Crowdfunding platforms in the world and Russia: comparison of different platforms. Which crowdfunding platforms can you trust in Russia Crowdfunding can help you

The main problem for the implementation of most projects is the lack of funding. Sometimes the creation of a business, art objects, gadgets and much more is forced to be postponed due to the reluctance of large enough investors to take risks and invest funds, or when they set conditions for cooperation that the organizer cannot agree to. Crowdfunding is one of the forms of obtaining financial support for the implementation of various ideas. In fact, it is a method in which funds are provided by a large number of people. Evaluate existing ones to increase the likelihood of successfully attracting investors.

The concept itself can be literally translated as “crowd financing.” As a rule, for the invested funds, people are provided with a certain product or service, which will become the main source of profit for the organizer of the company after successful fundraising. Sometimes there are options that allow you to consider crowdfunding as gratuitous fees. Today, a huge number of platforms on the Internet have been created to interact with potential “investors from the people.” The Russian-speaking space was no exception.

Crowdfunding - Russian sites

Today in RuNet there are quite a large number of different crowdfunding portals, but below we will look at the largest and most popular today. Each of them has its own characteristics, including both advantages and disadvantages. However, the latter are determined by the goals facing the businessman. For example, many intend to open a business, but do not have the initial capital.

Advice: Don’t rush to start a project on the first site you come across. Evaluate which projects are successful on a particular crowdfunding platform and which are not. This will allow you to assess the interests of users. You need to find the most suitable site for fundraising, as well as evaluate the conditions, and only after that announce the start of the collection.

"A thread from the world"

The crowdfunding site “From the World by Thread” requires project organizers to have Russian citizenship. All initiators of fundraising must voice the key idea of ​​their project, as well as the specific amount of funds needed and the deadline within which the funds must be found.

The priority areas are social projects, joint acquisition of socially oriented activities, as well as promising startups. Crowdfunding financing of projects that have not received prior approval from the administration is prohibited on the site. It is worth noting that the organizer is obliged to transfer part of the collected funds to the owners of the site. Specific amounts and percentages are determined by the agency agreement, which is concluded on an individual basis.

"Planet"

Among the first, it is worth mentioning the crowdfunding site “Planet”. To announce a fundraiser on this Russian portal, you must meet several requirements. You must have a bank account, be 18 years of age or older, and the project itself must not violate the requirements of the site. This Russian crowdfunding site can be used to finance almost any creative project. At the same time, not a single commercial undertaking, like a political initiative, will find understanding with the administration. It is worth noting that moderation on this site is quite strict and scrupulous. Before launching the project, you will need to sign a special agreement with the person who will supervise it.

"Boomstarter"

Another crowdfunding platform where you can raise funds to implement a creative idea is Boomstarter. To start working with this Russian resource, you will need to provide the administration with documents to confirm your identity. The initiator of the fundraiser must be an adult citizen of Russia and also have a bank account opened in his own name.

Crowdfunding can be carried out for projects that are in one way or another related to issues of creativity. It is prohibited to collect funds to open a business, purchase various things for a specific person, or for charitable purposes. There is a rule on this site according to which the organizer of the collection can receive either all the funds (if the set goal for the amount of funds is achieved) or will receive nothing. Collection time is limited to 60 days.

"Thank you"

To open a crowdfunding project on the Russian site “Thankyou”, you need to have at your disposal unique content that can interest a wide audience. Users registered on the site can finance the organizer for any amount they deem necessary. It is important that copyright must belong to the owner of the project. Otherwise, the collection will not be initiated.

In addition to complying with legal regulations on content, it is necessary to sign a special contract, without which payment of funds to the author of the project will be impossible. In some cases, small projects may not be approved. It is worth noting that reducing the amount increases the chances of successful completion of a crowdfunding campaign, so in some cases it is reasonable to save on contracting specialists of various profiles. They can help with this. For various work on such sites you have to pay significantly less.

"Circles"

The administration of “Circles” strictly stipulates that any content that does not comply with the current standards of the country’s legislation is prohibited from posting. You cannot use content that is already available on the Internet and is therefore a duplicate. This imposes some restrictions on those who intend to receive funds from the implementation of their creative work. In particular, artists should remember that today in Russia there is no anti-piracy law that would allow a fine to be collected from persons who violate copyright for using images on the Internet. Those who plan to sell a material product will also not be able to use this platform.

