Looking to start a new project (a website, a music album, a movie, self-publish a novel), but don’t have to necessary funds to get things going? Don’t despair! Harness the power of the crowdfunding!
Wikipedia defines crowdfunding as:
“the collective cooperation, attention and trust by people who network and pool their money and other resources together, usually via the Internet, to support efforts initiated by other people or organizations. Crowd funding occurs for any variety of purposes, from disaster relief to citizen journalism to artists seeking support from fans, to political campaigns, to funding a startup company, movie or small business or creating free software.”
How Does It Work?
While it varies, the basic idea is that you create a crowdfunding event on a crowdfunding site like Kickstarter. Typically, the event has a set monetary goal and a deadline. You also explain to potential donors what you are looking to do (for example, hire Kelleher Web Design to build a website to promote your new novel) and how you will reward them based on the amount of their donation.
For example, maybe you will offer a signed copy of the finished book or an autographed photo of you in steampunk costume at Comicon or a video interview of you discussing how you came up with the characters for your story. You get the idea. With some crowdfunding sites geared towards startups, you can even offer shares in your company.
Where Do I Start?
There are a wide range of crowdfunding sites, each catering to a specific type of project or goal or business. Some of the most popular crowdfunding sites include Kickstarter, StartSomeGood, Peerbackers, eppela, Indiegogo, RocketHub, quirky, New Jelly, profounder, Startup Addict, and Appsfunder.
Check each one out to find the one that’s the right fit for you. And look at the successful listings (the ones where they met their fundraising goal) for ideas of how to attract potential donors.
Don’t let a lack of funds keep you from achieving your dreams. Get creative and let your passion drive you to success!