What are the differences between crowd funding types and how do I know what I'm supporting?
What is the difference between a Kickstarter and a Patreon? What should people know about supporting a project online?
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Answers ( 1 )
There are several different kinds of crowdfunding: Project-based, process-based and tips and donations. It helps to know what you paid for.
Project-based is Kickstarter & Indiegogo. You are not pre-ordering something. You are *backing the creation* of it. Depending on what level you back at, you may *not* get the finished project. If you never get the reward you backed for, talk w/the project leader or KS/IG. I find that this is the biggest problem, as people invest in a project, thinking they are pre-ordering a thing. It's not the same at all.
Processed-based crowdfunding is Patreon. You are not backing a *thing* at all, you are supporting the act of creation. Because of my Patrons, I can keep writing and recording. That is what "patronage" is. Some creators offer *things* as level rewards. Others do not.
Tip-based crowdfunding is Ko-fi and Buy Me A Beer.
These are the digital equivalent of leaving a hat out for people to toss some money into for your performance. It's not technically a quid pro quo, but the understanding that they feel entertained, here's a few bucks.
Donations are just that...you are giving money to a person/place/cause. Because donation crowdfunding is not through vetted organizations, you don't always know who/what is getting the $. There is no reward beyond feeling good about it.
In all forms of crowdfunding, it is on you to understand what you paid, to whom and why, whether there is something owed to you and for you to follow it up appropriately.