--- title: "Tuesday Buzz: Sesame Street Tries Crowdfunding" id: "42236" type: "post" slug: "tuesday-buzz-sesame-street-tries-crowdfunding" published_at: "2018-04-10T20:45:45+00:00" modified_at: "2026-11-09T16:05:23+00:00" url: "https://associationsnow.com/2018/04/10/tuesday-buzz-sesame-street-tries-crowdfunding/" markdown_url: "https://associationsnow.com/2018/04/10/tuesday-buzz-sesame-street-tries-crowdfunding.md" excerpt: "The children’s television show is launching a Kickstarter campaign to combat bullying of children with autism. Also: A popular rock band starts a membership group for fans." taxonomy_category: - "Membership" taxonomy_post_tag: - "AssociationsNow" - "Business" - "community data" - "fan engagement" - "Membership" taxonomy_content_format: - "Article" taxonomy_role: - "Association CEO / Executive Director" - "C-Level" - "Executive Team" taxonomy_persona: - "Association Professionals" --- [Home](https://associationsnow.com/) » [Articles](https://associationsnow.com/format/article/) » Tuesday Buzz: Sesame Street Tries Crowdfunding Last year, *Sesame Street* debuted a new Muppet named Julia, a 4-year-old girl with autism. The children’s show did a lot of research to [accurately and sensitively portray](https://associationsnow.com/2017/03/autism-group-lends-expertise-sesame-street/) Julia, and she wound up being a huge hit. Now, the show, through the Sesame Workshop’s Sesame Street Yellow Feather Fund is expanding its autism awareness efforts with a new Kickstarter campaign. “The program has launched its first-ever crowdfunding campaign, which will fund an autism initiative to tackle bullying prevention,” writes Melissa Locker in a [new post for Fast Company (opens in a new tab)](https://www.fastcompany.com/40556377/heres-why-sesame-street-is-turing-to-kickstarter-for-the-first-time) . “An estimated one in 68 children in the United States is on the autism spectrum. While the diagnosis is common, public understanding of autism is not,” [says the Kickstarter (opens in a new tab)](https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/sesamestreet/help-prevent-bullying-with-sesame-streets-autism-i) page. “Research shows that children with autism are five times more likely to be bullied than their neurotypical peers.” If you’re wondering why a show that airs on HBO needs to crowdfund, keep in mind that *Sesame Street* is owned and controlled by a nonprofit organization, and PBS and HBO are merely distribution channels. ### A Rock Band’s Membership Group > Introducing Cherry Tree. > > We’ve been hard at work on a new community for our fans – a place where we can connect directly with you, and somewhere we can give back to everyone. Today we’re pleased to offer initial sign-ups for Cherry Tree. > > More info at [https://t.co/VysPuSuCPG (opens in a new tab)](https://t.co/VysPuSuCPG) > [pic.twitter.com/FqF7gmE2eJ (opens in a new tab)](https://t.co/FqF7gmE2eJ) > > — The National (@TheNational) [April 9, 2018 (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/TheNational/status/983409258237779970?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) **We’re all familiar with fan clubs**, but popular rock band The National is taking fan engagement to the next level. Yesterday, The National announced the launch of a membership community called Cherry Tree. “[It is] a place where the band can connect directly with, and give back to each of them,” [says the website (opens in a new tab)](https://americanmary.com/cherry-tree/) . Membership benefits include exclusive content, ticketing priority, content just for subscribers, and more. The annual membership fee is $50. ### Other Links of Note **Telling members what you want them to know** isn’t the same thing as telling them what they need to hear. Amanda Kaiser [explores the difference (opens in a new tab)](http://www.smooththepath.net/2018/04/10/do-not-tell-members-what-you-want-them-to-know/) . **More and more people are using their smartphones to donate**. Here’s how to [generate loyal mobile supporters (opens in a new tab)](https://bloomerang.co/blog/5-strategies-to-strengthen-relationships-with-mobile-donors/) from the Bloomerang blog. **How does your group handle negative social media comments?** M+R shares a cheat sheet for [responding to tough situations (opens in a new tab)](https://www.mrss.com/toolshed/social-media-manners-manager/) . (Sesame Workshop) [Raegan Johnson](https://associationsnow.com/author/raegan-johnson/) Raegan Johnson is a contributor to Associations Now. [More articles by this author](https://associationsnow.com/author/raegan-johnson/) Tags: [#Business](https://associationsnow.com/tag/business/) [#community data](https://associationsnow.com/tag/community-data/) [#fan engagement](https://associationsnow.com/tag/fan-engagement/) [#Membership](https://associationsnow.com/tag/membership/) **Stay Informed** [Subscribe to our free newsletter](https://associationsnow.com/newsletter/) , *Associations Now Daily News*, to find out what’s happening in the association world every business day. ## You Might Like - [TemplateMembers onlyMember Onboarding ToolkitNovember 5, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/11/05/member-onboarding-toolkit/) - [VideoCommunity Voices: Pat BlakeSeptember 15, 2021](https://associationsnow.com/2021/09/15/community-voices-pat-blake/) - [VideoCommunity Voices: Sharon NewportSeptember 15, 2021](https://associationsnow.com/2021/09/15/community-voices-sharon-newport/) - [VideoCommunity Voices: Silvia QuevedoSeptember 15, 2021](https://associationsnow.com/2021/09/15/community-voices-silvia-quevedo/) ## Comments **Comments are for ASAE members.** [Learn more about comments on this site.](https://associationsnow.com/comments/) [Log in](https://associationsnow.com/login?redirect_to=https%3A%2F%2Fassociationsnow.com%2F2018%2F04%2F10%2Ftuesday-buzz-sesame-street-tries-crowdfunding%2F%23comments) to your member account or [join ASAE](https://my.asaecenter.org/select-a-membership-type/) !