My name is Daniel Anderson. I'm a 34-year-old native of Montana and founder of The Common Ground Project. I grew up in one of the most beautiful landscapes in North America. Tom Miner Basin is located on the Northwest boarder of Yellowstone National Park and boasts some of the most spectacular viewsheds in the world. This place is home to a community of ranches, diverse wildlife, and is the inspiration of a compelling, immersive, and genuinely unique experience that I invite you to be a part of.
Please join us by helping to build, promote, and take part in a retreat experience that bridges ecological and cultural education with the great outdoors.
With your help, we are going to create an experience in a class of its own! Our venue will provide:
- Overnight tipi camping for groups of up to 14 participants
- Guided hiking adventures on the outskirts of Yellowstone National Park
- Multi-day educational workshops
- Equine-assisted therapy workshops
- Wildlife watching & lessons in wildlife biology
- Facilitated campfire discussions
- Great food... and more!
Our campaign also aims to launch a scholarship fund that will give future students access to this co-creative, educational, and empowering experience.
May the element of fire bring out the storyteller in each of us!
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A campfire gathering at the Anderson Ranch. Photo Credit: Louise Johns
What We're Building & Offering
The Common Ground Project successfully introduced guided hiking and overnight camping on the Anderson Ranch in summer of 2018. Now we're setting our sights on a more robust experience, aiming to build out a tipi camp facility that will be the venue for our future retreats.
Our facilities will include:
- (9) 14' diameter tipis for participants and guides to sleep in
- (1) 24' diameter council tipi for group gatherings
- A state-of-the-art bathhouse, and
- A large stone fire pit for story-telling and facilitated discussions
Sleeping quarter tipis will be outfitted to comfortably sleep our guests, guides, and facilitators. Picture cots, sheepskin rugs, and warm interior lighting to welcome you after a long day. Our council tipi will be a large, fully equipped 24' diameter tipi with functional and artistic design details that'll pull on all of the senses. We’re designing a space that feels removed from everyday life, yet comfortable, safe, and welcoming of a truly co-creative experience.
Our mobile bathhouse will be complete with his/hers bathrooms, showers, and a central hand-washing station. The bathhouse is designed with rustic and tasteful aesthetics that prioritize both comfort and functionality.
Where Our Funding Is Going
Our target for facilities? $70,000. This number rounds just slightly higher than what we have estimated as the cost to purchase and build the facilities. $70,000 covers all the bases: from the ground up in materials, professional services & shipping costs required to turn this idea into reality!
Our target for hosting the first two retreats? $70,000. We are offering the first two retreats to individuals at a significantly discounted price - check it out in our perks! With (14) participants per retreat and a cost of $2500 per person, this will cover our second tier of fundraising needs! Spaces will be offered to the first who sign up through our perk!
2 five-day retreats | 14 participants per retreat | summer 2019
Please explore our website to learn more about our Summer 2019 Retreats! They will be adventures unlike any others simply because participants will be the first to attend The Common Ground Project's immersive tipi camping retreats. Contact us for details!
With $70,000 for facilities and $70,000 for the first two retreats, that puts us at $140,000. Lastly, we're adding another $10,000 to cover all of the outside services from accountants to administrative and fundraising fees. This brings our total target to $150,000.
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Last but not least... we are calling on the global community to help us spread the word and support our vision. Any contributions surpassing our target will go directly into forming a scholarship fund for future students to come share this special place together. Our student programs are designed to be cross-cultural, educational, inspiring, and adventurous! There is no better time than now to invite young, thriving minds, to explore wild places together, share campfires, and foster meaningful connections with one another. Through the weaving of our stories may we find common ground.
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Daniel and students flying a drone on the Anderson Ranch. Photo Credit: Louise Johns
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A presentation in the barn at the Anderson Ranch. Photo Credit: Louise Johns
For social innovators and corporate retreats we have a highly advanced program offering both recreational and interactive learning opportunities for participants! This is cross-pollinating at a whole new level; bringing together a global network of highly motivated and influential people. Retreats will be guided by world renowned educators, facilitators, and people who work in conservation.
How can you help?
