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长期以来，获得资金一直是女企业家面临的一个问题. As we noted here, 调查显示，29%的女企业主认为她们永远不会有平等的融资渠道 2022 Women & Minority Business Owner Spotlight report from Bank of America. 根据Fundera的一份报告，部分问题在于女性企业主 less likely to apply for business loans than men.

But entrepreneurial women seem to excel at one type of funding—crowdfunding. So let’s explore how crowdfunding works and your best options.

To date, Investopedia 称全球企业家通过众筹筹集了超过340亿美元. 你很有可能熟悉一些更知名的众筹网站，比如 Kickstarter, GoFundMe, and Indiegogo. 也有专门为特定人群服务的众筹平台，比如 IFundWomen and FundBlackFounders.

What is crowdfunding?

Crowdfunding has disrupted the world of startup financing, creating new pools of capital for entrepreneurs. Instead of the single-lender model of the past, crowdfunding has made raising funds a collective online effort, 给新企业提供资金，并把它们介绍给潜在的未来客户.

How does crowdfunding work?

According to Investopedia, 在众筹网站上注册并创建个人资料后, 你应该创建自己的个人活动或筹款页面，告诉他们你为什么需要这笔钱，你需要这笔钱做什么. Then set a fundraising goal, and start raising money. Depending on the type of crowdfunding site you decide to use, you can start collecting the money within days. Some sites have 30-day campaigns (or longer). Upon registration, 资金将直接存入与筹款账户相关联的金融机构账户.

Different Types of Crowdfunding

Chris Dargie, a SCORE mentor and business attorney, told SCORE mentor Dennis L Swanson that there are right and wrong ways to crowdfund. 首先，他说你需要了解不同类型的融资:

• 基于奖励的众筹:鼓励支持者给你钱
• 股权众筹:为了获得资金，你会放弃一些股权
• 点对点借贷:这是一种你有义务偿还的贷款

The Best Crowdfunding Platforms

Dargie说:“不要自动选择你最熟悉的平台. 每个众筹平台都是为不同的目的和受众而设立的, 所以选择一个最适合你的业务类型和目标.”

以下是Investopedia评选的2023年最佳众筹平台:

• Best Overall: Indiegogo
• Best for Startups: SeedInvest Technology
• Best for Nonprofits: Mightycause
• Best for Investing: StartEngine
• Best for Individuals: GoFundMe
• Best for Creative Professionals: Patreon

Fulfill Your Obligation to Your Lenders

欺骗性的众筹活动很快就会被关闭和罚款,” says Dargie, so “know the rules and play by them.” However, he warns, “As crowdfunding has grown, 政府消费者保护部门对这些平台的关注也是如此.”

The Don’ts of Crowdfunding

Dargie和Swanson表示，众筹中有几个禁忌是你应该注意的. Don’t:

• Overpromise: Delays in business are inevitable, especially for a startup. 当你在众筹活动中承诺在特定的时间范围内提供产品时, don’t overpromise. Instead, 管理好你的支持者的期望，让他们与你的业务进展保持联系, and set realistic timelines along the way.
• Launch a crowdfunding campaign before you’ve formed an entity: 在你开始众筹活动之前，你需要合法地组建你的商业实体.
• Forget to pay taxes on funds raised: 以奖励为基础的活动所带来的现金通常被美国国税局(IRS)视为应纳税的商业收入. 在开始众筹活动之前，咨询一下你的税务顾问.

3 Tips for Smart Crowdfunding

Several years ago, Forbes 与几位专家进行了交谈，他们分享了他们对女性企业主和众筹的相关见解. Here are a few of those tips:

1. Be a great storyteller.

Donna De Carolis, 德雷塞尔大学创业学院的创始院长, one of the experts, says this is where women business owners can “have an edge. 这是一个让你倾吐心声、谈论你的产品和故事、获得情感的平台，这有助于女性在众筹中的力量.”

For example, 分享你创造产品或服务的原因可以从情感上描绘出你有多伟大, painful or frustrating of a problem you’re solving. A great story inspires action.

2. Know your audience.

Sara Meister, another of the experts and a former employee at Indiegogo, says, “活动成功的企业家通常会在发布前一年开始建立和测试他们的受众, making sure their content resonates with their customers, 所以当他们发射时，他们并不是在没有真正感觉的情况下就把东西放出去.”

头脑风暴几个你认为会引起听众共鸣的内容创意. Then test and iterate. Once you discover what messaging works, 你可以在你的网站和营销中使用表现最好的内容.

3. Set a realistic goal and timetable.

确定你需要多少钱，包括“预期的税费”，并制定预算. Meister says a one-month campaign is generally best.

Before launching your campaign, 在你选择的众筹平台上，看看与你的产品或服务相似的类型. 研究他们的活动时长、筹款目标和筹集的资金数额. 这一步可以让你了解什么可行，什么不可行, 让你有机会在正式发布之前改变你的广告.

就像创业和经营企业的大多数方面一样，你不必独自完成这项工作. Find a SCORE mentor 与您一起创建众筹活动，以便您能够尽快启动您的业务.