Support & FAQs

No, you are not an investor. Crowdfunding can be used to fund new products, prototypes, or charitable ventures, for example a new drink, a new baby sling, a new approach to veterinary care, or supporting the work of a Food Bank. People who give money through online platforms like our crowdfunding platform are considered donors or pre-purchasers of a product. These people can be interested in new innovations or limited editions and want to have access to the latest, pre-release products, sometimes at “early bird” prices – or they may wish to support their local community. You may select a reward for your contribution, but you do not own any stake in the business you backed. 

Research continues to show access to finance is an enduring challenge for women business owners. Women-owned businesses are often under-capitalised compared to their male peers (1) and all-female founder teams receive as little as 2% of equity investment, significantly less than their male equivalentsm (2). Women can use crowdfunding to raise finance from friends, family and their networks without taking on debt or releasing equity at the start. Allowing time to create a trading track record, evidence product-market fit and the growing value of the business itself. 

Plus, many women are motivated to support others and pay it forward. Purchasing rewards and/or donating to women’s crowdfunding campaigns is a simple and effective way of supporting other women to realise their business aspirations. 

1 Alison Rose Review of Female Entrepreneurship (2019)
2 Small Business Equity Tracker, British Business Bank (2023)

Donation crowdfunding applies mostly to non-profits and small businesses with a local community focus. You effectively ask for donations to help launch your idea and do not provide any rewards in return for investment. This approach can work for charities or local community causes as people will consider giving something for nothing in those circumstances. It can also be used in conjunction with rewards-based crowdfunding. 

Reward-based crowdfunding is being increasingly used by businesses to launch new products or to raise funds for a specific purpose such as purchasing a particular piece of equipment. In return for set donation amounts, people are offered products or services often involving some type of inducement such as “early bird” pricing, limited edition opportunities or unique experiences. Rewards-based crowdfunding enables businesses to spread awareness of their products, build brand loyalty and raise vital funding. Purchasers benefit from access to the latest products or services before anyone else and the association of supporting an emerging business. 

Creating a good crowdfunding campaign does take time and planning. It’s important to have everything lined up before you launch your campaign. Our platform is designed to help you right through the whole process. We provide training and access to the real-life stories of other women who have already run crowdfunding campaigns – those who have succeeded, and the important lessons learned from those who did not succeed. Check out the campaigns on the platform to see what is happening now in our crowdfunding community. 

Your business must state a funding goal amount for your crowdfunding campaign. This should be the minimum amount you need to raise to achieve your crowdfunding campaign aims. Our training provides a guide to the process of setting up a crowdfunding campaign, along with practical hints and tips from women who have already run successful campaigns. 

The minimum duration for a crowdfunding campaign on our platform is four weeks and the maximum duration is six weeks. If you have a campaign timeline which falls outside of these timescales contact us at info@womensbusinesscentre.com to discuss. 

As with other forms of raising funding, there are some fees involved. The fees we charge help us make the crowdfunding platform available, so women can benefit by raising funding for their businesses –  and payment charges also apply. Our fees include a charge of £95 to access the crowdfunding training and a fee of 5% of the total amount raised by your campaign. Our payment provider Stripe also charges for each payment made. Stripe fees are circa 1.4% of the payment amount plus 20p, but please check their terms and conditions for the current amounts.

Yes, even if you fall short of your crowdfunding goal amount, you can keep all the funding you have raised. You must ensure you fulfil any rewards your campaign has promised to purchasers – either during the campaign period or as soon as possible after the campaign ends.