We deal with a lot of adventurers looking for funding to execute his or her various projects, and help out whenever possible. But getting sponsorship dollars can be highly competitive these days and often their might be a few too many strings attached when the money comes. Welcome internet start up, Kickstarter, a social media fundraising platform that kind of works like a development based Ebay. It’s not an investment mechanism, it’s a tool to make your project or endeavor come to life by tapping your constituency. Here’s an example of a project from our good friend Roz Savage who is giving it a try to fund the basic costs of a project:
“Roz Savage is now taking a message to the climate change conference in Copenhagen, in her role as United Nations “Climate Hero”. With a small group of friends she will set out on Nov 20 to walk 200 miles from Big Ben to Brussels, where she will join the United Nations Climate Express train for the remainder of the journey to Copenhagen.”
What Kickstarter allows you to do is to develop a project, state a budget for it, and then use your own social media network to ask your constituents to fund your project. The funding process comes in the form of pledges within a given time frame. Why is it a pledge instead of a donation? Well, basically, if you don’t get enough to fund the project in it’s entirety, then the project isn’t going to get off the ground. So, Kickstarter only works if you meet or exceed your goal, and those who pledge are only charged if that goal is met. Kickstarter only takes a cut (5%) if you make your goal. Right now, the service is new and is limited to those invited to join. It’s the goal of Kickstarter to open it up to everyone, eventually. As is the case with Roz Savage, deliverables are based on pledge amounts, and project creators have complete autonomy with regard to the project’s scope and its deliverables. It’s a really cool idea, and it formalizes a good idea in such a way that it can get funded. Good luck Roz! I’m making a donation to you today!
