Passing the hat to fund a big idea or community project isn’t new; as far back as the
17th century, publishers were gathering financial pledges, or subscriptions, to
support book projects and periodicals. More recently – if you can call a century ago
recently – the building of the pedestal for the Satue of Liberty was financed by more
than 100,000 people, many of whom contributed less than a dollar.
Like so many things in the 21st century, we’ve taken an old idea, given it a new name,
and turned to the Internet to make it happen. From the $5 million Veronica Mars
movie to raising more than $300,000 for country singer Steve Grand’s album,
crowdfunding is accessible to anyone who has an idea.