Beyond the Screen: Building Trust in Crowdfunding Through Transparency and Wisdom
Crowdfunding is the practice of raising small amounts of money from a large group of people—usually through online platforms—to fund a business, creative project, personal need, or charitable cause.
I have heard from a good number of people who have benefited from such funding, and I have equally heard reports of people who were scammed when others used people's benevolence to enrich themselves with fake accounts and pleas. Unfortunately, social platforms have become so relevant in this revolution that they virtually house the success and failure of what happens outside of it. So while genuine individuals use the platform to raise funds for their needs, scammers use the same platform to rob people for their selfish benefits.
Crowdfunding isn't bad in itself. Sometimes aspiring entrepreneurs, new projects, and individuals need support. Asking an individual for a huge sum may be burdensome, and that burden is lessened if a large number of people contribute their small quota to make up the amount needed. Going from house to house may even be more burdensome, but writing such a proposal online reaches a wider group of people in a short time, and if the proposal catches the interest of the masses, the required funds are raised quickly, saving years of gradual saving and battling inflation and uncertainties.
Image generated using Gemini AI
But then, people who do crowdfunding aren't all genuine. There are certain people who fake documents, stories, and ideas just to get the sympathy of the audience they're dealing with. Men and women who use the kindness of people without considering the fact that those people work hard to make money for their daily lives. Sometimes it's hard to identify the real from the fake because they all have documents backing their claims. I have come across cases like that, and the truth only surfaced after the deed was done. Acts like this block the way for genuine people who sincerely need financial help.
Personally, I'm not against supporting individuals online even when I'm aware there are wolves who pretend to be sheep seeking financial assistance. But most times it's important to make proper inquiries before lending out whatever assistance. It's good to be kind; it's nice to show love and compassion to people in need both online and offline if we are in a position to. But our kindness should be accompanied by a sense of wisdom. While we give alms, beyond just the documents and stories provided, thorough research for truth can help reduce the number of people who go online seeking help. If we stop allowing emotions to lead and use truth derived from findings, it would save individuals heartbreak and disappointment.
In respect to genuineness, a group of people sometimes claim to support the needy especially. So they provide an account where donations are sent. Personally, I rarely send donations into such accounts. Not because I don't trust them, but because I'm not accustomed to making such donations. However, if their history of support is genuine, transparent, and can be accounted for, then they're worth the trust. To be transparent, all that's needed of such organizations is a detailed account of people's donations, physical evidence of what it was used for, what's left, and their plans for growth and reaching wider audiences. Transparency isn't an easy task when dealing with public funds, but if there is physical evidence of how every penny is spent, it builds room for trust.