You, too, can help fuel the American Dream by investing in entrepreneurs whose companies may become the next Spanx or SlideShare. Investment in start-up and growing businesses isn’t just for financial institutions any more. Many people, not just friends and family, want to help entrepreneurs solve problems, innovate, and create jobs.

How to Use Crowdfunding for Education

by Guest Blogger on Feb 26, 2013 - 12:20am

crowdfunding fundraising Learning Marketing microfinancing Research

by Miriam Clifford

John F. Kennedy’s quote about the goal of education could very well be applied to a discussion of crowdfunding today. Crowdfunding has emerged in education as a means to make private dreams a reality through collective microfinancing. Crowdfunding spread as an idea as artists, idealists, and entrepreneurs looked for ways to harness the power of the technology to finance their ideas.

Jump Start Your Small Business Loan with Crowdfunding

by Geri Stengel on Feb 21, 2013 - 12:20am

Commentary / Opinion crowdfunding JOBS act Small Business small business financing small business loans Trends Women Entrepreneurship

As an entrepreneur, Candace Klein, founder and CEO of SoMoLend, knows the pain of being on the hunt for money when it’s scarce. While things have loosened up a bit since the financial crisis began, financial institutions, such as banks, are still tight-fisted.

Why Women Entrepreneurs Should Go with the Crowd

by Geri Stengel on Feb 7, 2013 - 12:20am

Commentary / Opinion crowdfunding JOBS act Small Business small business financing Trends women entrepreneurs Women Entrepreneurship

Women-owned firms start and grow businesses with substantially less outside financing, according to a Department of Commerce survey of women-owned companies across the U.S. That helps to explain why the average women-owned business has 25% lower revenue than the typical male-owned firm in the same industry.

What Women Entrepreneurs Need Before They Join the Crowd

by Geri Stengel on Jan 10, 2013 - 12:20am

Commentary / Opinion crowdfunding Small Business small business funding Trends women entrepreneurs Women Entrepreneurship women investors

Recently I wrote about a new funding source for entrepreneurs: crowdfunding. Right now, small businesses can raise money from the online crowd in exchange for a give-away, such as a product or service. Sometime in 2013 the rules and guidelines for the Jumpstart Our Business Startups (JOBS) Act should be approved, which will allow companies to give equity to crowdfunding investors in the U.S.

Crowdfunding: Is It Right for Your Nonprofit

by Guest Blogger on Jan 8, 2013 - 12:20am

Commentary / Opinion crowdfunding donations How To Nonprofit nonprofit philanthropy

By Elizabeth Kulik

All over the world nonprofit organizations contribute tremendously to the public good. Their work helps strengthen communities, improve the lives of others and build the economy. Today, nonprofits are challenged to compete for resources in a globally changing economic landscape where costs to operate are high, demand for services is greater, generational transfer is unclear, and tax deductions are shrinking.

How Savvy Small Businesses Use Crowdfunding

by Geri Stengel on Dec 20, 2012 - 12:20am

Commentary / Opinion crowdfunding Small Business small businesses Social Media social media for small businesses Trends women entrepreneurs Women Entrepreneurship

Women-owned businesses start life with significantly less capital than those owned by men. How can a business grow if it starts life undernourished? Yet, if you’re a woman business owner, your business will start with less and raise less as it grows. If you settle for that situation, you’ll likely end up with less to show for your trouble, a smaller, less successful business than if a man had come up with the same idea and energy, according to a key Department of Commerce survey of women-owned companies across the U.S.

What Crowdfunding Can Do for Nonprofits and Donors

by Geri Stengel on Sep 11, 2012 - 12:20am

Commentary / Opinion crowdfunding making a difference Nonprofit nonprofit fundraising Social Media vetting nonprofits

A lot of good is being done around the world and lots of people want to support those good works. But it’s hard to expose grassroots organizations to potential donors around the world and it’s hard for donors to learn about projects that excite their interest.

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