Crowdfunding is a great way to get financial help. Why is crowdfunding profitable? Foreign crowdfunding sites

Hello! In this article we will talk about crowdfunding.

Today you will learn:

• What is crowdfunding;
• Its main types;
• Features of crowdfunding in Russia;
• And crowdfunding platforms.

Crowdfunding is a fairly young and innovative phenomenon in the business world. Thanks to him, many entrepreneurs were able to launch their projects and make money from them, and charities and many media personalities can finance many of their endeavors with his help. So, first things first.

What is crowdfunding

In Russian, crowdfunding is a borrowed word. From English crowd(crowd) and funding(financing) turns out to be “crowd financing”. If we slightly adapt this phrase to the Russian language, we get “collective financing.” The name speaks for itself.

Crowdfunding – mass fundraising for a specific project, or the implementation of a specific idea.

It is very important for small businesses and many startups. In this way, many charitable events are financed, common, free software is created, books, songs and videos of many performers and writers are published. Crowdfunding is now one of the few ways to financially help people realize their ideas.

Some terminology:

Donor – a person who invests in a project. Recipient – those who collect funds in this way.

The most important condition for crowdfunding is openness. Initially, the recipient must collect all the expenses that he plans to cover with the help of other people and voice this figure. The amount of funds raised for a specific period of time should always be open to everyone. In this case, the main condition is that the funds must go exactly to the purpose specified in the project.

Crowdfunding is a new phenomenon in business, which means a massive collection of funds for the implementation of a project. People who invest funds are called donors, those who implement the project are called recipients. Crowdfunding can only be used under open conditions. All information about fundraising, as well as expenses and rewards (if any), is made available to everyone.

Crowdfunding is suitable for:

• and various;
• Charitable organizations;
• Writers and musicians;
• Fans and fans;
• Etc.

Types of crowdfunding

Crowdfunding, as a business direction, has 3 different types:

• Reward crowdfunding;
• Debt crowdfunding;
• Equity crowdfunding.

They all differ in their approach to investments from both the donor and the recipient. A little more about each.

Reward crowdfunding

One of the most popular crowdfunding methods. Its main feature is the issuance of a reward to the donor for his. Moreover, the reward rarely includes any money or other “return” for the investment. It is in this type of crowdfunding that its whole essence is revealed - you need, you and. But it’s easier to explain with a specific example.

Now it has become quite fashionable to raise money for videos, album releases, and recording individual songs using crowdfunding services. And so, the group, with an average number of loyal fans (several thousand), decided to launch a project and raise 400,000 rubles in order to shoot a new video for their song.

They create a theme for the project, launch it and issue awards:

• 100-500 rubles - access to the recording of the clip immediately after filming;
• 500-1000 rubles - clip, + autograph;
• 1000-2000 rubles - clip + poster with all autographs
• Etc.

This type of crowdfunding works on this principle. For the most part, it will be of interest to creative people, or charitable organizations that want to get money from those people who like the idea and want to be part of it. Or for sports teams who are raising money for something and would like to enlist the support of their fans. Today in Russia it is the most popular type of crowdfunding.

Equity crowdfunding

A crowdfunding method more similar to serious ones. It involves purchasing a share (percentage) in a company for an investment of funds. Essentially, this is an easy way to sell shares in a business, find partners, and so on. Works with already running projects, or with those that are just starting their work. However, making a profit is by no means guaranteed. On the contrary, the investor assumes all risks associated with investing in the project.

Great for small and medium-sized businesses that constantly require cash investments for active development. For companies that set ambitious goals, remaining within a small organization is quite unprofitable, and therefore they must constantly look for investors and funds to implement large-scale goals. And with the help of this method of crowdfunding, it is quite easy to find investors.

Debt crowdfunding

This type of crowdfunding is very similar to the previous one, with only one difference - all this is done in debt. This is what the name says, because debt– debt from English. It turns out that the donor, acting as an investor, invests his funds in a project that promises him either a return on investment, or a share in the project, and, accordingly, profit. This is a rather risky crowdfunding model for an investor, because he cannot fully know what he is investing in and what he can get in return.

But, at the same time, this is an excellent way for startups to attract additional capital, guaranteeing a return of funds, or even a share in the company (profit deductions) for those who invested in the project. Startups always involve some risk for those who work with them, and this applies to both donors and recipients. But, nevertheless, this method is really good as an alternative to investing in securities.

In addition to this, there are many other classifications that follow from this main one. The only thing that should be additionally highlighted is crowdlending. To lend in English - to borrow.

Hence, crowdlending – collective lending.

Quite an interesting type of activity, which is divided into 2 subtypes:

• P2P (Peer to peer) – lending to individuals, by individuals;
• P2B (Peer to business) – lending to legal entities and individuals.

This is a fairly new method of financing, which is almost not widespread in Russia and the CIS countries. In Europe, its popularity is just beginning to grow. This is convenient because the depositor receives a higher interest rate than in a bank, and the borrower, on the contrary, receives a much lower interest rate. But it should be borne in mind that this is a rather risky method of crowdfunding, because most often there is no collateral for such a loan. While this type continues to develop, and at a certain stage of development it should come to a guarantee of money back, as is done in credit institutions.

History of crowdfunding development

To decide why crowdfunding is needed, you need to look at the history of the American market. It was from there that such an interesting idea as mass fundraising came to Russia.

Initially, since the mid-20th century, the American securities market took a different and very interesting path - approximately half of the shares of small and developing companies were sold through an unregulated market. This means that anyone could buy shares in, for example, a small laundry that had just opened, even in the garage of the business owner.

And in the end, all this led to the fact that large savings flowed towards business, and many of those who wisely invested in shares of unknown companies, after some time received a considerable fortune. For example, one American family received about $3 million in 5 years by purchasing shares in a small company producing plastic cups in the early 80s. After 5 years, what they bought for a few hundred dollars was worth 3 million. And this is far from an isolated case.

The issue of regulating such a market remained open. On the one hand, there are difficulties for small companies with registering the issue of shares; on the other, there is the opportunity to speculate and make money on investors by selling them low-quality shares. At the same time, public investment really helped small and medium-sized businesses. In this way, through the sale of shares/shares/shares, more than one company has developed in the early stages.

The large number of small businesses in America, as well as the active development of startups as an entire business trend, has created a need for a large number of small investments. 10-50 thousand dollars is not the amount for which shares should be issued, registered, and sold with the help of intermediaries on the secondary market. And this is what created the need for public funding. Crowdfunding platforms began to emerge en masse, and in 2012, the obligation to register crowdfunding projects with the state was officially abolished in America and Europe.

Why crowdfunding is needed

Once the history and prerequisites for the creation of such crowdfunding, which we currently have, are completed, we can decide why it is needed. As mentioned earlier, the main idea of ​​crowdfunding is the implementation of a person’s ideas. True, society itself chooses which ideas to finance and which not. In essence, crowdfunding very accurately reflects the mood and need of the crowd as a whole. It shows what is interesting to ordinary people at the moment.

This is the cornerstone of business - the realization of human needs. But not every businessman does what others want. But crowdfunding is a real reflection of the desires of the crowd. If they are interested in something, it means they need it, and therefore they will invest their money in it.

At the same time, crowdfunding is also good for talented startups who want to implement their projects, but do not have their own capital. In addition to attracting funds, a competent businessman can see how ordinary people will greet his project - if they want to invest in it, it means that they would be interested in receiving the product - the result of his entrepreneurial activity. And this is already a reason to develop your business, and a kind of test for clients.

The same goes for creative activities. If fans want to see a new video or song by an artist, a new film, or an animated series, then they will invest their money. This minimizes recipient risks and makes donors feel like they are part of a larger project.

In addition, talented writers get the opportunity to publish their books at the expense of their readers. After all, very often, publishing houses reject books according to their often very strange criteria. And it can be very difficult for a young writer to be heard. And thus, fans get the opportunity to support their idol and help him realize himself.

And the most humane goal of crowdfunding is to help in charity. Many organizations involved in helping the homeless, victims of natural disasters, and people with disabilities do not have their own funds. And crowdfunding projects are a way for them not only to draw attention to a certain problem, but also to receive financial support from everyone.

With crowdfunding, everyone can be part of something bigger, whether it's an innovative idea, a new album from an unknown band, or helping a sick child. This is an investment available to every person, regardless of his financial situation and weight in society.

