JustGiving

Crowdfunder

GoGetFunding

Patreon

JustGiving

Crowdfunder

GoGetFunding

Patreon

Kickstarter

Spacehive

Open Collective

Ko-Fi

8 platforms to help crowdfund your next project

by Frankie Mari ResourcesPublished 29th October 2024

Whether your next creative goal involves printing the next issue of your zine, putting on an exhibition, or making a short film – finding funding shouldn’t be a barrier to putting ideas into action.

Crowdfunding is a great solution if money is holding back an idea. It offers a way to reach potential supporters and share your vision, all whilst collecting the funds and resources you need for your project.

Once you've chosen your platform and feel ready to craft a fundraiser, we highly recommend brushing up on some important considerations to get the best results. Find pointers on making convincing and effective crowdfunding campaigns here – covering advice on:

Building community support
Using visuals effectively
Managing finances carefully, from budgeting for covering production costs to preparing for shipping fees and taxes

Ready? Keep reading to discover your best crowdfunding platform match.

by Frankie Mari ResourcesPublished 29th October 2024

Related content

Crowdfunder

With a focus on nurturing grassroots innovation, all types of creative projects have been successfully funded on Crowdfunder, from community drama workshops to gallery exhibitions, zine and documentary projects. There’s a 0% platform fee for not-for-profit and charitable causes, and 5% for for-profit projects.

Ko-Fi

Whether you’re an artist, filmmaker or making a podcast, Ko-Fi is a low-pressure way to invite donations from supporters of your work as it doesn’t have to be linked to any particular project. After you set up your Ko-Fi page, it’s available as an online tip jar or recurring “membership”. You can offer custom services and even take commissions through it.

Kickstarter

Kickstarter is an international crowdfunding platform for creators and makers, with a thriving list of UK-based projects. It uses offers tiered reward systems to encourage support at different levels. Cartoonists have launched their comic book projects, products designers have funded manufacturing of projects and photographers have realised photobooks on the platform.

Patreon

Patreon is a platform where creatives of all disciplines – game developers, musicians, illustrators and more – share work exclusively with subscribers, with different tiers of pricing available. Creators can choose to launch a digital shop or run a membership, and also curate work in bundles for purchase.

GoGetFunding

UK-based platform GoGetFunding has hosted a consistent stream of creative projects, with a no-frills interface that contains highly customisable fundraising options, such as assigning team members to different tasks on the platform. Musicians have been able to fund the recording and release of EPs through the platforms, while fashion designers have used it to raise money to buy sewing equipment and filmmakers have used it to source funding to submit their shorts to film festivals.

Spacehive

If you’re looking to launch community-focused creative projects or expand existing ones, Spacehive is a good option. With a focus on offerings that seek to improve and transform their local area, all manner of creative projects, from new festivals to free artist-led workshops for young people, have featured on the platform.

Open Collective

Open Collective is a crowdfunding platform for community projects and initiatives. It emphasises transparency with donations and funding, with public ledgers of projects showing money raised, source of funds and what they’ve been used towards. Creatives have used it to organise community music and art festivals as well as set up art co-ops.

JustGiving

JustGiving is a charity-focused, donations-based crowdfunding platform suitable for those looking to undertake a creative endeavour to crowdfund for a charity or project beneficial to your community. Simply set up a page and detail your creative project, and share your page with others.