The Last Crowdfunding Post You'll Ever Have To Read

Got no money but a Dream with a capital D because a lowercase one would undersell your sheer genius? Me too. I want to renovate my bathroom as a zoo. Here's your options.

Kickstarter!

For who?

The oft-parodied motherlord of getting your project funded. This is for the creative guys-- musicians, inventors, filmmakers, as opposed to getting your business started or charity funded.

Do what?

Write a mission statement, make your fancy pitch video, gifts relevant to the project as incentive for backers to pitch in.

Where's my money, internet?

So you met your goal? Great! Kickstarter takes its 5% cut, Amazon (who processes all payments) takes another 3-5%, and the rest is yours.

Didn't make your goal? Tough luck, kiddo, your backers are getting refunded.

Indiegogo!

For who?

Indiegogo is the cool uncle of crowdfunding platforms-- if you can dream the project and have friends with deep pockets, the world is your oyster.

Do what?

State your mission, provide a couple images, and provide pledge incentives and you're good to go.

Where's my money, internet?

Regardless if you meet your goal or not, Indiegogo will give you the green -- they take 4% if your project succeeds, 9% if it doesn't.

RocketHub!

For who?

Artists, scientists, entrepreneurs, social leaders-- pretty much anybody with a cause. And here's the perk-- RocketHub's recent partnership with the A&E network allows the opportunity for even wider project exposure if enough interest is expressed.

Do what?

An image, a description, and the pledge incentives. Nice and easy.

Where's my money, internet?

RocketHub is another big proponent of 'keep what you raise' versus the 'all or nothing' Kickstarter model-- they take a 4% from projects that hit their goal, and 8% plus 4% processing fees if you don't hit the mark.

GoFundMe!

For who?

EVERYONE-- GoFundMe is the catch-all from "Hey, I'm feeling a milkshake but can't afford it" to "let's cure hunger."

Do what?

An image or video, description, and pledge incentives.

Where's my money, internet?

GoFundMe swipes 5% of the total pull, and there may be up to an additional 3% taken in processing fees.

Seedrs!

For who?

Seedrs caters to start-up companies under a year old (just lil' babies!), but only in Europe (for now), and lets backers donate as little £10, with a cap of £150,000 in addition to up to 10% equity.

Do what?

The basics -- mission statement, video, and the opportunity to link to your social media and existing website.

Where's my money, internet?

Seedrs snags a sweet 7.5% from businesses that are successfully funded, with no lawyer's fees on top.

If your project doesn't succeed, then Seedr gets no money, and neither do you.

PledgeMusic

For who?

PledgeMusic is one of the more successful niche crowdfunding platforms and caters to musicians-- even trap music. Help.

Do what?

Pitch your musical product-- as an exclusively musical interface, PledgeMusic requires a sample of the bands work with an audio sample, description of the group or individual's mission and past accomplishments, and the ever-popular pledge incentive. Unlike most crowdfunding sites, PM requires that every backer receive something in return, even if it is as simple as a digital download.

Where's my money, internet?

PledgeMusic doesn't employ an all-or-nothing model, but musicians had better be ready to cough up 15% of their total funds raised.

Razoo!

For who?

Though the Razoo model is relatively open, the most success has been found by those raising for charity and causes. Their official split is Nonprofits, Individuals, Corporations, and Foundations.

Do what?

An image or video, description, and what will be done with backers' money at certain pledge levels (incentive gifts not required).

Where's my money, internet?

Razoo takes the crown for the lowest fee on the financial take of a project-- a 2.9% all-inclusive fee, period.

Appbakr!

For who?

Mobile developers who are seeking the partial of full developing of an app, and app geeks who want to fund a potential hit and make a few bucks themselves.

Backers buy the developing app for a reduced price on Appbakr, then make back the full final price of the app once it makes a killing in the official App Store. So you've sunk ten bucks into an $1 Appbakr app you have faith in-- if you've got good instincts and the app sells for $2 in the App store, then you've doubled your investment.

Do what?

Pitch your product and, based on sales, customer reviews, and marketability Appbakr will assign you a score between 1.0 and 10.0. Get a 8.5 cumulative number or above, and you're put on the fast track to being put in a major marketplace.

Where's my money, internet?

Depends on your project, the price of the app, and an individual evaluation Appbakr does for each pitched product-- with a case-by-case basis policy, be sure to read the FAQ before you dive in with the next Angry Birds.

Crowdrise!

For who?

This platform caters almost exclusively to nonprofit causes, though personal fundraising projects (weddings, etc.) are fair game.

Do what?

An image and a mission statement, with social media plugins galore.

Where's my money, internet?

For nonprofits, there are options to create a free account all the way up to a $199/month premium account (with increased visibility and support) plus transaction fees.

For fundraisers, the fee for all funds raised is 4.99%, but funders have reported a transaction fee without a hard percentage number being factored into the final equation as well.

Quirky!

For who?

This one's for the inventor crowd-- Quirky allows creators to pitch a product and compound this with a community aspect. Peers on the website will "vote up" the projects they find most worthy, Quirky selects ideas they find marketable from the cream of the crop, and they manufacture and sell the product.

Do what?

It's your standard product pitch-- some visuals, a hard sell description, and what sets your project apart from other Quirky users in a "problem-solution" answer.

Where's my money, internet?

Since the Quirky company itself manufacture and sells selected projects, the creator/Quirky split boils down to INSERT FIGURE HERE. Since the preliminary process involves votes, not money, there's only the risk of an ideological rejection, so create away!

Of course, there are more crowd-funding platforms with smaller names or more niche focuses, but these ten are a solid start for anyone looking to raise a couple bucks for a cause. Keep on dreaming and posting desperately on your social media, innovators!