Crowdfunding site StartSomeGood opens in the UK

Crowdfunding site StartSomeGood, which helps people raise funds for social impact projects, has now expanded to enable people and organisations in the UK to use its services.

The Washington DC-based site now allows UK social entrepreneurs, non-profits and individuals to raise money in pounds.

Successful campaigns on StartSomeGood include:

• Rebecca Pontius, who raised $100,000 for Do Good Bus to show people how to volunteer by taking them on a bus to volunteer all around the country
• PR professional Jennifer Windrum who raised over $35,000 to launch Sock Monkeys Against Cancer
• Liam Barrington-Bush who raised over $8,000 to fund his book 'Anarchists in the Bedroom'

Early UK campaigns include:

• Vandanamu Ethical Cottons' Go Solar, Go Sewing
• NGOpolis, which brings people involved in social impact, their work, and ideas, together

The site charges a 5% fee plus Paypal processing fees, but no fees are charged and no money changes hands unless and until the campaign succeeds by reaching its funding goal.

After a project is submitted it is "vetted according to our values and criteria" before it goes live. Sometimes it can be set live within 24 hours.

Advice and assistance in crafting a strategy for raising funds, such assetting rewards and promotion planning, is available from the site's venture support service.