"Rusini"

The Rusini fundraising platform allows you to organize fundraising for various commercial projects among users of the Russian segment of the Internet. Among the mandatory requirements for persons opening a crowdfunding project is the presence of a business plan.

The description must contain a detailed overview of the market for a specific area of ​​business activity. All initiators of the fundraiser will have to inform the social media audience about the launch of the fundraiser. For this it will be useful to know. On this site you can collect finances for NPOs, various startups and business areas. The administration reserves the right to prohibit the publication of any project after consideration. It is worth noting that if the fundraising is unsuccessful, this crowdfunding platform does not require the organizer to provide compensation to users, however, the fulfillment of obligations to the project investors is strictly monitored.

Among the large number of projects, the number of successful ones on the Russian market is relatively large. This is achieved through proper planning as well as limited crowdfunding fees. In RuNet, “popular financing” is only gaining popularity, so in the future the share of successful projects will inevitably decrease.

Any entrepreneur has to solve the question: where to get the amount needed to implement the project? Of course, you don’t always need money to start a business. Many people start a business “on their knees”: they create websites, organize sales via the Internet. There are plenty of opportunities now.

But without investment, it will still be difficult to get to the top and implement a project that is useful for people (see). Often we spend more than we can handle: rent (for a website - hosting), production costs, taxes, interest to distributors, and so on. Now you don’t need loans or long negotiations with different people to collect the required amount, because there is crowdfunding (Russian sites are still gaining popularity). What it is? Now let's look at it in detail.

Crowdfunding - what is it?

In simple words, crowdfunding- a word of English origin, and consists of two parts: crowd (which means “crowd”) and funding (translated as “financing”). Therefore, crowdfunding means funding by a crowd. Actually, even a literal translation reflects the essence of this process.

Crowdfunding is raising money for a social project by raising money from strangers. The word “crowd” is perfect here because a social group is a collection of people in which people know each other. The difference between the crowd is that there are no social connections here.

Key words on this topic: donor (the one who pours in the funds) and recipient (the author). The main condition for the collection is that all funds must be used to achieve the described goal. Crowdfunding for personal needs is also possible, although not as popular as in the case of business. There is a website for this purpose: https://www.gofundme.com/.

Features of crowdfunding

1. To attract finance using crowdfunding, you need to decide on a clear goal that will need to be voiced. Moreover, it is necessary to indicate not only the project itself, but also in what time frame it should be implemented.
2. Limited. You cannot attract more money than initially indicated. The same applies to the period during which money is invested by random “passers-by”. The administration of the sites does this specifically in order to separate interesting ideas from bad ones.
3. The category can be any, although some sites impose restrictions. Thus, some sites for raising money are created for creative projects, and businesses cannot get here. Others are intended for both entrepreneurs and ordinary people creating social projects. On some platforms you can collect funds for politicians.
4. Venture. This means that there are no guarantees of return on investment, an entrepreneur must understand this.
5. The one who collects the money is fully responsible for the result.

History of crowdfunding development

Crowdfunding began in 1997. Then Marillion's fans decided to finance its tour throughout the United States. We managed to collect 60 thousand dollars. Although the band itself was not directly involved at first, it used this model to record several albums that were released later. So crowdfunding appeared first in the music industry, and only then went into business, politics, and so on.

The first crowdfunding site for music was called. ArtistShare, and was created in 2000. In 2002, the scope of crowd fundraising extended to the film industry. But then this area was just developing, unlike now. Young entrepreneurs actively use platforms like KickStarter (it was created in 2009) to create their products and implement their ideas. Thus, the video game project Wasterland 2 collected more than three million dollars in 2012.

Why is crowdfunding needed?

Crowdfunding is a convenient tool for turning a person’s interesting idea into reality. Also, by raising funds, it becomes clear how interesting this or that idea is to the masses. Therefore, crowdfunding can be used for marketing and sociological research.

