Advantages And Disadvantages Of Crowdfunding Platforms

Introduction To Crowdfunding

Crowdfunding is a fundraising technique that allows individuals and organizations to raise money for a specific project or cause through an online platform. The concept of crowdfunding has been around for centuries, with communities pooling resources to support common goals. However, with the rise of digital technology, crowdfunding has become a global phenomenon, raising billions of dollars for various causes every year.

Before we start discussing the advantages and disadvantages of crowdfunding platforms, let’s first discuss why we need crowdfunding platforms. The 2007 banking crisis caused a huge dip in the confidence of the financial system. People started looking for alternative methods to meet their credit and investment needs.

One of the consequences of this was the development of peer-to-peer networks and an attempt at decentralising the monetary system. Cryptocurrencies and crowdfunding platforms are two great examples of this attempt at decentralisation. The exponential growth of the internet and social media has also made crowdfunding more accessible than ever.

The task of crowdfunding platforms is to monitor and assess both borrowers and investors thoroughly. In addition, they must keep an eye on the laws and regulations and ensure that they form a reliable basis for facilitating crowdfunding.

What Are The Advantages And Disadvantages Of Crowdfunding?

1. Responsible Business

Crowdfunding lends itself exceptionally well as a financing method in the context of corporate social responsibility. Borrowing public money fits well with a business concept or idea that focuses on sustainability or invests in the community.

2. New Financing Method

Collecting donations through crowdfunding platforms is a relatively new financing method. A significant advantage of this is the flexibility with which credit can be collected. Banks suffer enormously from bureaucracy and have a slow administration. The conditions for the approval of a credit application are a lot stricter. Peer-to-peer lending offers an alternative for businesses and individuals who are not eligible for traditional bank financing.

3. Interesting Investment

Peer-to-peer credit can also be very interesting as an investment. Returns of up to 11% are not uncommon. An investment can yield a return and dividend, making an invested amount more valuable. Read more about How to Invest Successfully in Peer-to-Peer Credit.

4. Simple, Relatively Fast And Cheap

Crowdfunding platforms are a relatively simple, cheap and fast way to raise money for your business or project. Financing costs of crowdfunding are usually between five and nine per cent, whereas other financing options quickly add ten per cent or more.

5. Less Strict Conditions

The conditions for applying for crowdfunding are a lot more flexible than those of standard financing methods (such as for example, a business loan from the bank). For instance, fewer securities and guarantees are required from the project and the company. This is mainly due to the fact that donations to crowdfunding projects are considered venture capital. As a result, there is less pressure for borrowers to provide collateral or other forms of guarantee in order to obtain financing.

6. Less Regulation

Due to its relatively short existence, peer-to-peer funding is surrounded by less strict legislation and regulations. This results in a means of financing with a relatively low entry threshold and a flexible character.

7. Extra Advantageous Marketing And Publicity

Crowdfunding platforms are a cost-effective way to run a successful marketing campaign to attract both investors and customers.

A good campaign shows daring, creativity and entrepreneurship. Generating publicity with such a campaign is, therefore, much easier than when using a traditional model. Especially when the idea is somewhat original, there is a chance that the media will see it as valuable news. With a bit of luck and creativity, the idea will be picked up on its own, and the publicity will practically happen by itself.

It is also possible to test how the public reacts to your idea via the campaign. If the project is relatively easy to attract investors, you can assume that there is certainly interest in your company or project. There is also a good chance that the lenders will monitor the business and provide you with feedback, with which the project can be further refined.

8. Bond With The Investors

A major advantage of crowdfunding over traditional financing is investor involvement. This is many times greater than when you apply for financing from the bank. In some cases, the investors can almost be regarded as fans or ambassadors. This gives the project an extra boost and ensures even more publicity.

9. Investors Boost Sales

Since the lenders making donations to crowdfund projects are private investors, it is possible that a large number will also want to be customers of the company (use the service, buy the product being developed, etc.) and thus increase the turnover additional stimulation. This is in contrast to regular bank financing, which never generates additional revenue through the same bank.

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What Are The Disadvantages Of Crowdfunding
Platforms?

All that glitters is not gold. It means nothing is perfect in this world, and crowdfunding is no exception. Even if the idea of crowdfunding is noble, there are many crowdfunding platforms that focus on many fraudulent activities in the name of crowdfunding. Plus, the lack of proper crowdfunding knowledge may lead to deprivation.

• Financing Target Must Be Achieved

A major disadvantage of crowdfunding via crowdfunding platforms is that if you fail to collect the budget you have set in time, your project will be removed from the platform, and you will have to start again from scratch. In addition, in the event of bankruptcy, there may be a claim against your personal assets. Some platforms offer the option to re-promote a revised version of the campaign, but this is not a general right.