Distinctive features of crowdfunding

We will present to your attention 6 distinctive features of crowdfunding. They are the ones who determine this direction, help it move forward and attract a huge number of donors around the world. And it was thanks to them that millions of ideas found funds for their development, hundreds of thousands of people found money to implement their plans.

1. Clearly defined goal. The most important point. Before creating his project, the recipient must decide in advance on the purpose for which he will spend the money. The use of borrowed funds for needs not specified in the project is not permitted.
2. Time limit. One of the most important parts of crowdfunding. It helps to implement the idea that was mentioned earlier - to identify what people need now. If they feel the need for this, then they will invest their funds within a certain period of time and help in the implementation of the idea. If not, the project will close without raising the required amount of money.
3. Risks. By investing his money, the donor does not receive any guarantee that he will be able to return the funds or make a profit. This is the basic principle of investing. At the same time, social and charitable projects do not at all imply the receipt of income by the donor.
4. Broad specialization. Many areas of business, art and charity can benefit from crowdfunding. Modern venues can combine music, innovative technologies, and assistance to earthquake victims.
5. Openness. Anyone, not just donors, is provided with information about the progress of fundraising, the goals of the project and possible rewards. This is done so that everyone can understand what they want to invest in and see the business in great detail.
6. The main goal is the result. Each project is required to report to its donors on how the implementation of its goals is progressing. And there is a fine line here - if the project fails, for example, the computer program does not find demand among users, then all the money invested in the startup remains in it. It is considered unprofitable, that's all. But if the developer simply did not write the program, then he is obliged to return the money to his donors.

That’s why crowdfunding is in demand all over the world. Only those projects that are truly interesting to their audience receive financial support. Only what will really be in demand, regardless of whether it is a startup or a charity. Therefore, novice entrepreneurs can be recommended to use crowdfunding platforms not only as a way to attract funds, but also to analyze client interest.

5 tips on how to properly launch a crowdfunding project

Achieving success on a crowdfunding platform is quite a difficult task. Donors must notice a project from hundreds of others, decide whether to trust it, and then understand whether they can invest their money in it.

In order to achieve success and attract funds to a project, it is enough to follow 5 basic rules:

1. Realistic goal. Ambitious goals for businessmen are a really good idea. But in order to attract funds, you need to set real goals and implement them. That is why it is much better to raise money for a small project that you can implement and that will be within your power, rather than aiming for something big and simply not finding supporters. The most important task is to set a realistic goal that can be achieved.
2. Time. Statistics show that even investments are subject to seasonality. Summer is the most unfavorable time to start your project. A good time is mid-autumn, the moment when the bulk of people returned from vacation and earned enough money to invest in interesting startups.
3. Original idea. It's about finding the balance between standing out and staying real. The project should stand out from hundreds of others, but at the same time it should not slide into something unattainable.
4. A lot of information. Information about yourself, about the business, about plans for its implementation, experience with past projects, achievements, reports on results, and so on. The more information a project has, the more they trust it, and, therefore, the more they want to invest in it. People trust projects that have nothing to hide much more than unknown ones.
5. Clear business plan. Medium-term ideas and plans will always attract attention. Realists who soberly evaluate, make clear plans, imagine who the target audience is, the suppliers, and how they can realize their idea for profit, attract ordinary investors.

In addition to these general rules, each site has its own characteristics and pitfalls that need to be studied before the fundraiser is launched. You need to approach the opening of your crowdfunding project with all responsibility and care, because this is a real business. There is no place for blunders and mistakes.

Crowdfunding in the world

Before talking about global platforms, you need to understand how crowdfunding works around the world.

The whole process can be described in 7 steps:

1. Creating an idea. This is the most important stage that determines the success of the business, investments in it, and in general whether the entrepreneur will be successful;
2. Theoretical preparation. At this stage - choosing investment methods (in this case crowdfunding), preparing a business plan, searching for a site, collecting the necessary data on how to create a project;
3. Creating a Project. This stage can also be called a test - whether there will be demand for the idea, and accordingly for the product, rewards for investments, terms, etc. are determined;
4. Fundraising. A stage requiring minimal participation on the part of the recipient. Donors are interested in projects, and if they find meaning in it, they invest money;
5. End of fundraising. Payments are made to the site, the funds are transferred to a bank account, and after some time they go to the businessman’s account;
6. Implementation of the idea. At this moment, the idea turns into reality, the funds are spent for their intended purpose;
7. Results report. You need to report to your donors on the implementation of the project, what has been done, what is to come. At this stage, rewards, if any, are awarded.

Around the world, crowdfunding is an excellent way of investing for small and medium-sized businesses, as well as supporting talented creatives. This is precisely why there are a sufficient number of popular crowdfunding platforms.

Popular global crowdfunding platforms

Now, more about the five most popular crowdfunding platforms:

is the most popular crowdfunding platform in the world. On its basis, many other platforms were created that are still functioning today. It was she who came up with the main idea: if the project fails, that is, does not collect the necessary funds within the allotted period of time, then all the money is returned back to the donors.

The main specialization of Kickstarter is creative projects. These are new gadgets, various musical, gaming, literary and even new movies. Almost any creative idea can find a response on kickstarter and receive the necessary investment. The “power” of Kickstarter is evidenced by the fact that it is one of the thousand most popular sites in the world. Commission for raising funds – 5%.

is the second most popular international crowdfunding platform. Its main difference from Kickstarter is that all raised funds from donors are transferred to the recipient. Even if the project fails to raise the necessary investments, the money is not returned to donors.

The resource specializes in innovative and creative ideas. There is also charity. New directions for raising funds are often tested. The resource’s commission depends on whether the full amount of money was raised. If yes, then 4% is charged, if there are not enough funds, then 9% goes to the site.

— a platform for newcomers to crowdfunding. Her specialties are art, innovation and philanthropy. Ideal for those who have just recently learned about crowdfunding and don't know where to start. There is a separate school right on the site that will help beginners understand what to write in a project, how to attract more donors to one idea, and generally advertise the project before its launch.

This platform works exactly the same as Indie. How much money was collected is how much the recipient will receive. Depending on whether the amount was collected, the interest varies. If all the money has been received, then the platform receives a smaller percentage.

Can be called a completely universal crowdfunding platform. Here you can invest both in new projects and in businesses that have already existed for a long time. The list of recipients is very diverse - from charitable organizations to medium-sized businessmen who need investment. But there is a limit on this platform - $25 thousand per project.

The system also offers training courses to everyone. Immediately after registration, they will explain to the client how to use the platform, the main pitfalls of crowdfunding, and how to attract a sufficient number of donors. The standard commission is 5%.

Boomerang– perhaps the most significant of all platforms. It originated in Denmark, and initially, the main direction for raising funds was creativity - music and computer games were especially popular. But then, having reached a new level and becoming famous throughout Europe, the site changed its direction to charity. Social projects are much more popular here than on Kickstarter.

As for the amounts, everything is also somewhat different. Social projects rarely try to raise a large amount of money, and therefore the average amount raised for one action is 10 thousand dollars.

Also, there are sites that practice crowdfunding for personal needs. They publish projects where people raise money for weddings, funerals, and the purchase of vital items. For example, IndieGoGo, which relatively recently launched crowdfunding for weddings, studies and other vital events.

Crowdfunding in Russia: features and platforms

Things in Russia are not as rosy as abroad. While crowdfunding there has long been a means of developing small businesses and providing charitable support, for Russia it is still new.

Of course, many projects are being implemented every day in Russia, but such social coverage does not yet exist. Now, as in the early stages of European crowdfunding, the creative ideas of various musicians, poets, or directors are very popular. Social projects are less popular, but the media contribute to their coverage and subsequent popularization.

Things are pretty bad with startups in Russia. Small business is developing quite poorly, and therefore original and innovative ideas rarely appear, and are implemented even less often. Nevertheless, this direction will actively develop, just like in the West, because this is a convenient way not only for businessmen, but also for donors who are also interested in projects.

In Russia, there are only a few truly powerful and popular platforms for crowdfunding:

Boomstarter is one of the most popular crowdfunding platforms in Russia. Raises funds both for charitable purposes and for the implementation of creative projects. This platform is very unsuitable for startups and innovative ideas.

is the most popular site in Russia for attracting investments using crowdfunding.

