Do you crowdfund?

I’d vaguely heard of crowd funding but only investigated a few months ago and have since backed 11 of which 3 were not successful, and 2 are still seeking funding.

The idea is that someone puts up details of a project that they need help to fund and people pledge a set amount and the project only goes ahead if they reach the goal in the set time. They only charge your card once the project deadline is reached and the funding goal met. There are rewards for different funding levels – often a copy of the object being funded. So someone can raise thousands of dollars through lots of people backing them for under $25.

For instance I have this lovely broach as a reward for funding an Edinburgh based glass artist.

I’ve found some useful and different items that will be great gifts for my nephews in technology inventions, funky t-shirts and fantasy and game based creations. 

I’ve only used the kickstarter site.  I find it rather overwhelming trying to look at everything so I tend to choose just one category to browse each time I visit, for instance local people or small projects or technology or popular. 

I’ve been thinking of asking if anyone else has participated and was finally spurred to do so when I saw a project which seeks to give disposable cameras to people in Uganda (where many people have never owned a photo) and have the photos developed and record the stories of why they took the photos – sounds like the kind of project memorykeepers might like.  The project is called cageless birds. 

and another I’m backing may be of interest to those of you who have a family member with dyslexia or other reading issues – “a beautiful design led experience of what it feels like to struggle with reading”

Has anyone else crowd funded?  which sites do you use?