• No Repayment Of Investments

There is a risk that a borrower will ultimately not be able to meet the repayment obligations or be declared bankrupt. Peer-to-peer funding is subject to less strict rules, which means that fewer financial guarantees are offered. An investment in a wrong product will, therefore, possibly result in loss. This may work to the detriment of lenders and platforms.

• Dependent On ICT Structure

Collecting donations through crowdfunding is mainly done online. Platforms, lenders and borrowers are, therefore, highly dependent on the Internet and the quality of the ICT infrastructure. Problems with this infrastructure and malfunctioning of a platform can therefore lead to major disadvantages for both the platform and the investors and entrepreneurs.

• Old Laws May Be Obstacles

The legal system is slow. Due to the relatively short period in which crowdfunding has developed into a fully-fledged financing method, the current legal framework has not yet had enough time to adapt to these new circumstances. This means that the rules for certain situations are outdated and may be an obstacle. In other circumstances, there are certain rules that are missing and where more supervision is needed. This can lead to stiff situations or cause difficulties. The government is currently formulating and implementing solutions.

• Platform Risk

Bankruptcy of a platform can directly adversely affect both entrepreneurs and investors.

• Time-intensive Campaign

Financing your project through crowdfunding requires intensive and extensive preparation. Designing a successful campaign takes a lot of time and energy, which you can possibly spend on other things. How will you set up the campaign? Which donation platform will you choose for the campaign? How does the promotion happen? These are questions to consider when launching a crowdfunding campaign.

• Fraud By A Crowdfunding Platform

Due to the relatively new and growing market, not many systems have yet been designed to prevent or compensate for such fraud.

• Fraud By Borrowers

It is possible that borrowers set up a fraudulent campaign. This is because there is less strict control than with other financing methods. If you decide to invest in such projects, there are fewer safety nets to absorb your losses.

Platforms do not currently exchange information about rogue borrowers and, unfortunately, do not yet have a registration system for fraudsters.

• Payment Risk Due To Poor Budget

Poor preparation and calculation of the money requirement can cause many problems for lenders, borrowers and the platform itself. Payment problems are the biggest risk here: because you have not drawn up a reasonable investment budget in advance, this results in over-or under-financing. This can considerably complicate the further course of the project and even lead to bankruptcy.

Fewer rules and conditions apply in the preliminary phase of crowdfunding, which means that these problems can arise more quickly than with other forms of financing.

Are you still looking for regular financing from the bank? Then compare business loans before submitting an application.

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Answering Some Popular Crowdfunding Related FAQs

Q. What Is The Impact Of Crowdfunding?

A. Crowdfunding has a direct impact on the funding side of any organisation or even for individual fundraisers for obvious reasons. One of the easiest ways to measure the impact of crowdfunding is by calculating the funding-to-goal ratio, which is a measure of how much money you have raised through crowdfunding.

One of the most overlooked aspects of crowdfunding is the social capital that a campaign creates. This is the part that most researchers fail to realize, as it is very important to reach out to the most engaged crowd. A campaign should be focused on creating awareness, and social media is a vital part of this effort.

Q. What Is An Example Of Crowdfunding?

A. An example of an individual using crowdfunding is healthcare fundraising. In this case, if someone is in need of serious healthcare, then they can simply start crowdfunding and raise money for their medical care expenses. Through crowdfunding platforms like WhyDonate, one can start a fundraising campaign by adding all the vital details of the cause and collecting money for medical bills.

Q. How Effective Is Crowdfunding?

A. As per statistics, in the year 2020, There were a total of 6,455,080 crowdfunding campaigns worldwide. Donation crowdfunding is one of the largest types of crowdfunding. It’s used to pay for life for many causes, such as healthcare, sports, natural disasters and more! Crowdfunding is very effective, given the way it has been handled. One must understand the entire process before blindly starting a fundraiser.

Q. Is Crowdfunding A Sensible Alternative To Traditional Bank Financing?

A. Many start-ups and people with ambitious projects nowadays use crowdfunding as a financing method to raise seed capital. However, crowdfunding is a relatively new form of financing. That is why it is essential to weigh the pros and cons carefully.

As an entrepreneur, you must carefully check which parties you work with and find out how they consider, for example, laws and regulations. It is also crucial to think carefully about your precise credit needs and to critically assess your plans. Good preliminary research can prevent money from being lost. It is crucial for investors to critically evaluate in which projects they will invest exactly and via which platform this should be done.