At the same time, in Russia, crowdfunding is not developing as effectively as in European countries. Many sites are closing without seeing further development and no investors to continue. One of them was the platform “From the World by Thread,” a service for charitable fundraising for social needs. This idea did not take root in Russia, so it was decided to close the project.

But despite this, the number of entrepreneurs who started using this method is increasing. Experts predict that in a few years, the crowdfunding market will increase 10 times, which will entail the active development of entrepreneurship, creative activity, and charity.

If this happens, then crowdfunding in Russia and the CIS countries will reach the next level, and will allow all startups and businessmen to raise funds to implement their projects and test the market. But for now, the initial desire for creativity and charity prevails, with rare exceptions for business.

Why is it beneficial to use crowdfunding?

In order to understand all the benefits for a businessman, you can use the following table:

	Crowdfunding		Self-implementation
Financing options	Using crowdfunding platforms	No investor participation required	Borrowed funds; Attracting investors	Active user participation. When using borrowed funds (lending) there is a high risk
Deadline for raising funds	From 10 days to 2 months	No active investor participation required	From 1-5 days to a year	It will take a lot of time to raise funds, find partners and convince them
Dividends	Paid depending on the type (sometimes may not be available)	Businessman chooses payment scheme in advance	Negotiated in advance and can absorb the entire profit of the company	Most often, investors dictate terms
Development scheme	Successful projects receive close attention from more well-known companies	Advertising at the top of crowdfunding platforms is the key to a business being taken over by a successful corporation	Projects are less known due to the narrow circle of people who know about them	Lack of publicity means that large companies do not know about this idea, and will only find out if it takes off.

As you can see, the main difference is that in crowdfunding, money is raised without the active participation of the investor. It is enough to find a good way of rewarding and “warm up” the audience. Everything else happens by itself. Also, the time frame for investing using crowdfunding is statistically lower, because finding investors can take much more time.

Also, advertising on crowdfunding platforms is an important factor. Many startups have been acquired by larger companies for huge sums of money, simply because of the attention they receive on fundraising platforms. Such a startup can truly be considered successful, because it brought its creator a lot of money, and the project remained afloat for a long time.

For creative people, the benefits are even clearer. Selling your projects to publishers and producers is much less profitable and convenient than selling to your fans. Also, this is an opportunity for young writers and musicians to express themselves and release their first creations at the expense of other people's funds. A convenient reward system allows you to sell the first copies of your material, thereby increasing your popularity.

Implementing charitable projects using crowdfunding is the easiest way to attract attention and money to a certain problem. Particularly important issues are covered in the media and receive active publicity on the Internet, which attracts additional participants and funds. Crowdfunding platforms are a kind of advertising and a way to attract people’s attention to any problem.

Examples of crowdfunding projects

The most successful crowdfunding project on Kickstarter is Pebble Smart Watch. High-tech watches for smartphones. The company raised more than $1 million on its first day. During the entire campaign, which lasted just under a month, the developers were able to collect more than $10 million. Funds were raised using the Reward Crowdfunding scheme - for transferring $99 or more, donors were promised a new watch, even before sales began.

One of the most high-profile examples of crowdfunding is the election campaign of Barack Deception in 2008. Over its entire period, more than $280 million was collected. About 2 million Americans spent their money to support his company. Thanks to such investments, the future president was able to conduct an election campaign, and thanks to it he won the subsequent presidential elections.

Stephen King, a famous writer, posted a chapter of his book and offered to read it for $1. As a result, his entire project raised more than $1 million, which he used to publish the entire book.

The most successful project on the Russian crowdfunding platform planeta is the recording of a new album by the group Alisa. He managed to attract investments of 11 million rubles in just over 4 months.

Boomstarter record holder – board game Sickle. She collected about 7 million rubles on the Russian platform. Quite a significant figure by Russian standards.

From these success stories, we can highlight the following: Philanthropic, creative, political and innovative ideas are the most attractive around the world. Regardless of the country, attention to art, politics and human issues remains the most important reason to invest money.

Conclusion

Crowdfunding– a whole direction in business that continues to actively develop. It can be called popular financing - a way of raising funds in which ordinary people can participate in the development of any project and the implementation of any idea. It shows what is in demand among people, as well as what can attract their attention. In Russia, crowdfunding is just beginning to emerge, but it also has enormous potential, the implementation of which will help achieve the active development of small and medium-sized businesses.

Collective financing of business ideas and social programs for domestic citizens is a relatively new experience. The first Russian crowdfunding sites appeared only in 2007. Initially, they covered highly specialized areas of investing in creative projects of musicians, writers, and directors.

One of the pioneers is the site Kroogi.com - a platform for providing creativity to Internet users in exchange for voluntary donations. It has a separate directory for crowdfunding, where you can raise funding for recording albums, filming films and video clips, as well as for charitable purposes.

Social services also gained significant weight among domestic platforms. Among them:

• Together.ru- a site founded by a community of readers of the dirty.ru blog. He is involved in fundraising for various social projects throughout the Russian Federation.
• Blagobox.ru- raises funds for the treatment of children with serious illnesses.

Experts consider the main problem of public financing in Russia to be low awareness of the mechanisms for its implementation, both among investors and among project authors. Thus, Russian crowdfunding sites note a strong shortage in the area of ​​creating innovative products. This is due to the fact that it can be difficult for inventors and developers to convey the essence of the project to a wide range of people, and therefore they choose direct cooperation with real business investors. To solve this issue, the Russian crowdfunding platform Boomstarter offered a free online course on the basics of collective investing, creating and promoting ideas.

The best Russian crowdfunding sites

The difficulties in developing mechanisms for public financing of ideas are also associated with the high level of distrust of domestic investors. This leads to the rapid closure of most platforms even in the initial stages of formation. So, if the rating of foreign services includes dozens of multi-directional services, then the most successful Russian crowdfunding platforms for business are represented by a list of three leaders:

• Planeta.ru- one of the first domestic online platforms for crowdfunding. At the end of 2016, the platform had collected 565 million rubles, allowing the implementation of about 2.5 thousand ideas. Provides the opportunity to attract funding in 24 categories, including classic business startups, creative projects and social entrepreneurship. Payments are made if the full amount of the declared amount is collected, as well as with investments of more than 50% of the required capital, if the author of the idea is ready to fulfill obligations to sponsors. The service commission for commercial projects is 10-15%. Social programs are not subject to commission fees.
• Smipon.ru- Russian crowdfunding platform “One Thread from the World.” It provides an opportunity to receive funding for projects in 10 categories. The uniqueness of the site lies in strict manual verification at all stages, from the creation of an application to the execution of the idea. Only citizens of the Russian Federation can apply. Payment of the collected investments is carried out in an “all or nothing” format (only if the requested amount is reached). The site's commission fees range from 3.5% to 5%.
• Boomstarter.ru- covers 15 categories of projects, which include various areas of art, goods production, and publishing. As of 2016, the site was able to attract more than 326 million rubles and implement more than 1,300 projects. Receipt of collected funds is possible with a time limit (subject to the required amount being collected) or upon achieving target investments (for non-commercial purposes). Commission fees for projects that reach the required amount are 5%.

The largest Russian crowdfunding platform is the website Planeta.ru

Alternative crowdfunding services

In recent years, the largest Internet companies Yandex and Mail.ru have launched their own products to support crowdfunding in Russia.

• Project “Together” from Yandex- a non-standard platform that allows you to create Internet pages requesting funding for various purposes, including personal needs (see Crowdfunding for personal needs and goals). Payments from investors are made immediately and have no restrictions on time or volume.
• Welcome Mail.Ru- the service offers a huge number of charitable projects that anyone can finance. Fundraising is carried out until the required amount is received.

In addition to the main platforms, tracker sites (Thestartman.ru) aimed at investors are also appearing. Such services offer convenient viewing of all current crowdfunding projects in Russia, collected on various websites.

The main advantage of domestic sites is the opportunity to receive money even in the absence of the fact of collecting the full amount, and often without a time limit. This allows projects to be launched, providing newly attracted investors with real evidence of the effective operation of the public financing system.

