Finance & Investment

ING, StartSomeGood Launch Online Crowdfunding Platform for Social Enterprises

ING has partnered with StartSomeGood to launch a new initiative to boost the social enterprise sector through easing access to crowdfunding.Dreamstarter is an online platform that allows social entrepreneurs to raise funds towards an array of social change projects — those that garner significant community support receive additional funding from ING.“Crowdfunding is a participatory model that democratizes corporate philanthropy,” said StartSomeGood co-founder Tom Dawkins. “The projects that will succeed are those that have a genuine mandate from the community.”

By Mike Hower | Published 13 years ago | About a 1 minute read

ING has partnered with StartSomeGood to launch a new initiative to boost the social enterprise sector through easing access to crowdfunding.

Dreamstarter is an online platform that allows social entrepreneurs to raise funds towards an array of social change projects — those that garner significant community support receive additional funding from ING.

“Crowdfunding is a participatory model that democratizes corporate philanthropy,” said StartSomeGood co-founder Tom Dawkins. “The projects that will succeed are those that have a genuine mandate from the community.”

Ten ventures by social entrepreneurs that graduated from the School for Social Entrepreneurs Australia will launch during the initial round of fundraising through the Dreamstarter platform. The first enterprises to go live include Enterprise Learning Australia, a project to connect remote Aboriginal entrepreneurs to new markets via an online store; and Empower, an initiative to help rural communities in Malawi to achieve greater self-sufficiency.

The crowdfunding platform has the potential to break down many of the traditional barriers social entrepreneurs face when attracting support for their ventures, ING says.

“The Dreamstarter Campaign is a fantastic way for start up social ventures to raise their profile, attract critical seed funding and inspire others to create change in their communities,” said Hodson.

Crowdfunding has become a potent and popular tool for getting social enterprises off the ground. Australian start-up Who Gives a Crap, which produces eco-friendly toilet paper and gives half its profits to WaterAid, last year launched a successful Indiegogo campaign that raised over $50,000. The community funding gave the company the capital it needed to produce its first toilet paper rolls.

Mike Hower

Founder, Hower Impact

Mike Hower is the founder of Hower Impact — a boutique consultancy delivering strategic communication advisory and support for corporate sustainability, ESG and climate tech.

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Mike Hower