Have questions? Click here to see our FAQ!
Making the World a Better Place
Worldbuilders was founded in 2008 by New York Times bestselling author Patrick Rothfuss to raise money for his favorite charity, Heifer International.
Heifer brings communities out of poverty with their trademarked triple-threat of education, resources, and Passing on the Gift. You can visit their website for some of the incredible and detailed stories, but basically, Heifer’s programs start with an intensive educational blitz that teaches small community farmers and families what they need to know to get started, gives them the basic supplies they need, and when they become successful, these families and communities reach out to their neighbors, passing on their education, experience, and the fruits of their labors (livestock, seedlings, technology) so their neighbors can flourish.
To date, Worldbuilders has raised over $3.5 million for Heifer International, and this year, we’re expanding our fundraising efforts even more.
In addition to our annual end-of-the-year fundraiser, we’re continuing another tradition with a week-long IndieGoGo campaign in the summer. Rather than our usual lottery and auction set up, where you either might win something that you’ll hopefully like, or you pay top-dollar for something rare or limited, we’ve taken the chance out of it.
When you donate during this IndieGoGo campaign, you are guaranteed to get the advertised reward. They’re affordable, they’re cool, and there’s no guesswork. You pledge at the Soap level, you will get a bar of soap. Wha-BOOM! Hit in the face with Awesome!
The Goods
We want to raise as much money as possible to change lives through Heifer International. To do that, we're featuring some really cool products, goodies, and services, including:
Every $5 JoCoCruise donation of this perk gets you a snazzy digital post card and an entry into a contest for a cabin on the JoCoCruise 2016. Multiple donations get you multiple entries. After the fundraiser you'll be sent a short entry form based on our Contest Rules. (
http://worldbuilders.org/contest-rules)
Pat just ran a t-shirt design contest on his blog, and the entries were exceptionally good. When it came time to choose, we couldn't help but make three.
Litographs also produced a gorgeous Slow Regard of Silent Things t-shirt, featuring Auri diving to retrieve the brazen gear. It includes a bookmark signed by Pat and made from a page of Slow Regard.
Additionally, Jim Butcher agreed to let us produce a t-shirt featuring an epic scene from The Dresden Files, and Emma Newman sent over a t-shirt for her awesome podcast,
Tea and Jeopardy.
Plus... a hoodie!
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More perks will be added throughout the fundraiser, so be sure to check back...
Grab one or all!
And, for those of you who are new to IndieGoGo, you can have as many perks as you’re willing to pay for. You have to do each as a separate transaction, but you don’t have to limit yourself to just one. It’s a whole new ballgame over here.
If you're looking at a lot of perks and want to save some money, there are a few bundles available at discounted rates. There's a mix & match t-shirt 3-pack, a bundle of Year of the Gear themed perks, and a pack of both of our challenge coins from 2014 and 2015. We also have great bundles of Mayfair Games and book bundles, for those of you willing to go in for a little mystery...
There are a lot of pre-orders involved here, and we'll be sending things out after the campaign as they come back from production, or arrive in the office from the awesome people who are donating them. If we need to collect information from you (like your t-shirt size), we’ll contact you for it once the campaign has ended. We'll keep you updated with the progress of things as the fundraiser goes on, and afterward.
We’re confident that all perks will be delivered before our annual fundraiser in November, and definitely in time for the holidays.
Other Ways You Can Help
We know not everyone can contribute money to this campaign. We completely understand that. That being said, there are a few other ways you can help us out:
- Spread the word far and wide. Tell friends and neighbors. Post on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest. Have a slumber party. Send a courier pigeon.
- Read up on Heifer International. They're a great cause, and if it helps inspire you to save up for our next fundraiser, we'll accept that too.
- Use our awesome banner photo on your Facebook or Twitter profile!
What do I do if I want more than one perk?
Each purchase of a perk is a new transaction, so you click on the perk you want, fill in your info, and buy it. Then, go back and select the other perk you wanted, and repeat the process.
Make a mistake with that earlier? No problem! Send us an email at fundraiser [at] worldbuilders.org and we'll work it out with you.
What about the International Shipping perk?
You don't have to go back and add that one, you can just manually add $15 to your total once when you're checking out, even if you have multiple perks. If you're willing to do more (because you live very far away from the US), that would be wonderful, if you have the means.
Can I pay for someone else's shipping?
That would be great! You're more than welcome to do that, and we'd really appreciate it.
Is there any overlap between the two Mayfair Games bundles?
Nope! If you buy both, you will get all new games with no duplicates.
Can I get 3 of the same t-shirt design in different sizes if I buy the 3-shirt pack?
Absolutely. Any combination of those 5 shirts can be purchased, in any size, design, or style, as long as it adds up to three individual t-shirts.
What's included in the JoCoCruise?
Glad you asked! The JoCoCruise prize will be a D3 balcony stateroom, and the winner may upgrade to a larger stateroom if one is available, but will be responsible for any price difference beyond the estimated cash value of the prize.
Being on the cruise includes most of the onboard entertainment, all of your onboard meals (including room service) and access to all exclusive JCC2016 entertainment and events.
It does NOT include airfare to Florida, nor a hotel in Florida before or after the cruise.
Are there any stretch goals?
Not yet, but we're thinking about them - any suggestions? Let us know in the comments or via email at fundraiser [at] worldbuilders.org!