Where can I get money to start a business? A bank will not give a loan to a beginning entrepreneur; taking money from moneylenders at crazy interest rates is also not an option; before you have time to get started, you’ll already be broke. All that remains is to either look for an investor or save on your own. But the Moneymaker Factory offers another option: to find investments using crowdfunding. Has civilization reached Russia in the form of crowdfunding platforms that will help turn a businessman’s dream into reality? Let's talk about “popular financing”, its pitfalls and other important aspects.

 

Businessman's story

45-year-old designer Alexey, whose average annual income for the last 5 years barely exceeded 500 thousand rubles, decided to slightly change the direction of his activity and start selling decorative plaster. Moreover: to change people’s consciousness and make this material more in demand and popular than wallpaper, since the raw materials are environmentally friendly and there is no need to destroy forests for its production. His project is based on 3 pillars:

According to the most conservative estimates, he needs 2 million rubles to start, and only a million of his own money. Not wanting to work with banks and microfinance organizations, Alexey turns to us for help in choosing a modern crowdfunding platform.

Is it even possible to raise money for such a project? We analyzed several popular resources and decided to help our hero. Only those sites that have been on the market for 2 years or more were taken as a “sample”.

What is the essence of the idea?

Non-refundable money can also be received from the state in the form of a business development grant. This is real, people on the street get it without any bribes.

Crowd funding (CF) is collective funding of projects, thanks to which the required amount of money is collected to launch a social initiative, a store, software development, publishing a book, recording an album. This list can be continued endlessly - theoretically, CF is suitable for implementing any task, be it launching a spaceship to Mars or lunch for the homeless. The only difference is whether the founder can raise the required amount or not.

Distinctive features of CF:

1. A clear idea. You cannot collect money “for the future” or “for yourself”: all of it must be directed to achieve a specific goal and within a set time period.
2. Limited. Both the final amount of money and the collection period are limited to the project. This is necessary in order to understand which project is of interest to the audience and which is not.
3. Any direction. Around the world, CF sites help raise money not only for artists, musicians and painters, but also for politicians and businessmen.
4. Venture. By making a contribution to a particular project, the user does not receive a guarantee of return on investment. If we are talking about social initiatives, then there is no need to count on compensation for your contribution.
5. Gratuitous. In most cases, CF venues do not require return of investment from the organizers. If we are talking about the development of a product or program, or the release of intellectual property, then the backer can only count on a bonus (all this is stipulated by the crowdfunder).
6. Productivity. The organizer is obliged to fulfill its obligations and report on them. If he does not do this, then he is obliged to return the money received for the implementation of the project.

Summary analysis of CF services in Russia:

Name	Planet	BoomStarter	Circles	ThankYou	Rusini	From the world by thread
Internet address
Fundraising method*
Work period	Over 2 years	About 2 years		Over 3.5 years	About 2 years	Over 3 years
System commission (including personal income tax)			15% + payment systems commission		0% + payment system commission
Popular destinations	Creativity, music, literature	Art, dance, comics, food, movies, technology, etc.	Creativity in all its manifestations	All types of creativity	Creativity, social initiatives, business startups, business development	Social projects, joint purchases, sports and tourism
Approximate amount of funds raised	Over 100 million rubles	Over 57 million rubles	No data	No data	Less than a million rubles	Statistics are not disclosed

* VIN - all or nothing (the project is either 100 percent financed or not financed at all), OB - leave everything (it is possible to receive part of the funds collected as part of the project investment), SP - free price (the contribution is determined by shareholders - backers and is used only to encourage creative projects).

"Planet" site

• The organizer is over 18 years old;
• Have a bank account;
• The project complies with the Service Rules.

Funded by: any creative, social, public benefit projects, be it publishing books, releasing photographs, recording albums, making films.

Not funded: any political activity, commercial projects.

Site Features: Before publication, the proposed idea is studied by a moderator, and to launch it, a separate agreement is signed with a personal curator.

Summary: Alexey can try to raise money on Planet to open a “School of Decorative Plastering,” but not to launch his own store selling materials and tools.

Boomstarter platform

Requirements to start a project:

• The organizer is a citizen of Russia over 18 years of age;
• Availability of an identity document, as well as the permanent registration address of the organizer;
• Availability of a debit or credit card or a bank account in the name of the fundraiser.

Funded by: any interesting projects related to creativity - publishing a book, making a film, music album, series of photographs, etc.

Not funded: all applications for starting a business, charity, projects tied to the needs of a specific person (purchase of things, travel, training),

Site Features: The organizer gets all or nothing, and the time frame for fundraising is limited (up to 60 days). Therefore, it is more realistic to collect small amounts of money, including in several stages (by dividing the project into podcasts).

Summary: Alexey will not be able to get money either to start a business or for related needs, or he will have to deliberately deceive both the site and patrons. The presented platform provides an opportunity for high commercialization for creative groups (musicians, theaters, artists).

"Circles" area

Requirements to start a project: ready-made material that needs to be published, and then receive money from fans for using it (listening, viewing, etc.).

Funded by: creativity in all its manifestations (money is transferred from caring users of the project, who can also comment and criticize other people’s works).

Not funded: objects that may be considered non-compliant with legal norms, non-unique (duplicate) content.

Site Features: The site is suitable for those who promote their own creativity and want to receive money for copyright materials.

Summary: Alexey will not be able to find on this site the resources he needs to launch his projects. At the same time, “Circles” is the oldest RuNet project for raising funds for artists, painters and other creative people, and with its help many groups have been able to achieve success and popularity.

"Thank you" platform

Requirements to start a project: the presence of ready-made unique content that may interest the audience (music, books, videos, works of art, etc.).

Funded by: users of the project can reward the creator they like with the required amount of money (determined at the request of the patron) for any project presented by him on the site.

Not funded: duplicate content; objects for which the copyright does not belong to the person who published them; objects that may violate Russian legislation.

Summary: the platform, like its analogue “Circles”, is not suitable for Alexey, since it does not offer a unique creative product.

Site "Rusini"

Requirements to start a project:

• Availability of a business plan;
• Market overview of the area of ​​interest;
• Starting information feed (groups on social networks, etc.);
• Publication of information about the implementation of the project.

Funded by: NGO activities, creative projects, startups, social business.

Not funded: the list of projects that will not be published on the site is determined by the Rusini administration individually.

Site Features: When raising funds, the “all or nothing” system operates, however, many interesting initiatives were heard and the necessary amounts of money were collected during the existence of the crowdfunding platform. “Rusini” does not take a commission from its users, so using the service’s services is very profitable.

Summary: the presented site is ideal for Alexey, and his project fully meets the requirements of the site. To raise the necessary money, he needs to work hard and interest potential investors: the analytical materials that are already on the site will help with this. The system for monitoring the expenditure of funds allows us to guarantee their intended use. However, at the time of writing, there were problems with the site: it was not possible to send a letter for feedback, it was not possible to publish the project.

Refund. Invested resources do not require compensation from the organizer. However, he needs to complete the task at hand. This is confirmed by checks and other documents, photographs, and videos.

Platform “A thread from the world”

Requirements to start a project:

• The author has Russian citizenship;
• The idea and name of the project, the amount and deadline for fundraising.

Funded by: social projects, interesting startups (the website has a successful example of raising funds to open a gym), joint purchases with a social focus.

Not funded: projects that will not be published on the site are determined individually.

Site Features: An agency agreement is concluded between the “From the World” platform and the author of the project. In accordance with this agreement, part of the collected funds is transferred to the site free of charge.

Summary: So, “One Thread at a Time” also suits Alexey, but in order to realize his business goals, he needs to create a beautiful “legend.” At the very least, he should definitely try to raise money to open a decorative plaster school. You can interest users by offering your services, materials, tools - all this is a topic for a separate conversation.

Refund. At the end of the promotion, in case of successful collection of the required amount of money, the organizer must provide all participants with the designated bonuses. Thus, Alexey can offer all investors tools, materials or free training at his school.

Conclusion: Crowdfunding in Russia is better than nothing

Thus, a quick analysis of popular projects demonstrates the low development of the idea of ​​crowdfunding for promoting business initiatives. Existing sites, without a doubt, have excellent functionality, are hosted on good CMS (administrative platforms), and the requirements for ideas are formulated very clearly. However, it is too early to draw conclusions about their overall success (failure), since crowdfunding has only recently been known in Russia.