The question is, why find out people's needs? And all because their implementation is the main task of business. Those novice entrepreneurs who believe that the goal of their own business are mistaken. Of course this is an important factor. But more and more often they say that the product should not correspond to costs, but recoup them. Simply put, a phone that you sell for a thousand dollars should bring joy to at least 1500. This is called the WOW effect. You should always do more than is expected of you. At least try.

So crowdfunding, in addition to practical assistance in realizing goals, also helps determine whether people need your product. Here are two main reasons why people need to collect money. From the world one by one - a naked shirt!

Benefits of Crowdfunding

1. There is no need to work hard to earn starting capital. If the idea is worthwhile and you can promote it, then people will help you. Yes, you become obligated to them, but the ability to take responsibility is the main quality of an entrepreneur. And if you want to earn money at the same time, the terms are reduced many times over.
2. Market analysis. Something that marketers should definitely do. If they don’t give you money or write negative comments, it means there is something to improve in the wrapper or the “candy” itself. Thus, you will significantly save the time that was previously required on . Profitable, isn't it?
3. PR opportunities. After all, every person who invested money in your idea is already waiting for its implementation. There is such a marketing technique as pre-ordering.
4. Opportunities to receive large funding. Not every investor is ready to allocate several million for an idea. But if you raise money through crowdfunding, this becomes possible. And all because we often underestimate the little things. But they play a huge role.

In what areas can you collect the most?

Here are some popular destinations. But just because they raise a lot of money doesn't mean your idea can't be implemented. But here are some popular destinations:

1. Startups. This is a project that has only recently been created. However, it is not entirely clear what “very recently” means. Typically, the maximum duration of a startup is several months. Then the idea receives support and the necessary investments and therefore can already be called a young enterprise. And if this is not the case, then it closes. Crowdfunding (it is just developing in Russia) is one of the types of support.
2. Creative projects. It could be films, music, books.
3. Ready-made enterprises. Successful and established companies can also implement new ideas, right? Why not get outside support.
4. Charity.
5. The science.

Crowdfunding for business is quite young, but experience has already accumulated. If you take it into account, you can collect a lot more money than without knowing anything. Here are some simple recommendations:

1. Create a group on social networks. Many people do not pay due attention to this point. But in vain. After all, the presence of a well-promoted group on social networks (or at least an informative one) is an additional signal “you can trust us, we keep our word.” In addition, activity on VK or Facebook will allow you to attract additional people who do not even know about the existence of the platforms.
2. Make your request specific. Many startups are afraid to directly say that they want money, despite the purpose of crowdfunding platforms. So they write something vague like “support the project.” Man by nature tends to do the minimum. Therefore, he will support the project with a like. If he reposts it, that will be really cool. Therefore, say something like “support the idea with a ruble.”
3. Avoid overly generous rewards. Crowdfunding platforms provide an opportunity to thank people for contributing funds to support an idea. Moreover, the more they gave, the more valuable the gift provided. But this is a mistake. People will still give a little money if they can. And you will only be wasting gifts in vain, because if a person has invested, it is already assumed that he likes your project.
4. No launching projects on Saturday, Sunday or holidays. The fact is that these days rarely will anyone enter the venues. Some may go to the cinema with their family, others will play on the computer or phone or surf social networks.
5. The launch needs to be carefully planned. One way to find out the necessary information before starting a project is to conduct a survey on social networks about how much people are willing to give. Then it will be easier to decide on the deadlines that are set. But it is better not to set the period too long. This may look suspicious.

Crowdfunding: the largest Russian platforms

All Russian projects are not of the same scale as foreign ones. Some appear, while others die without ever finding popularity. The largest service, naturally, is BoomStarter. He was able to raise 23 and a half million rubles. Of course, American platforms are much more successful, but you should understand: entrepreneurship is not developed in our country, and the idea of ​​​​giving your hard-earned money for something is also alien to the Russian average person. In this context, the amount is decent.

Platforms for creative projects, Planeta.ru, and one of the oldest services, opened back in 2008, Kroogi, are also popular. They are constantly gaining popularity among artists, singers and photographers.

Publishing technical literature

In the context of the global crisis, finding funding for the publication of technical literature is becoming increasingly difficult. In addition, in recent years there has been a tendency to reduce the circulation of published books, not only industry literature, but also fiction. It is difficult to estimate future demand for the book.

