14th March
Crowdfunding Day
Crowdfunding is the practice of financing projects from small amounts of money coming from a large number of people. Although it may seem like an innovation, it actually dates back to the 19th century as an effective way of raising money for things and projects, such as ecological ones.
Crowdfunding Day helps to raise awareness about the usefulness of crowdfunding and how it has changed the lives of organizations around the world.
The history of Crowdfunding Day dates back to the 19th century when it was founded by the famous French philosopher and sociologist Auguste Comte. He introduced the sociological theory of positivism in his historical work Premiere Circulaire Annuelle addressee par lauteur du Systeme de Philosophy Positive.
Positivism refers to the relationship between theory and observation, relying on the scientific method to ensure authentic knowledge. While this abstract concept was partly founded by Comte, he used this ideology to fund his research and eventually created the first forms of crowdfunding. On this day in 1850, the philosopher published his work as the first crowdfunding success.
The term for crowdfunding and its more modern success came in 1997 when a British rock band financed their comeback through online donations from their fans. ArtistShare became the first company to create a crowdfunding platform, and the crowdfunding industry has been growing ever since.
Today, crowdfunding is a huge part of the economic success of many organizations and continues to grow. In 2015, crowdfunding campaigns globally raised a total of $34 billion, which is double the annual budget of the NASA program.
It is expected that this industry will grow to over $300 billion by 2025, so take the time to celebrate crowdfunding, one of the main ways projects you love can come to life.
How to celebrate Crowdfunding Day:
- If you appreciate what crowdfunding has done or can do for your company or nonprofit, start a crowdfunding project. Help develop your activities by reaching out to people, telling them about your visions and projects, and raising funds for them.
- Support other projects you know through crowdfunding by sending them money.
- Help crowdfunding come alive by sharing this holiday on social media using the hashtag #crowdfundingday.
- Let your friends and family know what crowdfunding is and celebrate its history by discussing the best ways to crowdfund activities and projects you love.
