Nowadays, it seems that everything worth doing requires saving or fundraising money. Crowdfunding websites have made fundraising a very simple process. However, websites such as GoFundMe, Indiegogo, and Kickstarter are yet another example of how technological innovation can be abused by the morons of the world. So, before you launch your latest crowdfunding venture, make sure your campaign follows this quick guide to the do's and don'ts of crowdfunding!
Rule #1: DO NOT crowdfund your college education.
Chances are if you are pursuing college at the moment, you have friends who are too. No one you know needs to feel guilt about your college expenses when they have their own tuition to worry about. Have you heard of scholarships? There are millions of dollars in scholarships somewhere in the void that remain unclaimed by poor college students such as yourself. Work for your college education. Take out loans. Find scholarships. You are no more entitled to your education than any of the rest of us.
Also, while there are some family members that will give you college money out of love, that is significantly different than religiously checking your gofundme page to see whether or not your Great Aunt dropped money into your education (I'll give you a clue: she didn't).
Rule #2: Only crowdfund musical projects if you are willing to give back.
This rule is very simple. Nobody wants to lend money to help your band make a poorly-mixed album if they have to go on and pay for the music itself once you finish it. Offer something in return, such as a free t-shirt, or a free album once it's complete. Chances are that people are only contributing out of pity, anyways. You shouldn't push it.
Rule #3: DO NOT crowdfund any personal trips.
Nobody wants to pay for your study abroad trip to Slovakia to study some rare grass with some unknown scientist. If you're going to guilt us into paying for your trip and require us to live vicariously through you via Facebook posts and photo albums, then at least go somewhere interesting (I'm still not paying for your trip to Hawai'i, but make sure you post cool pictures of volcano tours). You see, most people would like to travel. Study abroad trips are appealing to many college students. Similarly to Rule #1, however, you are no more entitled to travel the world than any of the rest of us, so don't expect us to pay for it.
Rule #4: You may crowdfund your medical expenses, but only under certain circumstances.
Crowdfunding is great for this! Illnesses and medical research are definitely worthy causes. Individuals and/or families affected by serious illness deserve all the help they can get; however, just like with everything on the internet, people are finding a way to abuse this technology yet again. Here are some more intricate guidelines to follow when it comes to crowdfunding your medical bills:
If you have a simple illness, do not crowdfund it. We all get colds. You do not require compensation for yours.
If your illness or injury is a result of your own idiocy, then don't crowdfund. I am not sorry that you decided to jump from your roof into your pool and missed it by *that* much. You should be so lucky that natural selection had mercy on you.
If your medical expenses are for unnecessary procedures (i.e. elective plastic surgery) then don't crowdfund it. That is not to say that plastic surgery is shameful, but I am not contributing my hard earned money to help you reshape your nose.
Rule #5: Don't try to crowdfund to buy unnecessary things.
This rule covers all of the seemingly common-sense judgments, yet it is probably the most important of all. Don't crowdfund to fix something you broke. Don't crowdfund to buy a pet. Don't crowdfund your wedding. Don't crowdfund your legal bills for your divorce. As a general rule of thumb, if the crowdfunding venture only benefits you, don't do it.
Again, there are beneficial uses for crowdfunding. Fundraising websites can help raise money for research, medical expenses, business ventures and more. To maintain your status as a functioning member of society, and to ensure that your friends and family don't see you as a cash-mongering nitwit, simply follow this guide. In the event that you're still unsure of whether or not your crowdfunding campaign is liable, ask yourself these three questions: 1) Does your campaign immediately benefit a large group of people, 2) Does your campaign assist in research or development of a medical or business concept, and 3) Does your campaign assist a family or person affected by circumstances out of their control? If you could answer "yes" to any of these three, then your campaign is worth launching. Otherwise, don't.