With the help of crowdfunding, you can gauge interest in published literature, sell part of the circulation of a future book, find advertising sponsors, and ultimately find funds to publish your work.

Fundraising for the publication of literature is quite common abroad. In Russia, on existing crowdfunding platforms, it is also possible to raise money to realize your creativity. This is mainly fiction and popular science literature.

A portal has recently opened that specializes in publishing industry-specific scientific, technical and educational literature. The “Publish Together” portal, founded by two publishing houses, allows you not only to find investors, but also to receive high-quality advice on publishing a book, estimating the cost of preparation and printing.

Crowdfunding: the best sites of foreign origin

Obviously, the most popular platform in the world is KickStarter. All media outlets write about this site. It was originally created for US citizens. One of the problems (or advantages, depending on how you look at it) of this resource is strict pre-moderation. Thus, an unsuccessful project simply does not make it onto the list. That is, if your idea is accepted, it will potentially already raise the required amount.

At the same time, citizens of Russia and other countries cannot use Kickstarter. You must be a US resident. Another thing is Indiegogo. This platform was created before Kickstarter, and here you can use a regular bank card or the PayPal electronic payment system. A huge advantage of this platform compared to kickstarter is that money is given out even if the entire amount has not been collected in full within the allotted time.

If you have a scientific or creative project, then the RocketHub system is for you. Publicize your campaign through social media.

What are the prospects?

This topic is quite complex, since even scientific papers are written about the prospects and debated in scientific circles. In general, the potential is great, and the projects can correct many social problems. This is also beneficial for an entrepreneur because there is often no need to turn to banks and investors, getting into large debts. Simply put, there is demand from entrepreneurs.

What about ordinary people? Of course, our mentality is far from charity. But every year this situation is improving. As a last resort, if crowdfunding doesn’t work (although there are no prerequisites), then crowdinvesting is a pretty good thing. This is a related topic, but here remuneration is paid in a mandatory manner.

conclusions

We analyzed the most popular crowdfunding sites and understood the mechanics of their work. Fundraising is a fairly effective strategy if used wisely. Don’t forget about proper PR for your idea. Without it, you won’t be able to convince people that it’s worth investing their hard earned money into your idea. In general, the mechanics of crowdfunding are simple. Each site provides instructions on how to use its functionality to its fullest. It's a small matter.

Aspiring businessmen and startups without capital have to look for money to launch a project. Searching for an investor takes time and effort, and the result may be zero. But we still hear about the great successes of newcomers in business. It turns out that ordinary people who are ready to take our word for it and give money can help. And this phenomenon is called crowdfunding.

Crowdfunding is a modern model of finding funding among individuals who are ready to support their favorite project with money.

Information is found on special websites – crowdfunding platforms. Unlike crowdsourcing, crowdfunding involves only raising funds, and not searching for volunteer help.

You want to publish a book or magazine, host a festival, or launch a new product, such as an inflatable sofa without a pump. It is unknown how long it will take to find funding. Crowdfunding allows you to receive money in just a few months. To do this, the authors of the projects describe in detail the idea, the costs of its implementation and set a goal - how much money they want to raise. Whether you succeed depends on whether people trust you and see the value in the project.

Crowdfunding has helped and continues to help small businesses and startups. Using “collective” funds, they conduct charity events, develop free programs, record music and make films.

The interactive course of the online university Netology “Crowdfunding: how to get funding for your project” will help you decide on the choice of a site, properly design the project and develop a reward system.

Who's who in crowdfunding The main characters of crowdfunding are the founder (the author of the project) and the sponsor (backer, or donor).

Sponsors finance the project through the system, and the author receives funds for its implementation.

Before launching a fundraising campaign, the author calculates the costs in detail to determine the amount required. An important condition for crowdfunding is openness. People need to see how much money you need, how much you managed to raise and how much is still missing. The collected amount can only be spent on the purpose - there will be a demand from the author.