It is also impossible not to note the superficial elaboration of many proposed projects on most sites. There is often no cost calculation or detailed information about what specific purposes funds are required for. At the same time, in Western countries, CF was initially used specifically for social projects, and its history goes back less than two decades. Therefore, in the near future we can hope that the platforms will be used to launch successful business startups.

Project Success Criteria

1. Developed business plan. If we are talking about a commercial idea, then it must be based on real calculations (rent of premises, cost of manufacturing materials, etc.). The numbers must be real, otherwise investors will begin to doubt.
2. Timeliness. It is best to start CF projects in the fall, when people return from vacation. It is worth studying the work of the sites and starting your work when the chances of success are maximum.
3. Realism. You shouldn’t set too ambitious goals for yourself: you need to move towards your dream in small but confident steps. It is better to collect a small amount than not to receive a giant jackpot.
4. Openness. It is much easier to promote and improve an existing project than to try to create something large-scale from scratch. The more information there is about the organizer, the better: people will trust you.

Hello, dear readers of the portal site! Today we'll talk about crowdfunding And crowdinvesting , what it is, what types of crowdfunding there are, what Russian sites operate in our country and the CIS countries.

Crowdfunding is a fairly popular word that has been used especially often lately. This is far from just a word, it is a term denoting a new and serious phenomenon in the world business and finance, which has already made it possible to create a large amount of material wealth and implement hundreds of social and investment projects, and also became source of start-up capital for many talented businessmen.

Nowadays, crowdfunding and crowdinvesting are becoming increasingly popular, as this is a wonderful tool that allows you to find out and produce exactly those material values ​​that the consumer really needs.

From this article you will learn:

• What is crowdfunding and its features;
• Types of crowdfunding and its rules;
• What is crowdinvesting and its types;
• Popular Russian sites (platforms).

You will also be able to get acquainted with the current state of crowdfunding in the world, Russia and the CIS countries, and perhaps gain knowledge that can push you to implement your own project using such a powerful tool as crowdfunding.

Crowdfunding and crowdinvesting - what is it, what is it for, how to create and place a project on a crowdfunding site, what kind of Russian sites there are, and so on, read the article

If we literally translate the term “ crowdfunding " From english ( crowdfunding), then it turns out to be “crowd financing”. It would be more correct to slightly adapt this translation to the Russian language, and translate this term as “ Popular (collective) financing" In this translation lies the main essence of this phenomenon, in its essence

Crowdfunding(from the English crowdfunding) - This popular Internet financing of ideas (raising funds from everyone) in order to bring any project to life.

The project could be like commercial, so non-profit. Those people who try to collect finances in this way have a name "recipients", and those who rent (invest) funds are called " donors" .

Nowadays, such fundraising has become very widespread on the Internet and social networks, as it is very convenient fundraising platform, which has a colossal audience.

A large number of Internet resources have been created specifically for these purposes; one of the most famous in the world at the moment is famous crowdfunding platform Kickstarter , which has made it possible to implement more than one project and raised billions of dollars.

The goals of crowdfunding can be very different; they resort to it very often young businessmen who thus wish to raise the necessary amount for the implementation of any project or startup. We already wrote about who startupers are in a previous publication.

As practice shows, if the idea is really interesting and the “donors” liked it, then money can be raised very quickly.

The main goals for raising funds using crowdfunding are most often:

• Operations and treatment;
• Attracting and financing certain commercial projects;
• Landscaping;
• Financing of political activities;
• Charity;
• Funding for cultural figures, athletes, musicians, etc. ;

When crowdfunding is used to raise funds for the implementation of a startup or any business project, in most cases this is not a free investment.

People who want to invest in a particular commercial project do so with the goal of making a profit in the future. This method is described later in the article, it is often also called crowdinvesting.

Crowdinvesting should be considered as a separate subtype of crowdfunding. It differs in that the collection of funds necessary for the creation and development of a startup project is carried out in exchange for material remuneration from the financing party in the future.

Distinctive features of Crowdfunding and its types

2. Types of crowdfunding - 3 main types 📌

There are 3 (three) main types:

View No. 1. Debt crowdfunding

Debt crowdfunding involves investing money in exchange for a certain share in a future project, or in exchange for a return on investment.

View No. 2. Equity crowdfunding

Equity crowdfunding This is a type of crowdfunding in which the recipient sells a certain part of his business to a donor (investor), or simply offers a share in his company on the terms of long-term investment.

View No. 3. Reward crowdfunding

Reward crowdfunding The most popular type of crowdfunding, in exchange for investments, donors receive gifts and valuable prizes.

3. Distinctive features of crowdfunding 📑

One of the distinctive features of this method of funds is strict compliance with all rules and agreements.

The following distinctive features of crowdfunding can be distinguished:

Factor 1. A clear idea

Money should not be collected for some obscure extraneous purpose. To attract the required amount of funds, the person collecting them must really offer a clear and understandable idea, in which there will be a desire to invest in order to receive further profit (if the idea is commercial).

For example, you decided to create your own - sew leather shoes. You need to clearly and clearly describe in your project what materials the shoes will be made from, how much money is needed to purchase equipment, and so on.

Factor 2. Limitation

The process of collecting money should be limited in time. This approach allows you to better understand which of the projects is really interesting to the audience, and which did not suit their taste.

Factor 3. Venture

If a donor invests his funds in any project, he does not receive 100% guarantees return on investment, because always during the implementation of a project, there is a possibility that something will go wrong.

In addition, when it comes to social initiatives, return on investment is not at all implied.

Factor 4. Focus

Modern crowdfunding platforms are engaged in raising funds for the implementation of a wide variety of projects, these can be both commercial and non-commercial projects in different fields.

Factor 5. Results-oriented

A person or organization raising money through crowdfunding is obliged to report on the work done and the use of funds.

If she does not fulfill this, she must return the money invested in her.

Why and who needs Crowdfunding, who can use it

4. Who can use crowdfunding 💳 - who needs it and why

One of the features of crowdfunding is that absolutely anyone can do it. In addition, in some cases, the site on which you place your project will not even take any interest from you.

However, most often you will still have to pay = the platform on which you post your (business) project approximately 5-7% commission, but only if you managed to raise funds for the implementation of my project.

If for one reason or another you failed get the necessary investment, you do nothing don't pay site (platform), which makes crowdfunding an almost win-win and very profitable option, both for businessmen and for those who want to implement certain social projects.

Also, in case of successful fundraising, the platform on which the user (recipient) posted his project will ask to provide certain reward for those who invested in his idea. If the investments are large (serious) amounts, then it would be correct to offer investors a certain part in the future business company.

It is important to consider that all crowdfunding platforms are different and some may have your terms.

That is why, before posting your project, you should carefully study the site rules so as not to get into an unpleasant situation in the future due to your own ignorance.

Foreign Crowdfunding platforms + Russian crowdfunding sites

5. Foreign crowdfunding sites 💵

With the development of the Internet, a huge number of crowdfunding sites, which offer their users very comfortable And effective tools to attract investment.

One of the very first and one of the most successful platforms is the popular site kickstarter.com.

Kickstarter (kickstarter.com)

The Kickstarter platform has an official website kickstarter.com, the site is not yet presented in Russian in Russia (that is, in the Russian version), but in the future all large platforms, as a rule, will come to Russian markets.

If a project on the Kickstarter site does not raise the required amount of funds by the specified deadline, then all the money is returned to the sponsors. Funds are collected through Amazon Payments.

Kickstarter takes over 5 % commissions from raised funds + additional commission charged by Amazon.

Crowdfunding platform kickstarter.com - Kickstarter in Russian is not currently represented in Russia

There are also a large number of other similar Internet sites on which interesting projects appear almost every day, collecting a lot of money.

Among such platforms are:

• indiegogo.com ,
• gofundme.com ,
• 99designs.com ,
• crowdflower.com
• crowdfundinginternational.eu (crowdfunding international).

All these sites are very convenient, as they allow you to select one or another project based on certain criteria, for example, such as subject matter, amount of funds required, implementation period And a lot others.

Such a convenient sorting of projects greatly simplifies life for both donors and recipients, and also helps to invest their funds as wisely as possible. find donors as efficiently as possible.

It is important to remember that any posted project goes through serious verification by the crowdfunding platform on which it is located. This state of affairs allows these sites to act as some kind of guarantor between those who collect funds and those who invest them.

