Because of the clear benefits of crowdfunding, there are a ton of options in the market to choose from. There are many factors that make a great platform, but some are much more important than others.
You could even make your own platform through an equity crowdfunding software, but this post will name some platforms that are already set up, obviously.
In this post, there are some of the best options out there and in no particular order.
Kickstarter
A unanimous selection as one of the best crowdfunding sites has to be Kickstarter. Something that really makes them attractive is the fact that so many successful campaigns have been launched by them.
Something that makes them unique is the fact that goals have to be reached for any funds to actually go to the company that is trying to start. It really causes a risk and reward situation because you can’t set your goal too high for fundraising.
Also, the community is pretty large at Kickstarter, so you brand, or product should get excellent exposure.
Donorbox
Donorbox’s crowdfunding platform is built for nonprofits with focus on donor engagement and increase in donations. It lets you create your own dedicated crowdfunding webpage, that can be shared as a link with your emails or on your social media. This means your crowdfunding campaign is not placed next to, or with any other campaign. The crowdfunding feature of donorbox comes with a series of useful features- you can customize your campaign page with your branding, add details about your campaign and story, post updates as you progress through the campaign- with videos, photos, these are posted directly on your crowdfunding campaign for all visitors to see. You can also enable a donor wall, so with each donation your donor is acknowledged instantly. Furthermore, anyone can subscribe to your campaign and you can send personalized emails to your supporters from your campaign page.
CircleUp
The go-to for many people that want to scale their business through crowdfunding are seeing success at CircelUp. Their platform is perfect for businesses that want to scale and is not as much for places that want to develop an idea.
In most cases, you have to have at least $1 million in revenue to get listed on the site to get funded. Something that really separates CircleUp from others is that the investors on the platform are sometimes experienced entrepreneurs, so they can give you guidance that actually works.
There are other details about CircleUp that makes them special, like lines of credit and a special market insight to identify where your business should be heading.
LendingClub
The last platform that I will mention is a popular name in the industry, LendingClub. The main focus with LendingClub is to give money to businesses that need a boost of cash for operations or other forms of growing their business.
Something to point out is that it is relatively easy to get money compared to other crowdfunding spots like Kickstarter. A major reason for this is because they also offer personal loans for people that qualify.
One of the only requirements for your business is that you need $50,000 in sales per year and no bankruptcies. So basically, you should be able to get money with relatively low effort if you have a good credit and business history.
And there you go for the 3 best options on the market for people that need some sort of crowdfunding platform for their business. Hopefully after checking out each one, it will be clear to you which avenue is going to benefit you the most and your business the most.
It is important to weigh out different factors like the community that you are going to build around your business if people give funds to your crowdfunding campaign. Always have a plan of action of what to do with your funds and never go into it without a clear plan of action!