• Crowdfunding fundraising models
• All or nothing: if the project does not reach the required amount by the appointed date, it receives nothing
• Leave everything: the author receives exactly the amount minus the commission that he managed to raise
• Remuneration: first the amount is collected, then a team is created to implement the project; she gets paid for her work
• Free-price deal: the author creates a product (for example, a book, an audio recording), and the sponsors themselves decide how much to pay for it

Charity: free transfer of money

Global crowdfunding giants It has been operating since 2009, and during this time it has attracted the attention of large American corporations, government agencies and venture capital funds. Here they select the most suitable projects for investment. This platform operates on an “all or nothing” model.

Kickstarter's main competitor is Indiegogo. This platform allows for a more flexible financing model, unlike the first one. It doesn’t matter what part of the declared amount was collected, all the money will go to the author. However, he may choose an “all or nothing” model instead of a flexible model. It will cost him less: the commission will be lower.

In 2015, Kickstarter raised $71.5 million, a global leader. And although there are no sites with similar turnover in Russia, two of the largest can be identified: Boomstarter and Planeta.

Crowdfunding platform "Boomstarter"

It is called the Russian analogue of Kickstrater. The site opened in 2012, and at first it offered fundraising only according to the “All or Nothing” model - before the deadline. In 2016, it became possible to collect money indefinitely - until the goal.

Each fundraising campaign is assigned a manager. It warns and corrects errors. The system commission is 10%, another 13% is income tax.

Boomstarter attracts creative, technical and other projects with a purpose. This site raises money for the creation of films, music, video games, books, software and more. There are 13 categories in total: society, games, food, design, fashion, art, publishing, music, technology, theater, video, photography and choreography.

"Boomstarter" does not support charity or anything related to it. Authors raise money for clear goals - record a music album, publish a book, create a finished product or work of art.

• In 2013, Boomstarter managed to raise over 3 million rubles for the filming of the film “Panfilov’s 28,” although the authors asked for 300,000 rubles
• In November 2016, sponsors raised 1,429,220 rubles to reissue classic comics about the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles in book format (800,000 rubles were needed)
• In May 2016, 998 sponsors raised 3,890,140 rubles for a pocket sofa that can be inflated without a pump. The authors of the project asked for “only” 1 million

Since the opening of the site, 1,458 projects have managed to raise 309 million rubles. Projects in the categories of music, films, books, and computer games receive the greatest response.

Features of "Boomstarter"

— Fundraising

If we compare “Boomstarter” with another service – “Planet”, then it differs primarily in its fundraising model – “All or nothing”. The author had to collect the amount by a specific deadline. If less was collected, the site returned the money to sponsors. Later, the platform softened, and it became possible to raise funds indefinitely - until the desired goal is achieved. “Planet” gives away the money if the amount is collected at least half (50%).

Author contribution. If the author of the project found part of the money outside the crowdfunding platform, then “Boomstarter” allows him to make an “author’s contribution” with this amount. These funds are counted towards the general fund, but are not paid upon successful completion of the campaign. There is no such opportunity on Planet. You can withdraw the amount if it reaches 50% of the target.

Personal manager. “Boomstarter” assigns a manager to each project. You can keep in touch with him by phone. In Planet, communication is only via email, which is slower.

Online training. “Boomstarter” quickly teaches you how to launch projects in an online school at any time. “Planet” conducts classes only once every 3 months, and you must attend them in person.

Refund. Boomstarter charges a commission from sponsors when returning money from unsuccessful projects. "Planet" returns the funds in full.

Crowdfunding platform "Planet"

“Planet” appeared on the RuNet among the first crowdfunding platforms in 2012. Initially, the creators of the site had the idea to create a service that would help fight piracy in music - by pre-ordering albums.

In 2011, the service opened in test mode. The first project was to raise funds for the recording of a studio album by the group “BI-2” (the co-founder of the platform, Max Lakmus, serves as its bass player). We managed to collect 1,250,000 rubles for the recording. This successful project was followed by others, also from the field of music. Later other categories joined and the service expanded.

Gradually, Planet grew into an online broadcasting service and an online store and began producing content itself.

Money is collected according to the “All or nothing” model, but there is an advantageous condition - you need to collect at least 50%. The system will take a commission of 10% from half of the amount set as a goal, and will return the remaining money with a commission of 15%.