For these services, the site usually collects a certain commission. It varies from site to site, but in most cases it is within 5-10% .

6. Crowdfunding in Russia - the largest Russian platforms 💸

Recently, crowdfunding has become increasingly popular in Russia, which has led to the emergence of quite a large number of platforms that act as reliable guarantors between donors And recipients .

Crowdfunding sites in Russia currently have little popularity, but we can already say that this is a promising area of ​​financing both in the CIS countries and in the Russian Federation.

The most popular platforms are the following:

6.1. Crowdfunding platform "Planeta.ru"

Crowdfunding Russian platform "Planeta.ru" (Planeta.ru)

Official site of the site - planeta.ru

This site has certain rules, the creator of the project must be over 18 years old and also have own bank account. On the website planeta.ru you can raise money for the implementation of a variety of projects, ranging from creative ones like recording music and filming a film to social projects.

Exception for the crowdfunding platform are political and commercial projects.

Among the features of this site, we can note the presence of a personal curator for each project, with whom an agreement is signed allowing the launch of fundraising. There are moderators on the site who carefully study each project.

6.2. Crowdfunding platform “From the World by Thread”

Russian crowdfunding platform “From the World to a Thread” (smipon.ru)

smipon.ru

The site specializes in social And commercial projects. Funding can be denied only to those projects that did not pass moderation or were not approved individually for any reason.

The recipient collecting funds through this site must have Russian citizenship and also have clear idea And deadlines for collecting funds.

Before the start of the project, an agreement is concluded between the recipient and the site itself. The agreement implies the transfer of part of the funds to the site if they are successfully collected.

6.3. Crowdfunding platform "Boomstarter" (Boomstarter.ru)

Russian crowdfunding platform “Boomstarter” (boomstarter.ru)

Official website of the crowdfunding platform - Boomstarter.ru. The Boomstarter platform is an analogue of the Kickstarter project.

To create a project on Boomstarter you must be citizen of the Russian Federation over 18 years of age. In addition, you should provide place of permanent registration And identity document, as well as create your own bank account and provide this data to the site.

The site is more focused on financing of creative projects, such as recording albums, releasing books, filming films and more. While commercial and charitable projects (targeted financing, various information and propaganda campaigns, etc.) are prohibited from being posted.

A feature of the site is the limited time frame for fundraising. Money can be collected no more than 60 days, thus the site is suitable for collecting small amounts.

Comparative table of Russian crowdfunding sites:

Name	Address	Fundraising method*	Commission (including personal income tax)	Main directions of projects	Approximately how much money was raised?	Lifespan
"Planet"	planeta.ru	ViN, OS	23 – 28 %	Creative projects	More than 100 million rubles	More than 2 years
"A thread from the world"	Smipon.ru	ViN	23%	Social projects, sports, joint purchases	Data hidden	More than 3 years
"Boomstarter"	boomstarter.ru	ViN	23%	Creative projects and technologies	More than 57 million rubles	Approximately 2 years

*ViN– all or nothing (projects can only be fully funded, or not funded at all)

OB– Leave everything (there is an opportunity to receive a certain part of the funds that were collected)

What is crowdinvesting - the meaning of the term + forms (models) of making a profit in crowdinvesting

7. What is crowdinvesting: main types + platforms for crowdinvesting in Russia 💰

Crowdinvesting - This, kind, collective investment. From English words: 1) Crowd- crowd, 2) Investing- investing. This means that crowdinvesting is “investing in crowds.”

The principle of this type of crowdfunding is as follows:

An entrepreneur comes up with a startup project, then investors chip in to implement the project and the profits from the business are divided among everyone in pre-agreed proportions (according to the agreement)

Let us remind you! Crowdinvesting is one of the types of crowdfunding (“people’s finance”).

7.1. Types of crowdinvesting - description and meaning

Crowdinvesting is divided into 3 type:

1. Royalty;
2. Public lending (crowdlending);
3. Equity crowdfunding.

View 1. Royalty

In this case, the investor expects to receive a share or part of the profit of the financed business project. This financing approach is used in the creation of many films, projects and games. We wrote about (how and where to look for investors for a business) in a previous publication.

With this form of crowdinvesting, the investor has the right to count on a share of the profit of the financed project. This approach is often used when financing music projects ( SonicAngel), films ( Slated) and games ( LookAtMyGame).

Type 2. Public lending (crowdlending)

Crowdlending – a new way of online lending to individuals, other individuals or companies through special Internet resources.

Here the lender has a higher interest rate compared to deposits in banks, and the borrower has a lower interest rate on his loan than banks offer. Plus, getting a loan this way is much easier.

Also found in public lending - social lending. The rates on these loans are very low (symbolic) or non-existent. The result is something between charity and lending.

There are 2 (two) main types of crowdlending:

1. P2P lending– when individuals lend to other individuals;
2. P2B lending– when individuals lend to organizations, companies (usually medium and small businesses).

Type 3. Equity crowdfunding

The newest and most advanced form of crowdinvesting, where the investor becomes a “shareholder” (owner of a share of the financed project), with all the rights of a shareholder (receiving dividends, managing the company, etc.).

This form of crowdinvesting violates the laws of many countries. But laws are being adopted that legalize this activity and allow the form of crowdinvesting to be regulated, which has a beneficial effect on the development of developing and developed countries.

7.2. The most popular platforms for crowdinvesting in Russia

There are a large number of Russian crowdinvesting platforms.

Let's look at the most famous of them:

1. StartTrack – the site was created in 2013 with the support of the IIDF (Fund for the Development of Internet Initiatives), the minimum amount for investing in this site is 10,000 rubles, the profitability is promised - up to 35%. StartTrack is one of the most famous and reliable crowdinvesting platforms;
2. Flow – This is a project from Alfa-Bank. To invest, a minimum amount of 10,000 rubles is required. You need to invest for a period of at least 6 months. Crowdinvesting platform promises higher returns 25 % ;
3. Aktivo – a platform from the creators of the CarPrice and KupiVip platforms. This platform allows you to invest money in commercial real estate, which is rented out to large and well-known companies (supermarkets Pyaterochka, Victoria and others). To invest, you will need an amount of at least 500 thousand rubles. Platform profitability over 11 % per annum.

7. How crowdfunding platforms make money 📈

Earnings crowdfunding platforms mainly based on receiving commission from projects. The commission on different sites may be different, for some it is 5% some 15% .

Also, platforms may have additional income, for example, some platforms that raise funds for creative projects, in the future sell albums, books and other similar products.

The same applies to some sites focused on commercial projects, which subsequently sell various products.

Commissions are not taken at all from charitable and very often social projects.

For example, the Russian crowdfunding platform Rusini does not take a commission at all, since it is intended to solve social problems.

8. How to create your own crowdfunding project on the site 📋

Each crowdfunding platform has its own characteristics, which can vary greatly from site to site. However, the process of creating a project is quite similar for most sites.

How to create a project on a crowdfunding platform

To create a project on a crowdfunding platform, you need to go through the following steps:

1. Creating a new account on the website;
2. Description of your project;
3. Indication of the required amount of funds for collection, as well as the deadline for collection;
4. Calculation of expenses that will have to be incurred on presents (gifts) to donors.

Creating the project itself (business project, commercial or social project, etc.) implies:

1. Domain creation and registration;
2. Creation of a logo (brand);
3. Installation of social network buttons;
4. Create site();
5. Confirmation of registration by E-Mail and the possibility of sending by E-Mail;
6. and promotion of the project throughout the world, country, region;
7. Recording a video presentation of the project;
8. Determining the amount of the fee.

If you fail to collect the required amount of money within the time period specified by you, you receive nothing. If, for one reason or another, you managed to collect more than the specified amount of money, you you receive ALL funds.

Important to remember that this is not just a collection of money, but a business contract, so if the collection of funds is successful, you must comply with all terms of the contract.

If you are unable to do this, you are obliged to return the money invested in your project.

9. Achieving project success on a crowdfunding platform 💡

Of course, every person who creates a project on one or another crowdfunding site wants to collect the required amount of money within the time frame specified by them. But we must admit that it is far not everyone can really do it.

What are the criteria for project success?, compliance with which can increase the likelihood of fundraising success to the maximum?

