Crowdfunding for Social Good, Financing Your Mark on the World
By Devin Thorpe
4.5/5
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About this ebook
Crowdfunding for Social Good is both practical and inspiring, featuring the stories of real people who have successfully raised big money using crowdfunding and practical advice to help you do the same.
Crowdfunding is the newest way for nonprofits and social entrepreneurs to raise money for their causes, projects and companies. By reading this book, you can join the thousands who have successfully raised money to change the world.
Learn how to organize your friends, colleagues and volunteers to help you raise big money.
Gain insight into creating a video that will help you spread your message via social media.
Read how to "start before you start" so you can have 30% of your goal raised before you even launch your crowdfunding campaign.
If the only thing preventing you from changing the world is the money you need to do it, you are out of excuses. You can raise the money you need to leave your mark on the world with Crowdfunding for Social Good.
Devin Thorpe
Devin D. Thorpe brings a broad perspective to financial planning, having owned and operated an investment-banking firm, which included an investment advisory business, a mortgage brokerage and having served in a variety of corporate finance positions.Presently, Devin serves as a business professor at South China University of Technology in Guangzhou, China on behalf of Brigham Young University’s Kennedy Center China Teachers program. Previously, he served as the Chief Financial Officer for the multinational company MonaVie, listed in Inc. Magazine’s 2009 Inc. 500 as the 18th fastest growing company in America and, at $834 million in revenue, the third largest company on the list. Prior experience includes two years working on the staff of the U.S. Senate Banking Committee during Utah Senator Jake Garn’s tenure. He also served briefly in Utah State Government, working at USTAR under Governor Jon Huntsman.He earned an MBA with focus in Finance and Accounting from Cornell University’s Johnson Graduate School of Management. He completed his undergraduate degree in finance at the University of Utah, where he later worked as an adjunct professor of finance. In 2006, Devin was recognized by the David Eccles School of Business at the University of Utah as a Distinguished Alum.
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Reviews for Crowdfunding for Social Good, Financing Your Mark on the World
3 ratings1 review
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5I've come to love the style of writing Thorpe offers. It's not boring or dull and it's filled with stories of successful crowdfunding campaigns. Laced into the pages are tips and tricks readers can use. While the idea of such a fundraising campaign can seem daunting, when broken down into smaller chunks, and done with the correct planning, it can take the mystery and headache out of giving back to our causes -no matter what they might be.
Crowdfunding is still a lot of work, but with the right tools and by using social media, fundraisers aren't for the super elite anymore.
Follow along, and learn for yourself the ins and outs of planning and executing a crowdfunding campaign.
Book preview
Crowdfunding for Social Good, Financing Your Mark on the World - Devin Thorpe
ALSO BY DEVIN D. THORPE
Your Mark on the World: Stories of service that show us how to give more with a purpose without giving up what’s most important.
925 Ideas to Help You Save Money, Get Out of Debt and Retire A Millionaire So You Can Leave Your Mark on the World.
You can download Your Mark On The World for free when you subscribe to my blog at YourMarkOnTheWorld.com.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
As my fourth book, I anticipated that writing this book would be relatively easy. Nothing could be further from the truth. The difficulty of writing the book highlights for me the value of the help I’ve received in the research and writing.
In order to write the book, I’ve spoken with dozens of people and organizations that have completed successful crowdfunding campaigns. Ultimately, I chose ten stories; I wish there were space to devote to all of those who were willing to share their insights with me.
I am grateful to Jennifer Windrum, Jimi Hunt, Rebecca Pontius, Martha Griffin, Benjamin Cohen, Kaden Benoit, Cason Crane, Muhammed Chadhry, Vivienne Harr, Eric Harr and Dave McMurtry for the time they took to share their stories and for the insights and wisdom they offered.
Jae Dansie edited the book for me. She is a brilliant writer and editor and I am grateful for the outstanding job she did of polishing my prose. Of course, the errors that remain in the book are my responsibility and not hers.
John T. Child created a brilliant cover for my book, as he’s done for all of my books.
Gail Thorpe, my wife, has made the greatest sacrifices for this book, not only allowing me time to write, but serving rather formally as proofreader. I am the luckiest man alive.
Despite the help I’ve received from so many people, any errors that remain in the text are my responsibility alone.
In order to fund the publication and promotion of this book, as seems only fitting, I did a crowdfunding campaign on StartSomeGood.com. Over 50 people supported the campaign helping me to raise over $3,000 to help me get this book into the hands of real change agents who will use its principles to leave a mark on the world.
