What's Happening in Crowdfunding

National Crowdfunding Services, LLC. June, 2014. Volume 3. Number 2. National CROWDFUNDING CROWDFUNDING FOR minority and women businesses This newsletter is being sent to you because you signed up at BlackCrowdfunding.net or MinorityFinance.com What is Crowdfunding? Crowdfunding works as follows: An entrepreneur with an idea for a company or product posts the details of the idea or product on a web site such as Indiegogo or Kickstarter. The posting includes information on the amount of money needed, benefits to those who contribute to the project and information on the developers. Crowdfunding can potentially level the playing field, opening new sources of business capital and revenue for women- and minority-owned firms. For more, please see: Crowdfunding This Week  Also, please review the MinorityFinance.com Minority and Women Business Financing Guide. (Username and Password: meatball.) THE WASHINGTON, DC CROWDFUNDING CHALLENGE   We are pleased to announce that National Crowdfunding Services, LLC will soon launch The Washington DC Crowdfunding Challenge.  We believe that, given the opportunity, our community will support DC Based small business owners. Please click on the picture or go to our "Indication of Potential Interest" page at  www.DChallenge.co to make a non binding indication of support. Our goal is to get indications from at least 2,000 potential supporters. You can list from $100 - $500. Again, this is a non binding dollar amount that indicates what you MIGHT, at some future point, be willing to donate to crowdfunding campaigns sponsored by DC based small business owners. Please be on the lookout for more information about the Washington DC Crowdfunding Challenge. Other Events and News State Crowdfunding Exemptions   The picture at left shows states that have enacted equity crowdfunding (green), states that are in the process of enacting an exemption for equity crowdfunding (blue), and states that are considering enacting an exemption for equity crowdfunding (yellow).  The states in red have rejected equity crowdfunding.  For more, see: http://crowdfundingnow.blogspot.com/2014/05/state-level-crowdfunding-exemptionsso.html Real Estate Crowdfunding   The picture at left shows states where real estate crowdfunding transactions have occurred. We agree "crowdfunding" is one of the latest buzz words, but the fact that Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary recently added Crowdfunding speaks to the fact that crowdfunding is here to stay. While the full impact on the U.S. real estate market has yet to be determined, if the past year is any indication, real estate may be one of the biggest segments of the crowdfunding marketplace. For more, see: http://crowdfundingnow.blogspot.com/2014/05/real-estate-crowdfunding-by-state-so-far.html LeVar Burton Shows Us How To Crowdfund We note with interest the recent Kickstarter campaign by LeVar Burton for Reading Rainbow. According to one news report, "Reading Rainbow, the PBS children's program hosted by LeVar Burton that debuted in 1983 and went off the air in 2006,upset many with its departure. But Burton, who also executive produced the program, has managed to keep the project alive in some form or another in the time since. He launched the show as an app in 2012. And now his new venture is to take Reading Rainbow's large digital library of books and videos to classrooms nationwide for free. But to do so Burton needs capital. So the Star Trek actor turned to Kickstarter to raise money. He launched his campaign last Wednesday to raise $1 million to launch his PBS children's series online. Although Burton had allotted 35 days to raise the money, within 24 hours he had reached his goal." Bravo! Why was this campaign so successful? See: http://crowdfundingnow.blogspot.com/2014/06/levar-burton-shows-how-to-crowdfund.html   UPCOMING CROWDFUNDING SEMINARS   June 14, 2014. 4:30pm.Watha Daniel Library.   June 18, 2014. 12:30pm.Petworth Library.   June 27, 2014. 5:30pm.WeWork Wonder Bread.   ​Crowdfunding Articles and News: Title III of The JOBS Act: A Major Win for Minority Businesses STANDARDS FOR ASSESSING THE DIVERSITY POLICIES OF BANKS, INVESTMENT FIRMS, CREDIT UNIONS New Crowdfunding Site Supports Black Entrepreneurs Crowdfunding Site Targets African Americans A Crowdfunding Site for Black Entrepreneurs Book: The JOBS Act: Crowdfunding for Small Businesses and Startups Crowdfunding on Real Talk Radio, May 7, 2013. Businesses, Brushed Off by Banks, Seek Funding Knowledge@Wharton: Crowdfunding Grows... Washington Post Articles on Crowdfunding by William Michael Cunningham  10 Things Black People Should Know About Crowdfunding