For each project everything is individual, however, if we generalize, we can highlight the following criteria:

Criterion 1. Realism

You should not set goals for yourself that you cannot achieve, especially if you do not yet have much experience in this direction. You need to move towards your goal in small steps.

That's why It's better to collect a small amount of money, which will allow you to implement your small project, rather than aiming for something global and getting nothing.

Criterion 2. Timeliness

As practice and success stories of some projects show, seasonality has a significant impact.

Projects are best started in autumn, since it is during this period of time that most people return from vacation and are ready for active financial activity.

Before uploading (uploading) your project, it is very important to study the features of the site where you are going to do this. It will also be useful to familiarize yourself with the projects that already exist on them and the stories of past successful projects.

Criterion 3. Originality

Originality is a very subtle criterion that should be approached accordingly. Of course, it is very important that the project is different from other projects, since this way it can attract attention.

However, one must be very careful with this, despite all the originality of the project must remain realistic. It is unlikely that anyone will want to finance “freak, fantasy” projects that are characterized by unjustified excesses.

Criterion 4. Openness

Try to provide as much as possible more information about yourself, your experience and approaches to project implementation .

Important to remember that people want to invest money only in worthwhile, promising and realistic projects.

If someone thinks that there are rich people who will finance all sorts of stupid things, then he is very mistaken, rich people know how to count their money, perhaps that is why they are rich.

Therefore, you should provide your potential investor with as much information as possible about yourself so that he knows where and what he is investing his money in.

Criterion 5. Availability of a business plan

Having a business plan can be a very big plus for any commercial project.

Real calculations and figures will help the investor better understand the prospects of your project, and will also indicate that you are serious about this matter.

We wrote in our last issue where to download it, as well as how to compile it and what to pay attention to.

10. Successful examples of crowdfunding 💎

Using this method of money, a lot of different projects are implemented almost every day. focus And scale. But, as in any other matter, there are several well-known examples of crowdfunding use, which are a reference point for many businessmen.

• Pebble - device (wristwatch)

A device from Pebble Technology in the form of a watch. The project was collected in 2012 $10,266,845, 68,928 donors made a donation.

• Barack Obama's 2008 presidential campaign

One of the most famous examples of crowdfunding is Barack Obama's presidential campaign in 2008. It received a very big resonance and response among his supporters, and in the end it was possible to collect $272 million, approximately 2 million Americans took part in donations.

• Recording an album by the group Bi-2

The famous Russian rock band Bi-2 collected through crowdfunding 1.25 million rubles to record the album Spirit.

• Stephen King book

The famous American writer Stephen King, who specializes in writing horror, posted one of the first chapters of his new book online, and in exchange offered everyone $1 for reading it. This proposal of King found a very big response among his fans and those who were not indifferent to his work, thus, in a short period of time it was possible to collect entire 2 million dollars.

• Film Age of Fools

The problem of global warming is of interest to many people nowadays, and the British film company Spanner Films was no exception, which managed to collect about £1 million for 5 years (during the period 2004 – 2009). This money went towards the filming of the film The Age of Fools, dedicated to the problem of global warming.

• Games Wasterland 2 and Adventure

To develop the games Wasterland 2 and Adventure, which became very popular, about $3 million for each of the video games. About 87 thousand people took part in this.

11. How to create and advertise a campaign on a Crowdfunding platform - basic concepts, rules and expert advice 🛠

Raising money through crowdfunding platforms - the process is not easy, because in order to raise the necessary amount, it is important to provide potential investors and donors with a really good and clear idea.

In addition, there are a large number of requirements for the approach itself and for the personal qualities of the fundraiser.

So, let's look at the basic tips, factors and rules, the observance and consideration of which will help to achieve success in this direction.

11.1. Basic Concepts

Before posting your project on crowdfunding sites, we recommend that you familiarize yourself with the following concepts:

1) Crowdfunding is not a handout

It is very important to understand that no one just will not invest money to your project.

If this is a commercial project, then it should bring profit in the future.

If this is a social or charitable project, then it should be really useful and interesting.

Thus, in order to receive the required amount of money, you must offer something to those who invested in return.

2) Ask yourself why people will give money to me?

Put yourself in the shoes of your potential donor or investor and tell me, would you invest in such a project?

3) Be prepared to work hard and seriously

It is impossible to raise money on a crowdfunding site without difficulty. It’s not enough to just post a project, even if it’s ideal and properly designed, people need to see your openness and understand that you are the one who can bring this project to its logical conclusion.

That's why, do not be shy, communicate with your potential investors, tell me as much as possible about themselves and their approaches, they should see an open person who is ready to work long and hard to achieve their goal.

4) Crowdfunding is not for everyone

Despite the fact that crowdfunding is a very convenient method of raising funds, which is popular all over the world, it is not suitable for everyone.

Some people simply cannot work in this format and they are looking for other ways for themselves, which, by the way, are also in abundance.

Therefore, it is important to be prepared for the fact that crowdfunding may not be your thing, and you will be able to implement your project using other methods.

5) The project must be useful

It is quite obvious that in most cases only those projects that offer some useful product, service or anything else that can interest people manage to raise money.

11.2. How to create a campaign on the platform - 6 important tips

In Russia, there are several very popular crowdfunding platforms that can become a very good tool for raising funds to implement your idea.

In order for the project to collect as much funding as possible, it is important to consider the following tips when creating a campaign on the site:

Lying in general is always bad, but when it comes to real money it is especially bad. You should not overestimate your real capabilities and write in the project description something that you simply cannot implement. Realism - this is your main rule.

It is very important to clearly define the deadline for collecting money for your project; it should not be too short, but you should also avoid deadlines that are too long.

The ideal fundraising timeline may vary for each project, but in most cases It is best to allocate 2-3 weeks to raise money, and constantly update your project, approximately 2-3 times a week.

Calculate the minimum amount of money you need to implement your project.

In no case should you greatly overestimate this figure, since if you immediately ask for a large amount of money, this can greatly scare potential donors (investors) away from you.

Offer people who invest money in your project some tangible rewards. It's best to have these rewards tied to your project in some way, this will give investors a stronger sense of personal involvement in your project.

Tip 5: Make investing accessible to everyone

You must set up your campaign as competently as possible so that you want to invest in it like those who want to invest 100 rubles, and those who want to invest 10,000 rubles.

Be as open as possible, tell potential investors and yourself as much as possible about your achievements, awards and plans.

11.3. Advertising and marketing of the project on the site

The right marketing approach is very important for the ultimate success of your project. That is why this issue should be approached especially responsibly and seriously.

The following marketing tactics can help you:

1. Involve your relatives, friends and acquaintances in your project. The more people you attract to it, the better. Be sure to advertise it on social networks, post links to your project on forums, in social network communities, on your personal page;
2. Ask your acquaintances, friends and relatives to tell you about your project to as many people as possible, both in real life and through the Internet and social networks;
3. Be sure to create a newsletter, which concerns the latest events and news concerning your project, use it to notify all your investors and subscribers;
4. Find local online media sites, and try to tell them about yourself, since crowdfunding is still something new for Russia, perhaps some media will want to tell their readers about you, which will attract even more people to your project;
5. Talk to bloggers who work in a direction close to you and ask them to tell you about your project;
6. Create a video and post it, For example, on YouTube, in this video, tell us about how the fundraising process is going and what is the latest news regarding your project; (We recommend reading - where you will also find out how much and how YouTube bloggers earn)
7. Look for influential and famous people on social networks, get in touch with them and ask them to tell them about your project, if it is really interesting, many of them will talk about it on their page, which will increase the likelihood of collecting the required amount of finance and further implementation of the project;
8. Always be willing to make contact with those who are interested in your project. If people start commenting on information about your project posted on a page on a social network, be sure to respond to them, tell them about your future plans and ask them to talk about it;
9. Use all possible tools to advertise your project on the site: Vkontakte, Facebook, LiveJournal, Twitter, YouTube, personal connections, friends, acquaintances, relatives, etc.

12. Latest news of the Crowdfunding market

1) In 2014, the Yandex.Money company announced the launch of its Crowdfunding platform “ Together: for good deeds", which is designed to simplify the collection of money via the Internet for various charitable needs and social projects.

