Thorpe - Crowdfunding for Social Good, Financing Your Mark on the World

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

A s my fourth book, I anticipated that writing this book would be relatively easy. Nothing could be further from the truth. The difficulty of writing the book highlights for me the value of the help Ive received in the research and writing.

In order to write the book, Ive spoken with dozens of people and organizations that have completed successful crowdfunding campaigns. Ultimately, I chose ten stories; I wish there were space to devote to all of those who were willing to share their insights with me.

I am grateful to Jennifer Windrum, Jimi Hunt, Rebecca Pontius, Martha Griffin, Benjamin Cohen, Kaden Benoit, Cason Crane, Muhammed Chadhry, Vivienne Harr, Eric Harr and Dave McMurtry for the time they took to share their stories and for the insights and wisdom they offered.

Jae Dansie edited the book for me. She is a brilliant writer and editor and I am grateful for the outstanding job she did of polishing my prose. Of course, the errors that remain in the book are my responsibility and not hers.

John T. Child created a brilliant cover for my book, as hes done for all of my books.

Gail Thorpe, my wife, has made the greatest sacrifices for this book, not only allowing me time to write, but serving rather formally as proofreader. I am the luckiest man alive.

Despite the help Ive received from so many people, any errors that remain in the text are my responsibility alone.

In order to fund the publication and promotion of this book, as seems only fitting, I did a crowdfunding campaign on StartSomeGood.com. Over 50 people supported the campaign helping me to raise over $3,000 to help me get this book into the hands of real change agents who will use its principles to leave a mark on the world.

The following people supported my campaign at the financial levels indicated:

$499 and up

Jason Best

Crowdfund Capital Advisors

http://crowdfundcapitaladvisors.com

Raising money isnt easy. But crowdfunding makes it easier than ever before. Success with Crowdfunding has created an educational series that is your key to crowdfunding success. Visit SuccessWithCrowdfunding.com.

Anonymous

$299 and up

Joy Schoffler

Leverage PR

http://www.leverage-pr.com

The Leverage PR team is unbeaten in the crowdfunding space; no one knows the people, products and platforms better. Devin Thorpe

Doug Ellenoff

Ellenoff Grossman and Schole

www.CrowdESQ.com

Recognized as a thought leader and expert on the legalities of the JOBS Act, hes been a key representative and advocate for crowdfunding.

Sydney Armani

CrowdFundBeat

http://crowdfundbeat.com

Crowdfundbeat.com is an online source of news, information and resources for crowdfunding.

John Child

The Brainchild Company

http://johntchild.com

Marketing to the Core: The 4 key concepts that will create results for your small business marketing efforts.

$99 and up

David Bradford

HireVue

http://www.HireVue.com

HireVue is a way to interview on demand! Simply email a link to questions and empower candidates to record responses via webcam.

Chris Camillo

Author, Laughing at Wall Street

http://laughingatwallstreet.com

In 2007, in the midst of the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression, Chris invested $20,000 and grew it to just over $2 million.

$49 and up

Anonymous

Rick and Alta Davis

The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation

http://www.cff.org (bit.ly/E0B0u)

Andy Kristian Agaba

Hiinga

http://hiinga.org (bit.ly/PGYD7t)

Donald Rands

The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation

http://www.cff.org (bit.ly/E0B0u)

Jane Wolfe

Mardi Gras Throws for Education

http://ubuntuatwork.org

Pearl Wright

Choice Humanitarian

www.choicehumanitarian.org

$19 and up

Anonymous

Bridgett Thorpe

David M.

John Holt

Utah Microenterprise Loan Fund

Victoria Mita

FundMyTravel

Paul Joseph

Caring Voice Coalition, Inc.

Abe Carter

Alex Budak

Start Some Good

Bill Aho

Cheryl Snapp Conner

Snapp Conner PR

Dave Boyce

Fundly

David Sheffield

Miles of Gratitude

Dyanne Christensen

Evan Malter

J. Todd Anderson

Boy Scouts of America

Kevin Jessop

Anonymous

Tomorrows Luminary Foundation

Mikey Leung

Rose Spinelli

Animal Protection

Stephen Scott

Steve Grizzell

Girl Scouts of Utah

Nicole Pitzer

Stone by Stone Moving Mountains in Haiti, Inc.

Tom Dawkins

Start Some Good

Wayne Moorehead

$4 and up

Sandy Darlington

Suzanne Rajkumar

Anonymous

Todd Leishman

Devan Thorne

Caroline Udall

Raymond Sweger

Andrew Gardiner

Asha Aravindakshan

Dayton

Franci Eisenberg

Gail Thorpe

Greg Gunn

Kushaan Shah

Leonardo Hudson

M. Cole Jones

FOREWORD

G ood is a currency.

It is an intangible currency that all humans must embrace; and it is embraced when you discover your definitive purpose in life.

Devin Thorpe is one of the humans I know on this planet that has discovered his definitive purpose in life and has chosen to embrace it, learn it, live it and give it with all of his being.

I noticed this definitive focus when I first met Devin at one of our Kingonomics Innovation, Entrepreneurship and Investment Conferences in Atlanta, GA.

At Kingonomics, we encourage our entrepreneurs and investors to embrace the reality that innovation, entrepreneurship and social good (or investment) is apart of our God given make up. I would argue that it is in our DNA. Its a fundamental construct of our focused existence.

Simultaneously, we expose our audience to the economic philosophies and ideals of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. of which we make the case for in my latest book, Kingonomics: Twelve Innovative Currencies for Transforming Your Business & Life: Inspired by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Thats correct! Dr. King was very much so focused on economics as his last cause before being silenced by an assassins bullet in Memphis, TN while marching for fair salaries and benefits of black sanitation workers was the Poor Peoples Campaign. Dr. King realized that the basis of human, social and civic dignity was human, social and civic good. As you may envision, social good was inherit to Dr. Kings DNA. He spoke it. He taught it. He lived it. He breathed it. He manifested it. He died for it.

To do good is to take action. Social investment is action. Crowdfunding is simply the mechanism (or platform) by which we collectively take action to empower the causes and initiatives that we individually, but collectively, are passionate about. As Devin demonstrates with his stories and case studies in his book, Crowdfunding allows us to more together than we can apart.