Indiegogo.com Review

With the economy in a slump, natural disasters that seem to never stop coming and civil unrest in many third world countries, it's a wonder how anyone has money to accomplish any of their goals.  Rather than asking for donations on the street or fundraising the old fashioned way the site indiegogo.com is giving artists, filmmakers, humanitarians, entrepreneurs and most other walks of life the chance to raise money by way of the internet.

The way this site works is that a user creates a profile much like many social networks with a biography, pictures, articles and widgets.  The difference in this site is that the user is seeking to meet a target goal, a monetary amount.  Most people list the amount they wish to reach as well as the minimum donation they will take.  Most of the time the minimum is $10 to donate, but of course you can donate as much as your heart desires.  The website also gives you averages and statistics that tell you the average donation amount to projects.

As you can see when going to the main page that there are many categories when clicking the browse button.  Film, Cause, Community and Music seem to be the most popular on this site, but one could argue that all causes big or small are worth consideration for funding.  Haiti and Uganda along with many other poverty stricken, destitute lands have received much help from this site through the donations of people that seek to make a difference for people they have never met.  This speaks volumes to the generosity of the human heart when people are desperately in need of help.

Indiegogo also has a very lively twitter page that features articles about movies, fundraising, green living, tips for business owners, job listings; the list really does go on and on.  They cover a very broad range of categories and topics but it's epicenter remains humanitarianism.  

Some may say that anyone can set up a profile on indiegogo and ask for money, which is for the most part true.  Many of these projects are art based or musicians looking for help while touring, maybe creating an album.  There are also those that have gone into debt because of an illness such as cancer or lupus.  It's hard to fake something you are passionate about when there are pictures to prove your work and worth. 

If you are a sham that will eventually shine through and no one is going to want to help you.  It seems that sometimes we have to have faith in what we can't see or prove.  This website does precisely that by acting as a link between the obtainable and a person's hopes of accomplishing the unthinkable through a little help from strangers and friends.

http://www.indiegogo.com/