Who wants to get their small business off the ground but doesn’t have the money to? The answer to that question is a lot of people, and most aspiring entrepreneurs need a decent amount of money to turn their idea into a reality.
That’s where crowdfunding comes in. Today, there are a number of sites that'll let you build a profile pitching your idea so that people may donate money to fuel your project or cause.
Kickstarter
Kickstarter is said to be the most well-known crowdfunding website amongst all the others. If you’re looking to raise money for your endeavor that leans more toward the creative side, then this website is perfect for you.
It limits its submissions to categories like design, the arts, and technology and gaming. It’s only available to residents in either the U.S. or the U.K. The application process is thorough, though, making it very hard to get your project accepted.
When it comes to reaching your set goal, Kickstarter goes by the all-or-nothing rule. This means that if you don’t reach your goal, you can’t keep any of the money that was raised. If you reach your goal, you’re simply charged a five percent transaction fee. For example if you have an app that you want developed but need a custom software development company and need $20,000 then put your goal at around 5% percent above this so you will have sufficient funds to complete your dream!
Kickstarter has had 63,010 successfully funded projects and more than $1 billion have been pledged to them. One of its favorite projects is a computer and coding kit fit for all ages called Kano. This project was able to raise well above its goal of $100,000.
Many of these goals that are reached are to help with production of a certain project which sometimes can be costly. Once your project is funded, looking to patent an invention or make sure your idea doesn’t have any copycats is important. Nothing can take the wind out of a project’s sails quite like a copycat cause or product.
Indiegogo
Indiegogo is known for giving its creators the most freedom when it comes to crowdfunding. It accepts all submissions of any kind with no review process, and it only charges a four percent transaction fee if your funds are raised.
However, it does charge nine percent fee if you’re unable to reach your goal. Globally speaking, it’s the largest crowdfunding website because it doesn’t limit submissions to a specific location. There are 224 countries that are home to Indiegogo campaigns, and each month Indiegogo has nine million people from all over the world visiting its site.
Indiegogo also became the first crowdfunding site to help fund a family seeking to conceive its first child. A couple that needed IVF treatments to have a child had more than $8,000 dollars pledged to their campaign.
RocketHub
RocketHub initially launched with the arts in mind, but quickly expanded to include other categories such as science, education, business, and social good projects. Its annual SciFund Challenge helped the site to gain popularity, especially within the sciences.
It also has a connection with A&E networks, which gives some campaigns the opportunity to be chosen to receive extra support from this partnership. It has a four percent transaction fee if all funds are raised, and an eight percent fee if partial funds are raised.
Only 400,000 people are visiting their site each month, which means they are a step down from Indiegogo and Kickstarter when it comes to traffic on the site. Its campaigns have an 11 percent success rate. The one unique thing about this site is its Success School, which offers tools to help you build better projects and businesses.
Crowdfunder
On Crowdfunder, it’s not just about raising money for your campaign but being a part of a larger network of companies, investors, and entrepreneurs. Their focus centers around equity and investment crowdfunding. Applying campaigns must be solely for profit.
Crowdfunder encourages crowdfunding not only online but offline, as well. This site is similar to Indiegogo in that it accepts campaigns from around the world. Like Kickstarter, its transaction fee is a flat $299 per project or $999 a month without any percent taken from the total money raised.
Crowdfunder also goes by the all-or-nothing rule. A project on this site that has already been funded is RECESS which is an “artist backed media group that activates millennials around music and technology.” Business and individuals are able to set up campaigns on Crowdfunder.