2) The WebMoney payment system has launched a new service “ Group purchases", which allows users of the service to unite in groups to collect funds for the purpose of purchasing goods from wholesale suppliers at low prices or for other large orders in foreign stores;

3) WebMoney Transfer has created a new service “ Funding", which has 4 directions for raising funds. Thanks to this service, you can raise money not only through classic crowdfunding, but also finance charitable projects, make collective purchases, organize various events, and so on.

13. Frequently asked questions ❔

Let's consider the questions that come to the editors of the portal "site"

Question 1. Boomstarter does not give away money, what should I do?

Try contacting the project manager, email, support service, etc. Both negative and positive reviews about the company were found online.

Some negative reviews contain information that the project is moderated and published on the site in the 3rd week, some that they do not pay (don’t give) money.

Today, a popular method for financing and implementing your ideas is crowdfunding. In this article we will look at the best Russian platforms for crowdfunding.

The term "crowdfunding" appeared in 2006 and means attracting financial resources from a large number of people.

The goals of crowdfunding are:
• sale of a service or product;
• hosting an event;
• helping those in need;
• support for legal entities and individuals.

How it works

The scheme of work is quite simple: some people put forward various ideas and ways to implement them, while others make their financial contribution to these endeavors. Investors usually receive various bonuses, for example, a percentage of future profits as a result of the project.

Watch the video about the nuances of crowdfunding and the general scheme of work:

What is the price

In this way you can collect quite impressive amounts.

For example, with the help of crowdfunding sites around the world, the following has been collected:
• in the field of entrepreneurship - $6.7 billion,
• in the social sphere - $3.6 billion,
• for the needs of cinema and theater - $1.97 billion,
• in real estate - $1.01 billion,
• in the recording industry - $0.74 billion.

According to Wikipedia, the first case of crowdfunding was recorded in 1997, when fans of the British band Marillion raised about $60,000 to finance the band's US tour.

There are 3 main types of crowdfunding:

1. Reward crowdfunding: the most popular type, in which investors receive bonuses and rewards in exchange for their financial investments. 2. Debt crowdfunding: investors are promised a share in a future project or a return on investment from future profits. 3. Equity crowdfunding: the author of the initiative sells part of his business to an investor or offers a share on conditions.

Most popular destinations

Crowdfunding in Russia is represented by the following popular areas:
• "All or nothing": if the financial goal is achieved, the author of the project receives money. If the goal is not achieved, all funds are returned to investors.
• “Leave everything collected”: Regardless of whether the goal is achieved, the startup author receives all funds raised, excluding commission.
• "Reward": the collected amount is received by a team that is ready to take on the project.
• "Deal with free price": Usually the product of creative activity is exhibited, and investors set their own price.
• Charity.

Before moving on to a review of the best platforms for crowdfunding in Russia, let’s consider its basic rules and patterns.

Basic Rules

In order to attract potential investors, you need to adhere to certain rules developed empirically:
• Make a plan. It should clearly indicate the path to implementation of the project.
• Be convincing, because you are asking complete strangers for help.
• Choose the platform that best suits your goals.
• Offer gratitude for assistance provided. This could be providing investors with the final product of the campaign or some kind of souvenir.
• Attract promoters. The most difficult task is to tell as many people as possible about your campaign. This is where the help of relatives, friends, and people who have invested in this startup comes in handy.
• Learn from successful startups.
• Look professional.

Russian crowdfunding platforms

We present to your attention an overview of crowdfunding platforms in Russia.

Boomstarter.ru

The Boomstarter platform began its work on August 21, 20012. Its founders are Evgeny Gavrilin and Ruslan Tugushev. This site does not provide dividends to investors in the form of finance or shares in the business.

In order to place your project on this platform, you must:
• register on boomstarter.ru;
• complete the project using the online designer;
• indicate the type of remuneration for sponsorship;
• send the project for moderation;
• After successful completion of moderation, launch the project.

Boomstarter is considered the Russian analogue of Kickstarter. The second activity of this platform is crowdgifting: on the site you can choose a gift for yourself or loved ones, and sponsors can contribute money to purchase this gift.

The Boomstarter platform takes a reward in the form of interest in case of successful fundraising for a particular startup.

Planeta.ru

The next platform for crowdfunding in RuNet is Planeta Ru. The secondary services of this site are broadcasts of concerts, shopping in stores, and various news. A citizen of any country who has reached the age of majority can launch a project on this site. The Planet service does not finance commercial programs or political activities.

About the features of creating a project using the Planeta Ru platform, watch the video:

The resource commission is 5% of the collected amount, but if the project attracted 50–99% of the required investments, then a commission of 10% is charged. Also, 5% is transferred to payment systems. There is no charge for charitable initiatives.

The main condition of the platform is that the project cannot be simultaneously launched on any other similar resource.

One of the advantages of the Planet platform is the possibility of extending the fundraising period for the project, which is provided one-time.

Kroogi

The Kroogi project was founded by Miroslav Sarbaev in 2007. This is the oldest of the largest Russian crowdfunding platforms. A special feature of this platform is crowdfunding in the creative field. It hosts music, videos, books and distributes it on a pay-what-you-can basis. There is also a section directly related to crowdfunding, where funds are collected for the implementation of creative ideas and projects.

At the beginning of its activity, the Kroogi platform did not charge any financial reward, but over time a flat commission of 15% was established.

ThankYou is a platform similar to the Kroogi service, which hosts musical and literary works. Opened in 2010. Users can download any site content for free or pay any amount for it at their discretion. Money is paid on the basis of a contract, which must be concluded by any author who posts his work.

Together

The Tugeza platform was created to finance charitable and social spheres. The site started on August 7, 2010. The site can be used for crowdfunding for personal needs, that is, with the help of people, to find, for example, some thing.

The mechanism of work is as follows: first, information is collected on social networks about who needs what kind of help. Then a message about the action is posted on the Tugeza website. It must be indicated in what time frame it is necessary to raise funds, to whom and for what they will be used.

At the moment, the site has frozen its functions as a crowdfunding resource.

Naparapet

The Naparapet platform was created for the implementation of art projects in 2011. But at the moment it is not developing as a crowdfunding project.

StartTrack

The StartTrack platform was created with the support of the Internet Initiatives Development Fund in 2013. Medium and small business projects are hosted here. StartTrack became the first crowdfunding platform to receive over 90 million rubles as investments during its creation.

The work flow is as follows:
• The platform hosts a project of a running business.
• Information must be updated every 2 weeks (important business indicators and income must be indicated).
• The fundamental operating principle: the main investor attracts co-investors and together they form an investment syndicate.
• Investor participants are offered a share in completed projects.
• Investors must be accredited.
• Investors can make proposals for adjusting the project in the direction of increasing investment expectations.

For a review of the StartTrack company, watch the video:

CrowdPress

CrowdPress is designed as a platform for creative projects. Today it is a dead resource.

"My teacher"

This platform differs from other crowdfunding sites in Russia in that it was intended to provide assistance to the initiatives and ideas of teachers. Despite the unique idea, this site ceased functioning.

"A thread from the world"

“From the World by Thread” is also a platform for crowdfunding, its official website is smipon.ru, the project was launched in 2010. The uniqueness of this resource is that both charitable and social initiatives, as well as technical or creative ones, can find a response there. Bonus opportunity - extension of the campaign period by 25% of the initially stated period if 70% of the required funds are collected.

“Rusini” (official website - rusini.org) was the first platform for socially oriented crowdfunding. Founded on April 10, 2010. To publish a project, you must have a clear business plan.

All posted initiatives are divided into groups:
• environment;
• aged people;
• children;
• animals;
• social business;
• Culture and art.

The special feature is that anyone can post information about their initiatives.

At the moment, this crowdfunding platform has suspended its operation in Russia.

"Startman"

The website of the Startman platform is distinguished by its laconic interface and convenient division into areas (for example, design, sports, society, technology and others). The site was created on March 12, 2012.

"Startium"

The Startium platform was launched on October 14, 2014 and specializes in supporting startups related to new technologies and IT. A special feature is the ability to vote for projects.

Is crowdfunding right for my startup?

In order to have a successful outcome of your campaign, before launching it you need to soberly assess its feasibility and chances of success. With the right approach, crowdfunding is suitable for almost any startup. But for this you need to have a detailed business plan, be socially active and expand your contacts. And the main thing is to be ready to take everything into your own hands.

Now you know what fundraising for projects is called, and you can find the most suitable platform for your ideas.