When the fundraising deadline expires and 50% of the desired amount has been accumulated, the platform offers the choice of either withdrawing the money (with different commissions) or extending the campaign for the same period as initially (180 days).

Main directions of projects

The first project of “Planet” was to raise funds for recording music, so the creative categories receive the maximum response. Here they help find money to release an album, make a film, organize a festival.

Successful fundraising cases

• The “Planet” record holder for fundraising was the “Three Melodies” cartoon project. The author set a goal of collecting 2,200,000 rubles and exceeded it by another 50 thousand rubles
• The BI-2 group collected 1,262,250 rubles for the recording of the Spirit album, 1,023,100 rubles for the recording of another album - “16+”, as well as 1,073,460 for the concert edition (DVD + CD)
• In the events sector, a project to stage a musical based on the songs of the Aquarium group stood out. 1 million rubles were required, but we managed to collect 1,147,997 rubles

The official website of Planeta states that as of May 2017, 638,550,369 rubles were collected through 2,790 projects (according to statistics, every third project managed to achieve its goal).

Features of "Planet"

“Boomstarter” attracted an audience more interested in business ideas and technology, while “Planet” attracted an audience more interested in creativity and charity.

Famous people raise funds on Planet, they are loved and known, so they are more willing to give money. In the shadow of the stars, it can be difficult for average creators to engage an audience. Boomstarter has a reputation as a platform for beginners, so there is a greater chance of success without such strong competition from celebrities

How to choose a crowdfunding platform for your project

Comparison table between Boomstarter and Planeta.ru

	"Boomstarter"	"Planet"
year of foundation	2012	2011
fundraising method	All or nothing	All or nothing, Leave everything (if collected over 50%)
popular destinations	Business, technology	Music, cinema, creativity, society
commission	10%	10-15%
payment deadline	The next day	In 7 days
opportunity to withdraw money	From 100% of the amount	From 50% of the amount
placement on other sites	Allowed	Forbidden
online store of goods from projects	No	Eat
placement period	Any (Up to target)	180 days (+180 days when collecting from 50%)
collection for personal purposes	Prohibited	Allowed
personal manager	Eat	No
learning resources	Eat	Eat
average project fee	211,934 rubles	228,871 rubles
number of completed projects	1 458	2 790
amount of funds collected	309 000 000	638 550 369

When choosing a crowdfunding platform, focus on its “specialization”. Business projects, development of new technologies and products can find a greater response on Boomstarter. “Planet” attracts more creative and social projects.

If you have never raised funds on such platforms, then at Boomstarter you will be trained online and assigned a manager-curator to the project. At Planet you will have to study “live” - attend classes in person. If you don’t live in Moscow, then this is inconvenient.

Pay attention to the amount of funds raised. Both “Boomstarter” and “Planet” show good results. This means they are working to improve the service and make the collection process more efficient.

Video: how to describe a project on a crowdfunding site

Crowdfunding can help you

If the idea for a startup or creative project can really be useful, it will be easier to get money. People will be interested and will collect them for you. The task of the author and aspiring businessman is to convince them of success. Crowdfunding platforms will help with this.

Where can I get money to start a business? A bank will not give a loan to a beginning entrepreneur; taking money from moneylenders at crazy interest rates is also not an option; before you have time to get started, you’ll already be broke. All that remains is to either look for an investor or save on your own. But the Moneymaker Factory offers another option: to find investments using crowdfunding. Has civilization reached Russia in the form of crowdfunding platforms that will help turn a businessman’s dream into reality? Let's talk about “popular financing”, its pitfalls and other important aspects.

 

Businessman's story

45-year-old designer Alexey, whose average annual income for the last 5 years barely exceeded 500 thousand rubles, decided to slightly change the direction of his activity and start selling decorative plaster. Moreover: to change people’s consciousness and make this material more in demand and popular than wallpaper, since the raw materials are environmentally friendly and there is no need to destroy forests for its production. His project is based on 3 pillars:

According to the most conservative estimates, he needs 2 million rubles to start, and only a million of his own money. Not wanting to work with banks and microfinance organizations, Alexey turns to us for help in choosing a modern crowdfunding platform.

Is it even possible to raise money for such a project? We analyzed several popular resources and decided to help our hero. Only those sites that have been on the market for 2 years or more were taken as a “sample”.

