Training Camp Fundraiser Update: Thank You and There’s More!

A week and a half ago, I posted a fundraiser for coverage of the Minnesota Vikings training camp, and you all responded magnificently.

As it stands, there are currently 85 people who I’m going to send a training camp guide to, and as of this posting we’ve nearly raised the total original goal. That’s fantastic news; thank you!

That’s going to allow me to continue to cover the camp with the most in-depth and hopefully up-to-date coverage for the Minnesota Vikings, and might be the most thorough coverage of any team at any training camp by any organization. I want to continue that tradition, and you all have helped me do it.

The draft guide is shaping up well, and it looks like it will be longer than I thought; it could get to 100 pages. There’s a lot of content in there that I haven’t put anywhere else, so it should be a really fun read before training camp (and if you’re OK taking a relatively thick magazine, during training camp as well).

Beyond that, we also have raised more than $200.00 for Dakota’s medical care. Pretty phenomenal stuff.

Previously, I had mentioned that money made above $3200 would be largely used as a means of increasing the share that goes to Dakota as well as other bloggers (like those at the Daily Norseman) to cover the event (originally, 8% went to Dakota’s medical expenses and 8% went to other bloggers before hitting $3200. After hitting that amount, those percentages would double) with the rest going to cover my out of training camp living expenses.

The percentage doubling won’t change at $3200, but I’ve encountered an opportunity to really make the coverage at training camp pop in a big way and increase the number of rewards I can offer people. In addition to the people offering their temporary camera services, I’ve been able to secure—contingent upon donations—the services of a professional freelance photographer who will also be able to do some video work. We’ll get an exclusive gallery of shots for Vikings Territory and some great action photos from camp.

With that, I’ve also been able to provide different rewards for people donating (or people who have already donated). Anyone who has or will donate $45.00 or more can, in addition to the training camp guide, request one of the following:

• Be a guest on the Norse Code podcast
• Receive a 20×30 poster with a collage of all 90 players
• Receive a 20×30 poster with one pic of any player

If you want more than one of those rewards, each additional reward is $20 ($65 for any of the two rewards above, $85 for all three) and the training camp guide is still included at all those levels.

I cannot promise that the poster will be exactly 20×30—we’re investigating pricing options and we may end up getting it between 22×28 and 24×36, but it will be in that ballpark.

If you’ve already donated a smaller amount and want to take part in any of the rewards, simply donate again with the difference (if, for example, you donated $40.00 and want an additional reward, simply donate $5.00 more) and the same name you used with your original donation, along with a message clarifying that you are eligible for another award.

Separate from all of those are two $10 rewards (if you donated $25.00 to get a camp guide or $45.00 to get one of the three above rewards, you would still need to donate an additional $10 to get the following rewards):

• An 8×10 photo of any player
• An article request (approved by me, of course)

An article request would basically be an email asking me to investigate or speak on a particular Vikings- or football-related issue.

With all that in mind, the new goal is $4000 even. This will cover the additional cost of a photographer and some additional expenses that have cropped up in the mean time.

If we do not reach $4000, but do reach $3200, I will still be going to training camp to cover it, but I will not be able to promise that I can fulfill the photo-related rewards (though I will still try).

If you’ve already donated a reward level, just message me with your desired reward and some details about your donation so I can confirm it’s you.

Thank you for your support! It’s been incredible to be able to cover training camp and the fact that you follow me spew words into the internet is a huge honor.