Kickstarter itself earns good money with it. They get 5% of the project budget. Since the start of the site in 2009, according to Kickstarter itself, 350 million dollars have been raised. The total importance of crowdfunding is much greater. An article on Forbes.com mentions a value of 6 billion dollars in 2013.
This is zpocalypsenot so bad for governments and especially banks. They have not been very keen on lending anything in recent years. This applies to decent starters who want a mortgage, but even more so to creative people who have a fantastically wild idea for a crazy board game about zombies: ZPocalypse .
You will have to sell this concept at the local Rabobank in this day and list to data age. ZPocalypse did make it at Kickstarter. And how! More than 2,000 'backers' raised over 210,000 dollars, while the goal of the initiators was 15,000 dollars. A successful initiative in the end, that would not have made it at the local bank.
No battery chicken, but organic chicken fillets
Even more interesting is the social importance of this development. There has never been a time when consumers could exert so much direct influence as now. For example, look at the broiler chicken story on Albert Heijn's Facebook fan page .
broiler chickenBut it goes beyond complaining and forcing. Groups will organize themselves and initiate the actual change themselves. Not asking for an adjustment, but realizing it themselves. Until recently, this remained small-scale. Now projects with a value of tens of millions are realized via the crowd. Who knows, supporters of Wakker Dier may soon fund a company for organic chicken fillets themselves. Why not?
Looking back on the luxury of a complaint
One day we will look back on the luxury of a complaint. That someone used to take the trouble to tell you what you did wrong, we will later be surprised about. Consumers will thumb their noses at organizations that make a mistake: ignore them and start the alternative themselves. And that is exciting, that is the ultimate Kickstart under your butt.