What is the essence of the idea?

Non-refundable money can also be received from the state in the form of a business development grant. This is real, people on the street get it without any bribes.

Crowd funding (CF) is collective funding of projects, thanks to which the required amount of money is collected to launch a social initiative, a store, software development, publishing a book, recording an album. This list can be continued endlessly - theoretically, CF is suitable for implementing any task, be it launching a spaceship to Mars or lunch for the homeless. The only difference is whether the founder can raise the required amount or not.

Distinctive features of CF:

1. A clear idea. You cannot collect money “for the future” or “for yourself”: all of it must be directed to achieve a specific goal and within a set time period.
2. Limited. Both the final amount of money and the collection period are limited to the project. This is necessary in order to understand which project is of interest to the audience and which is not.
3. Any direction. Around the world, CF sites help raise money not only for artists, musicians and painters, but also for politicians and businessmen.
4. Venture. By making a contribution to a particular project, the user does not receive a guarantee of return on investment. If we are talking about social initiatives, then there is no need to count on compensation for your contribution.
5. Gratuitous. In most cases, CF venues do not require return of investment from the organizers. If we are talking about the development of a product or program, or the release of intellectual property, then the backer can only count on a bonus (all this is stipulated by the crowdfunder).
6. Productivity. The organizer is obliged to fulfill its obligations and report on them. If he does not do this, then he is obliged to return the money received for the implementation of the project.

Summary analysis of CF services in Russia:

Name	Planet	BoomStarter	Circles	ThankYou	Rusini	From the world by thread
Internet address
Fundraising method*
Work period	Over 2 years	About 2 years		Over 3.5 years	About 2 years	Over 3 years
System commission (including personal income tax)			15% + payment systems commission		0% + payment system commission
Popular destinations	Creativity, music, literature	Art, dance, comics, food, movies, technology, etc.	Creativity in all its manifestations	All types of creativity	Creativity, social initiatives, business startups, business development	Social projects, joint purchases, sports and tourism
Approximate amount of funds raised	Over 100 million rubles	Over 57 million rubles	No data	No data	Less than a million rubles	Statistics are not disclosed

* VIN - all or nothing (the project is either 100 percent financed or not financed at all), OB - leave everything (it is possible to receive part of the funds collected as part of the project investment), SP - free price (the contribution is determined by shareholders - backers and is used only to encourage creative projects).

"Planet" site

• The organizer is over 18 years old;
• Have a bank account;
• The project complies with the Service Rules.

Funded by: any creative, social, public benefit projects, be it publishing books, releasing photographs, recording albums, making films.

Not funded: any political activity, commercial projects.

Site Features: Before publication, the proposed idea is studied by a moderator, and to launch it, a separate agreement is signed with a personal curator.

Summary: Alexey can try to raise money on Planet to open a “School of Decorative Plastering,” but not to launch his own store selling materials and tools.

Boomstarter platform

Requirements to start a project:

• The organizer is a citizen of Russia over 18 years of age;
• Availability of an identity document, as well as the permanent registration address of the organizer;
• Availability of a debit or credit card or a bank account in the name of the fundraiser.

Funded by: any interesting projects related to creativity - publishing a book, making a film, music album, series of photographs, etc.

Not funded: all applications for starting a business, charity, projects tied to the needs of a specific person (purchase of things, travel, training),

Site Features: The organizer gets all or nothing, and the time frame for fundraising is limited (up to 60 days). Therefore, it is more realistic to collect small amounts of money, including in several stages (by dividing the project into podcasts).

Summary: Alexey will not be able to get money either to start a business or for related needs, or he will have to deliberately deceive both the site and patrons. The presented platform provides an opportunity for high commercialization for creative groups (musicians, theaters, artists).

"Circles" area

Requirements to start a project: ready-made material that needs to be published, and then receive money from fans for using it (listening, viewing, etc.).

Funded by: creativity in all its manifestations (money is transferred from caring users of the project, who can also comment and criticize other people’s works).

Not funded: objects that may be considered non-compliant with legal norms, non-unique (duplicate) content.

Site Features: The site is suitable for those who promote their own creativity and want to receive money for copyright materials.

