library.
Working with a team of a dozen key stakeholders, I designed and oversaw the development of our Kickstarter project page, writing and editing for an audience of book and nature lovers.
Our team met in person at a Denver architecture studio, and virtually on Slack. Through supporter interviews and an analysis of past projects such as + Pool and The Lowline, we gained a clear picture of our audience, and aligned the campaign’s messaging and strategy.
I wrote the headline and Kickstarter page copy, crafting a heartfelt and adventurous appeal designed to connect with a wide audience. I also led media outreach.
One theme that stood out was the sense of purpose that the library offered, combined with a feeling of home.
After my first idea for a tagline— 32,000 books at 9,200 feet — was rejected by our team, I decided to adopt the phrase "home on the range," from the old cowboy song, to describe our project and goals. Hailed by Wikipedia as the unofficial anthem of the American West, it seemed to fit a library focused on the region's history, that would also house guests overnight. The song was written not long after the ranch's establishment in the 1860s.
The campaign surpassed its original goal, raising $140,000 from over 1,000 backers.
The media strategy was a success, earning us stories in print, digital and TV, including a front-page article in The Denver Post, and stories in the LA Times, Outside Magazine, Curbed, Apartment Therapy and on Colorado Public Radio.
Even with a strong member base and good press, reaching our goal was a process that required creative thinking every step of the way. Working alongside a team of architects, artists, a library scientist and a landscape designer, I learned to approach challenges from new angles and discover unique solutions.
To keep up the momentum as the library grew, a group of volunteers and I started Garo, a literary blog publishing original stories, poetry, interviews and artwork from the library's growing community. Garo was active for two years, and featured work from around the world, including paintings from Swedish artist Benjamin Björklund, and poems by former Colorado Poet Laureate David Mason.