Kickstarter

It used to be mostly parents that backed pipe dreams, but thanks to Kickstarter.com you can now enlist your grandparents, coworkers, and perfect strangers halfway across the world as “patrons” and “investors.”

Launched in May 2009 as “a new way to fund ideas and endeavors,” Kickstarter is not unlike a fundraising drive for one of the world’s ailments: there’s a cause, a target dollar amount, and a ticking time limit. But Kickstarter’s campaigns are less about saving the world and more about individualistic goals, like Emily Richardson’s “Let’s Sail Around the World!” or Allison Weiss’ “Help Me Make My New EP and Get Cool Stuff in Return!” campaigns. As Perry Chen, Kickstarter’s 33-year-old co-founder and CEO points out, “We’re not trying to build a system that’s based on philanthropy. Altruism is an important part of the system, but the projects offer rewards. If you give Allison $15, you get the CD, if you give her $100, she’ll play a song for you over the phone.”

Personal phone serenades aside, why would a perfect stranger pay for Allison Weiss’ dreams? Interviews with the successful fundraisers seem to suggest that people genuinely enjoy sharing in the experience of making someone’s dream come true. Also, contributions can be as little as $1 and you don’t actually pay until they meet the campaign dollar goal, so you’re not sponsoring a losing campaign.

Currently, the ability to post your dreams is by invitation only and free, but come early Fall the entries will be open to the public with a nominal listing fee. Check back frequently, and give a fellow dreamer a buck while you’re there. Because we’re guessing that the $1K contributions are still coming from mom and dad.