Summary: Alexey will not be able to find on this site the resources he needs to launch his projects. At the same time, “Circles” is the oldest RuNet project for raising funds for artists, painters and other creative people, and with its help many groups have been able to achieve success and popularity.

"Thank you" platform

Requirements to start a project: the presence of ready-made unique content that may interest the audience (music, books, videos, works of art, etc.).

Funded by: users of the project can reward the creator they like with the required amount of money (determined at the request of the patron) for any project presented by him on the site.

Not funded: duplicate content; objects for which the copyright does not belong to the person who published them; objects that may violate Russian legislation.

Summary: the platform, like its analogue “Circles”, is not suitable for Alexey, since it does not offer a unique creative product.

"Rusini" site

Requirements to start a project:

• Availability of a business plan;
• Market overview of the area of ​​interest;
• Starting information feed (groups on social networks, etc.);
• Publication of information about the implementation of the project.

Funded by: NGO activities, creative projects, startups, social business.

Not funded: the list of projects that will not be published on the site is determined by the Rusini administration individually.

Site Features: When raising funds, the “all or nothing” system operates, however, many interesting initiatives were heard and the necessary amounts of money were collected during the existence of the crowdfunding platform. “Rusini” does not take a commission from its users, so using the service’s services is very profitable.

Summary: the presented site is ideal for Alexey, and his project fully meets the requirements of the site. To raise the necessary money, he needs to work hard and interest potential investors: the analytical materials that are already on the site will help with this. The system for monitoring the expenditure of funds allows us to guarantee their intended use. However, at the time of writing, there were problems with the site: it was not possible to send a letter for feedback, it was not possible to publish the project.

Refund. Invested resources do not require compensation from the organizer. However, he needs to complete the task at hand. This is confirmed by checks and other documents, photographs, and videos.

Platform “A thread from the world”

Requirements to start a project:

• The author has Russian citizenship;
• The idea and name of the project, the amount and deadline for fundraising.

Funded by: social projects, interesting startups (the website has a successful example of raising funds to open a gym), joint purchases with a social focus.

Not funded: projects that will not be published on the site are determined individually.

Site Features: An agency agreement is concluded between the “From the World” platform and the author of the project. In accordance with this agreement, part of the collected funds is transferred to the site free of charge.

Summary: So, “One Thread at a Time” also suits Alexey, but to realize his business goals, he needs to create a beautiful “legend.” At the very least, he should definitely try to raise money to open a decorative plaster school. You can interest users by offering your services, materials, tools - all this is a topic for a separate conversation.

Refund. At the end of the promotion, in case of successful collection of the required amount of money, the organizer must provide all participants with the designated bonuses. Thus, Alexey can offer all investors tools, materials, or free training at his school.

Conclusion: Crowdfunding in Russia is better than nothing

Thus, a quick analysis of popular projects demonstrates the low development of the idea of ​​crowdfunding for promoting business initiatives. Existing sites, without a doubt, have excellent functionality, are hosted on good CMS (administrative platforms), and the requirements for ideas are formulated very clearly. However, it is too early to draw conclusions about their overall success (failure), since crowdfunding has only recently been known in Russia.

It is also impossible not to note the superficial elaboration of many proposed projects on most sites. There is often no cost calculation or detailed information about what specific purposes funds are required for. At the same time, in Western countries, CF was initially used specifically for social projects, and its history goes back less than two decades. Therefore, in the near future we can hope that the platforms will be used to launch successful business startups.

Project Success Criteria

1. Developed business plan. If we are talking about a commercial idea, then it must be based on real calculations (rent of premises, cost of manufacturing materials, etc.). The numbers must be real, otherwise investors will begin to doubt.
2. Timeliness. It is best to start CF projects in the fall, when people return from vacation. It is worth studying the work of the sites and starting your work when the chances of success are maximum.
3. Realism. You shouldn’t set too ambitious goals for yourself: you need to move towards your dream in small but confident steps. It is better to collect a small amount than not to receive a giant jackpot.
4. Openness. It is much easier to promote and improve an existing project than to try to create something large-scale from scratch. The more information there is about the organizer, the better: people will trust you.