I love this online crowdfunding platform called Lucky Ant for small businesses looking to raise funds to improve. It makes so much sense to me that a regular customer has a vested interest in improving the experience of a neighborhood business he/she regularly frequents. If that experience is good, it can have a ripple effect throughout the surrounding neighborhood.

For instance: If I had a favorite neighborhood cafe, and that cafe wanted to add outdoor seating but didn't have enough money for permits or construction, it would absolutely be in my self-interest to help make that happen with a small donation. (I'm antsy...so I wouldn't want to wait 5 years for them to save money for cafe tables, I would want to sit at the cafe table now!) Plus, the benefits of outdoor seating would be felt far beyond the walls of that business, contributing to a safer, more walkable neighborhood.

Here is my idea, as culled from my post:

The most consistent and frequent activity people engage in is commerce. We buy things – gas, food, groceries. On most days, we each make some kind of purchase. Commercial activity cuts across all socio-economic strata. Poor or rich, young or old, we all engage in some form of commerce.
 
So here is a big (or maybe small) idea: What if 1% of the total cost of all local purchases we made was somehow pooled into a fund to be distributed to worthy community projects? Every time you bought a $3 cup of coffee at your local café, $0.03 was tucked away into a community pot, until eventually we accumulated (thanks to the magic of mass consumption and caffeine) enough money to disburse to smaller projects that benefit the city.

Posted Apr 13, 2012

Crowdfunding Signed into Law under JOBS Act

Check out YouLobby for funding grassroots advocacy and lobbying campaigns!   www.youlobby.com

Posted May 25, 2012