The following people supported my campaign at the financial levels indicated:
$499 and up
Jason Best
Crowdfund Capital Advisors
http://crowdfundcapitaladvisors.com
Raising money isn’t easy. But crowdfunding makes it easier than ever before. Success with Crowdfunding has created an educational series that is your key to crowdfunding success. Visit SuccessWithCrowdfunding.com.
Anonymous
$299 and up
Joy Schoffler
Leverage PR
http://www.leverage-pr.com
The Leverage PR team is unbeaten in the crowdfunding space; no one knows the people, products and platforms better. –Devin Thorpe
Doug Ellenoff
Ellenoff Grossman and Schole
www.CrowdESQ.com
Recognized as a thought leader and expert on the legalities of the JOBS Act, he’s been a key representative and advocate for crowdfunding.
Sydney Armani
CrowdFundBeat
http://crowdfundbeat.com
Crowdfundbeat.com is an online source of news, information and resources for crowdfunding.
John Child
The Brainchild Company
http://johntchild.com
Marketing to the Core: The 4 key concepts that will create results for your small business marketing efforts.
$99 and up
David Bradford
HireVue
http://www.HireVue.com
HireVue is a way to interview on demand! Simply email a link to questions and empower candidates to record responses via webcam.
Chris Camillo
Author, Laughing at Wall Street
http://laughingatwallstreet.com
In 2007, in the midst of the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression, Chris invested $20,000 and grew it to just over $2 million.
$49 and up
Anonymous
Rick and Alta Davis
The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation
http://www.cff.org (bit.ly/E0B0u)
Andy Kristian Agaba
Hiinga
http://hiinga.org (bit.ly/PGYD7t)
Donald Rands
The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation
http://www.cff.org (bit.ly/E0B0u)
Jane Wolfe
Mardi Gras Throws for Education
http://ubuntuatwork.org
Pearl Wright
Choice Humanitarian
www.choicehumanitarian.org
$19 and up
Anonymous
Bridgett Thorpe
David M.
John Holt
Utah Microenterprise Loan Fund
Victoria Mita
FundMyTravel
Paul Joseph
Caring Voice Coalition, Inc.
Abe Carter
Alex Budak
Start Some Good
Bill Aho
Cheryl Snapp Conner
Snapp Conner PR
Dave Boyce
Fundly
David Sheffield
Miles of Gratitude
Dyanne Christensen
Evan Malter
J. Todd Anderson
Boy Scouts of America
Kevin Jessop
Anonymous
Tomorrow’s Luminary Foundation
Mikey Leung
Rose Spinelli
Animal Protection
Stephen Scott
Steve Grizzell
Girl Scouts of Utah
Nicole Pitzer
Stone by Stone Moving Mountains in Haiti, Inc.
Tom Dawkins
Start Some Good
Wayne Moorehead
$4 and up
Sandy Darlington
Suzanne Rajkumar
Anonymous
Todd Leishman
Devan Thorne
Caroline Udall
Raymond Sweger
Andrew Gardiner
Asha Aravindakshan
Dayton
Franci Eisenberg
Gail Thorpe
Greg Gunn
Kushaan Shah
Leonardo Hudson
M. Cole Jones
For all of the people who dream about leaving a mark on the world, with greatest appreciation for those who actually do.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Also By Devin D. Thorpe
Acknowledgements
Foreword
Chapter 1: Introduction
Chapter 2: Sometimes You Just Want To SMAC! Cancer
Chapter 3: Goal Assessment: Can You Get There From Here?
Chapter 4: Live More Awesome
Chapter 5: Designing Your Campaign Strategy
Chapter 6: Do Good Bus Rolls Across The Country Full Of Volunteers
Chapter 7: Rewards That Inspire
Chapter 8: Sam’s Birthmark
Chapter 9: Start Before You Start
Chapter 10: TOHL Founders Crowdfund Their Social Venture
Chapter 11: Producing A Viral Video For Your Campaign
Chapter 12: Kaden
Chapter 13: Leveraging Your Network
Chapter 14: The Rainbow Summits
Chapter 15: Expand Your Reach With Blogs And Traditional Media
Chapter 16: Silicon Valley Education Foundation Rocks Crowdfunding
Chapter 17: Build Relationships Of Trust
Chapter 18: Vivienne Vows To End Child Slavery In Her Lifetime
Chapter 19: Investment Crowdfunding
Chapter 20: Empower Your Volunteers To Share The Message
Addenda
Shaun King Brings Hope(Mob) To Crowdfunding
Crowdfunding For Boston Marathon Victims Shows Support From Around The World
How To Raise $16 Million From Crowdfunding In One Day
Crowdfunding Is About Creating Jobs For The Right People
Top Ten Issues Raised At Texas Crowdfunding Conference
Crowdfunding Success Stories Include $35,000 For Sock Monkeys And $2,000 For A Dry Composting Toilet
Crowdfunding To The Rescue Following Superstorm Sandy
Four Crowdfunding Mistakes For Social Entrepreneurs To Avoid
Why Crowdfunding Will Explode In 2013
12 Secrets For Success In Crowdfunding For Social Entrepreneurs
Eight Crowdfunding Sites For Social Entrepreneurs
‘Kingonomics’ Embody The Spirit Of Social Entrepreneurship
About The Author, Devin D. Thorpe
FOREWORD
Good is a currency.
