Rewards is where it's at (I'm biased!)

There is a great big shift in the crowdfunding world right now, scrap that, the whole world and it’s called awareness. Crowdfunding is moving house from the homes of the tech-minded and socially savvy into the living rooms of Joe public and his mates. 

Despite having my head firmly entrenched in the clouds of ideas and possibilities, I’ve got my ear to the ground and there are some distinct mutterings of big business, big financiers and well… big people in the world of money starting to take real notice of what the crowd is up to. It’s called democratic finance and it’s shaken, not stirred. Let’s face it, they’ve got to start jumping onboard right? It’s happening and it’s disrupting.

Also named the “socialisation of finance” (snappy huh?), everyone is talking about it. The nationals are yelling it from the broadsheets most days and Twitter is chirping away second by second, Facebook is a hotbed for spreading the word and rumour has it, most rewards-based pledges originate from the book-of-face. Banks are getting in on the action, and the crowdfunding marketplace is getting rowdier by the day. In fact, I’ve already paid and ordered three of my 2015 xmas gifts already - helping to set up businesses/support charities along my merry way. 

The potent cocktail of rewards, equity, peer to peer and loan crowdfunding has landed and the crowds are cheering. It’s pretty heady stuff when you are in the thick of it and an upward curve of learning. New tech is being developed daily and the masses are adapting to a new-world order, one in which they demand the products and entrepreneurs feed their hungry requests. 

I’m biased, for me rewards is where it’s at. I don’t have £500 quid - or more… hanging about having a party in my bank account, but what I do have is a little bit of money here and there to buy the things I want, and I get a buzz when I pledge on a project - I’m helping someones dreams come true. There is an essential happiness that comes from rewards-based crowdfunding, and its addictive. I’m not in the game for long-term investment and I don’t drink wine with too many that are. 

I’m not a minority, the fact-stuffed Nesta report tells us that the rewards-market grew to £26,000,000 in 2014, and I’ll bet my next pledge it’s eating up some serious brain space for some big charities, brands and businesses that are looking to max out the opportunities to leap into these freshly-formed online communities. 

It’s exciting, and it's getting noisy. The party's just started.... @_Jessification_

PS - this week I'm loving the fact that #MenInSheds have launched a campaign (early days yet but it's a cool idea) and Cornwall is looking to the past to protect the future of their culture with the St Piran's Oratory project.