5 Things to Crowdfund

Things are starting to get hot in Richmond this June, HOT WITH CROWDFUNDING. There are a ton of great local projects and causes to fund this month, too many to include them all. Here are five I hope you like.

June 10, 2014; 7:30 AM • by Sam Davies

Richmond Food Co-op

Richmond Food Co-op is an organization planning to open a “100% locally owned, 100% locally governed grocery store focused 100% on supporting our local farmers, economy, and community”. Members of the co-op will be part owners of the store, which will be run through democratic process. If you want to see a co-op grocery store in RVA, check this out. Disclosure: My family has a membership/owner stake in this co-op, i.e. we paid for a family membership.

• Goal: $10,000
• Campaign Ends: June 30th
• Best Reward: If you have $500 burning a hole in your pocket you can have dinner with the co-op board.

One In A Million: Thérèse Hak-Kuhn

Another disclosure: one of the women who helped to deliver my youngest daughter into the world has cancer. Thérèse Hak-Kuhn, doula and sole proprietor of toLabor, needs help covering her medical bills so she can focus solely on getting well. No rewards, no product videos, just a fellow human who could use your kindness.

• Goal: $50,000

Richmond Animal League Transport Van

The Richmond Animal League is a no-kill organization that saves, cares for, and finds homes for dogs and cats from all over Central Virginia. They receive animals from shelters and use vans to transport them. They need a new van to save the lives of thousands of animals. Don’t make me play Sarah McLachlan’s Surfacing.

• Goal: $35,000
• Campaign Ends: June 17th
• Best Reward: For $100 you can name one of the animals whose life you just saved.

Skull-A-Day: 365 Days/365 Skulls -The Ultimate Book

Noah Scalin made a skull, every day, for a year. His Skull-A-Day project ended in 2008, but now you can see all 365 in the first foray into publishing from every Richmonder’s favorite used bookstore, Chop Suey.

• Goal: $15,000
• Campaign Ends: July 1st
• Best Reward: Get a copy of the book at the early bird price of $24. That includes $4 shipping, so if you pick it up, they’ll give you $4 back.

PiConsole–Anywhere Console for Raspberry Pi

And finally, I’m going to fly my nerd flag high and proud with the PiConsole, an add-on wireless console adaptor for Raspberry Pi. Raspberry Pi is a super tiny computer that you program to do things, like a smart doorbell, a high-altitude potato, or playing the Back to the Future theme on hard drives and floppy drives. If you already have a Raspberry Pi, and want to access it wirelessly, this Kickstarter is for you. Warning: this product will require soldering.

• Goal: $687
• Campaign Ends: July 1st
• Best Reward: $20 for the fancy-pants Bluetooth Low Energy version

June 10, 2014 7:30 AM 0