It is an intangible currency that all humans must embrace; and it is embraced when you discover your definitive purpose in life.
Devin Thorpe is one of the humans I know on this planet that has discovered his definitive purpose in life and has chosen to embrace it, learn it, live it and give it with all of his being.
I noticed this definitive focus when I first met Devin at one of our Kingonomics Innovation, Entrepreneurship and Investment Conferences in Atlanta, GA.
At Kingonomics, we encourage our entrepreneurs and investors to embrace the reality that innovation, entrepreneurship and social good (or investment) is apart of our God given make up. I would argue that it is in our DNA. It’s a fundamental construct of our focused existence.
Simultaneously, we expose our audience to the economic philosophies and ideals of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. of which we make the case for in my latest book, Kingonomics: Twelve Innovative Currencies for Transforming Your Business & Life: Inspired by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
That’s correct! Dr. King was very much so focused on economics as his last cause before being silenced by an assassin’s bullet in Memphis, TN while marching for fair salaries and benefits of black sanitation workers was the Poor People’s Campaign. Dr. King realized that the basis of human, social and civic dignity was human, social and civic good. As you may envision, social good was inherit to Dr. King’s DNA. He spoke it. He taught it. He lived it. He breathed it. He manifested it. He died for it.
To do good is to take action. Social investment is action. Crowdfunding is simply the mechanism (or platform) by which we collectively take action to empower the causes and initiatives that we individually, but collectively, are passionate about. As Devin demonstrates with his stories and case studies in his book, Crowdfunding allows us to more together than we can apart.
Upon reading Devin’s latest work, Crowdfunding For Social Good: Financing Your Mark On The World, I quickly realized that this work is what we called, Applied Kingonomics
. Kingonomics, the written prose, is my response to Dr. King’s last book, Where Do We Go From Here: Community or Chaos. Kingonomics, the conference, boot camps, crowdfunding and wealth building initiatives designed to engage and activate community and culture is what we define as Applied Kingonomics
.
To this end, by reading and embracing the information, strategy and solutions presented in Crowdfunding For Social Good, you’ll learn how to take action – through crowdfunding - in your local and global communities by giving, donating and investing.
We will do more together than we will apart.
Devin, well done.
+ Rodney S. Sampson, MBA
Chairman, Opportunity Fund | Hub | CDC
Head of Diversity & Inclusion, One Three Media
Executive Producers of Shark Tank, The Voice, Survivor and Celebrity Apprentice
Author, Kingonomics: Twelve Innovative Currencies for Transforming Your Business & Life, Inspired by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Chapter 1
INTRODUCTION
Crowdfunding for Social Good is about helping you to finance your mark on the world as a social entrepreneur.
ARE YOU A SOCIAL ENTREPRENEUR?
You are a social entrepreneur if your focus in building something is to make the world a better place and that takes priority over making a fortune—even if it isn’t more important than making a living. It doesn’t matter whether you are working out of your basement or hoping to create a global movement, you are a social entrepreneur if your need to help other people exceeds your greed.
If you are a social entrepreneur, the business you run might be called a social venture or social enterprise. Increasingly, such businesses are built with a sustainable, for-profit business model rather than a not-for-profit approach.
Traditional non-profit leaders are also social entrepreneurs. Anyone who seeks to use innovation and enterprise in any form to do good is a social entrepreneur.
Let me encourage you not to get too hung up on the distinctions between for-profit and not-for-profit social enterprises. All businesses, regardless of their tax status or organizational structure must be profitable in order to persist. The only meaningful distinction between for-profit social enterprises and not-for-profit social enterprises is that generally a for-profit business can hope to get all of its revenue from its customers; a not-for-profit business typically requires donations from people other