Great question! We have a myriad of options for those of you who are inspired to support our campaign. To begin, let's just say that we are MORE than excited to offer you a host of special perks from tangible goodies, to artwork, and experiences both at and away from our campfire.
As outlined above, there are 28 open vacancies for those who want to be the first to experience The Common Ground Project's retreats during the summer of 2019. These will go fast! Please contact us if you have questions!
We are also offering:
- A guided fishing trip outfitted with fly rods (that you take home with you!) and lodging at the spectacular Sage Lodge in Paradise Valley, Montana.
- Cozy wool beanies with The Common Ground Project's custom embroidered logo.
- Our special "Old Man" hat!
- "From-the-ranch" Skype sessions to classrooms, board rooms, and living rooms all around the world.
- And signed photographs from a handful of our favorite and worldly photographers:
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What happens if we don't reach our goal of $150,000? To begin, our goal is divided into sections as detailed above, so the first target is actually $70,000 (used to build out our camping facilities). From here, it's the next $70,000 to bring in our first two retreats for summer, 2019! A breeze, right? Not quite. We understand the very real constraints we're up against and are prepared to manage any level of support, even if small compared to that of our target. Anything helps! The priority will be in buying tipis and building our facility!
Here's another point worth sharing: In trying to offer options for folks who really love what we're trying to create but can't afford to participate in a retreat, we are offering unique and meaningful perks that are VERY important to meeting and surpassing our target. Our friends in social media will have access to almost 1.2 MILLION sets of eyes from all around the world! But let's see how much farther we can take it!!
Calling all heavy hitters on Instagram!
We're asking for you to help us spread the word!
As with any new venture (and adventure!) there are inherent risks. Truth be told, we will be challenged to make The Common Ground Project what we envision it to be without the appropriate financial foundation. This is something we take very seriously and - if need be - we will step back and re-establish how we bring The Common Ground Project to life. So what’s the risk aside from a thorough revamp of our strategy? What’s the real risk? The risk is witnessing a national and global community that doesn’t value meaningful connections between people of all walks of life; it is in observing a larger community that doesn’t feel the elemental pull of fire and the sense of adventurous spirit brought out in wild places; The risk is exposing ourselves, our values, and philosophies and finding that the world simply doesn’t resonate.
Aside from these risks, we don’t fear the obstacles that have yet to come. We have a highly motivated team, and one with a myriad of experiences culminating into a what one friend quoted as “The Perfect Storm.” It is in this perfect storm that we’ll sharpen our focus, pivot as needed, and continue to espouse the values we stand for: Inclusivity, adventure, learning, sharing, co-creating, giving back, and caring for each other and the planet.
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THE IMPACT
Without question, the world - as we know it now - is swiftly becoming more complex. We’re losing touch with our sense of community, our sense of place, and even our sense of Self.
At The Common Ground Project, we understand that healthy human/landscape relationships are essential to not only our mutual well-being and, ultimately, survival, but also to our reaching higher potentials of being fully human. Here, we leave behind the pressures of the urban world and reconnect with nature; We’re drawing strength from wild places while honoring those who lived here before us; Building a community that stands for inclusivity, adventure, learning, and sharing our stories… one campfire at a time.
The impact? It is what we make of it. May our fire be an invitation to learn and grow, together. If only to be open to the potential, and if only to firmly believe in this:
"We are more connected than we are divided."
Here's a testimonial from one of our participants from summer, 2018:
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OTHER WAYS YOU CAN HELP
OK! If you've read this far we are more than grateful! Please consider the many options for contributing to this campaign, proudly wear a beanie or hat this winter, decorate your home with a signed photograph from one of our friends, and come see us in Montana at one of our opening retreats this summer!
If none of these are an option for you, that's OK! You can still help by spreading the word. Crowd-funding has proven over and over to be a powerful tool for building awareness and generating seed money for start-ups; at it's core is the essence of the crowd and THAT starts with spreading the word. Please, help us by sharing our story. The big world of social media is a great starting point and IndieGoGo also has its own sharing tools.
If you're really into it, call a friend and email your colleagues, fellow students, peers, and family members. We can't do this without you!
Questions? Please don't hesitate to contact us!
And feel free to email Daniel directly at: daniel@thecommongroundproject.us
Thank you for supporting our vision!
