Thank you so much for backing our SparkFun National Tour Kickstarter campaign. Despite falling short of our goal we learned a lot about designing campaigns, crowd-sourced fundraising, and the challenges of tackling big projects around the holiday season. Most importantly, we were amazed at the outpouring of support from people both by donations as well as offers to volunteer as boots on the ground in several communities throughout the U.S. We are so incredibly grateful to be part of such an amazing community. The humbling Kickstarter failure is balanced by the enthusiasm of everyone who has reached out to us during the campaign. 

From the very beginning we have been dedicated to running some version of the national tour regardless of the outcome of this campaign. Our decision to create a Kickstarter project for this endeavor was to encourage the community to participate in the fundraising and planning of this adventure. Hidden inside this campaign are so many successes that it's not hard to see all the potential that arises from this opportunity. All fifty states and the District of Columbia made the map, we had nine backers pull together $2500 to ensure that we would make it to their community, and we created relationships with many new friends who are as excited about STEAM and electronics education as we are. 

The Department of Education at SparkFun Electronics will find a way to hit the road again in 2013. While we may not be able to promise a stop in every state, we will do our best to reach as many communities across the nation as we can. For those of you who are interested in communicating with us about the potential for a stop on our 2013 tour, please feel free to send us an email at edutour@sparkfun.com. 

Thank you again for all of your support and we look forward to working with you to make some version of this tour a reality in 2013. 

Sincerely, 

Lindsay Levkoff, Ph.D., Director of Education

Our campaign draws to a close at 2PM MST on Wednesday of this week. This will be our last update before the final push! We have a ways to go yet but thanks to all of you who've pledged we've now broken the $50,000 mark! Also, a big thanks to all eight of our $2,500 backers.

Five states have pledged over $3,000, the minimum for a visit. Texas, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Iowa, and Michigan top the standings.

If you haven't yet backed the campaign but have thought about it, now's the time! Also consider voting if you've backed but not voted. Just check for the link in your email.

Now's also the time to help spread the word about the campaign to anyone who may be interested. Check below for this update in video form, and thanks again to all of our backers thus far.

We now stand on the cusp of our final week of fundraising! Here's an update on where we are. Jump to the bottom for this update in video form.

48 States Represented!

So far all but two states - West Virginia and South Dakota - have representation on the big map. Meanwhile: Massachusetts, Iowa, and Michigan are battling it out for the most funds raised.

EDIT: Backers from West Virginia and South Dakota have shown up! Our map now covers ALL 50 STATES!

Backers: have you voted for your state yet? If not, check your email for a message from the campaign. You should find a link to an interactive map where you can click your state. Represent! You can also check the freshest numbers on how the states rank by going to the live results page on SparkFun.com.

The Dollar Challenge

Today we're issuing a challenge to the entire SparkFun community to kick in one dollar to help us meet our goal. We're blessed with tens of thousands of visits every day from good people excited about electronics and if everyone chipped in even this little bit we would make our goal in short order.

Please consider spreading the dollar challenge to those you know who would want to help bring electronics education into the classroom. With your continued help we can make this tour happen!

We're back with another update! We're starting gain steam, so please continue to help spread the word! Read below for updates or scroll to the bottom for this update in video form.

A New Backing Level at $240

We're now offering the Kitchen Sink Pack - a commemorative SparkFun National Tour T-Shirt, a Learn to Solder: Simon Says Kit, and a special edition SparkFun Inventor's Kit for generous backers who want to give $240.

State Count

In what we think is a KickStarter first each backer has the ability to select the state they wish to back with their pledge and the results are visible in real time. So far we've received votes from 42 out of the 50 states, with only Arkansas, Deleware, Montana, Nevada, North Dakota, South Dakota, West Virginia, and Wyoming yet to pledge. Hey folks in those states - we want to come visit you!

The States: Animated

Head over to the live results page on SparkFun.com to see where backers want their pledges to go. Presently Michigan, Massachusetts, and Iowa have a commanding lead. Now you can watch the votes add up over time! Use the scroll bar below the map to move back and forth through time or hit the play button to watch the map fill up with goodness.

Want to see your contribution appear on the map? Scroll to the time you voted and you should see the satisfying flash on the state of your choosing. Haven't backed the campaign? Back it today and vote for where you want to make a difference in education!

Please Help Spread The Word!

We've got a modest start but need to really get our message out. Please help by sending the link for this campaign to anyone you know who may be interested in expanding education for children into the amazing world of electronics. We can help a generation of young people know more about the technology they use every day and we need your help to reach the masses!

Update Video - also available on YouTube

It's been a dynamite first week and things are off to a roaring start! Read below for updates or scroll to the bottom for this update in video form.

Update on the states

Thanks to all of our backers who have followed the links we've provided to vote for their state! Early in the running Texas and California were battling it out for the most funds raised until our first $2,500 backer generously came through and pushed Massachusetts to the top of the pile.

A new backing level and a twist on an existing one

Many of you spoke - a backing level in between the $10 and $75 levels was wanted - and we listened. Now for $35 you can help fund the SparkFun National Tour and get a limited edition SparkFun National Tour 2013 T-Shirt. Shirts are made of a high-quality, soft tri-blend material and are available in men's and women's cuts. They are also only available through this campaign!

For all of our $75 backers the SparkFun engineers came through with some new firmware for the Learn to Solder: Simon Says Kit. This addition includes a two-player battle mode! Never before has this been available on the popular intro to soldering kit.

How Can You Help?

Finally, many friendly folks have inquired about how they can help on the tour, be it volunteering at a tour stop or supporting us in other ways. We're so impressed by the outpouring of support and are very grateful!

Right now, the best way to help is to spread the word! Share this campaign with others, especially those in your area if you want us to come to your state, town, or school.

Update Video - also available on YouTube