What Is Crowdfunding?

Crowdfunding refers to increasing funds for a distinct cause or project by asking numerous people to donate money, in small amounts and usually during a reasonably short period, such as a few months. Crowdfunding is done online, often with social networks. This makes it straightforward for supporters to share a reason or project cause on social media. Businesses and individuals alike can utilize crowdfunding for any project, for example, a charitable cause, creative project, business startup; school tuition; or personal expenses.

Crowdfunding is most often utilized by startup companies and also growing businesses to access alternative money. It is a creative way of sourcing funding for new projects, businesses, or ideas.

It can also be a way of developing a community around your offering. By utilizing the power of the online community, you can also earn valuable market insights and access to new customers for your digital marketing services.

How Does Crowdfunding Work?

Crowdfunding platforms are websites that allow exchange between fundraisers and the crowd. Financial commitments can be created and assembled through the crowdfunding platform.

Crowdfunding platforms usually charge fundraisers a price if the fundraising campaign has been prosperous. In return, crowdfunding platforms will deliver a protected and easy-to-use service.

Many platforms work an all-or-nothing funding model. This indicates that if you get to your target, you earn money. And if you don’t, everybody gets their money back – no complicated feelings and no financial loss.

There are several crowdfunding sorts which are explained below. This guide delivers impartial advice to aid you in understanding the three most typical types of crowdfunding utilized by profit-making startups.

Main Types of Crowdfunding

Equity crowdfunding

Sale in a business to numerous investors in return for investment. The idea is identical to how standard stock is bought or sold on a stock exchange or venture capital.

Rewards-based

People contribute to a project or business with anticipation of obtaining a non-financial reward, for example, goods or services, at a later stage in exchange for their contribution.

Donation-based

Individuals contribute small amounts to complete the larger funding purpose of a unique charitable project while receiving no financial or material return.

Debt-securities crowdfunding

Individuals invest in debt security issued by the company, such as a bond.

Hybrid models

Offer businesses the opportunity to combine elements of more than one crowdfunding type.

The Advantages of Crowdfunding

Crowdfunding has several benefits over traditional methods, from tapping into a broader investor pool to more adaptable fundraising optional methods. Here you can find some of the possible advantages, which we’ll cover in greater detail later in this guide:

• Reach – Utilizing a crowdfunding platform such as Fundable, you have admission to hundreds of approved investors who can look at, interact with, and share your fundraising campaign.
• Presentation – By making a crowdfunding campaign, you go through the valuable method of seeing your business from the top level—its history, offerings, addressable market, worth proposition, and more—and boiling it down into a polished, effortlessly digestible package.
• PR & Marketing – You can also share and boost your campaign through social media, email newsletters, and other online marketing strategies from beginning to end. As you and other media outlets cover your fundraising progress, you can duplicate by driving traffic to your website and other company resources.
• Validation of Concept – Offering your concept or business to the masses affords an ideal option to validate and purify your offering. If possible, investors start to express interest and ask questions; you’ll quickly see if something is missing, making them more likely to buy in.
• Efficiency – One of the most valuable things about online crowdfunding is its ability to consolidate and simplify your fundraising endeavors. By creating a single, complete profile to which you can funnel all your options and potential investors, you eliminate the necessity to follow each of them individually. So instead of duplicating endeavors by printing documents, compiling binders, and manually updating each one when there’s an update, you can offer everything online in a much more convenient format, leaving you with much more time to operate your business than fundraising.

Examples of Triumphant Crowdfunding Sites

You can utilize many online crowdfunding platforms to kick off your business. Here you can learn about four of the top crowdfunding sites you can utilize to grow your company.

Kickstarter

Kickstarter has been a rewards-based donation platform assisting companies to increase money since 2009. It has increased by more than $5 billion for more than 182,000 projects. What makes Kickstarter so successful is how straightforward the site is to utilize.

GoFundMe

GoFundMe is a donation-based crowdfunding company; although it’s utilized for more charitable initiatives, businesses can also benefit from the platform. This is an ideal opportunity for nonprofit organizations and businesses with service-based industries. 

LendingClub

LendingClub is a debt-based crowdfunding site as it is a P2P lending platform. It delivers up to $40,000 in personal loans and $500,000 in small business financing.

Note: if you have a small business, having some fresh content marketing ideas from a professional digital marketing agency can be great for you.

Indiegogo

Indiegogo is a reward-based platform that delivers two types of funding. Fixed funding lets you set a purpose for a particular amount of money. If you don’t get to your target, all funds are returned to donors. Adaptable funding is when you’re looking for any amount of monetary help. All of which you can keep whether you gain your purpose or not.