Oh, won't you fund my dream?

SINGAPORE - One student wanted people to fly his mother from India to join him in Singapore. Another self-professed "poorer than a student" national serviceman here asked strangers to pay for his meals. Then there are other Singaporeans who seek help to fund their education overseas.

These are just some of the projects that SundayLife! found after a quick search on popular crowdfunding sites Kickstarter and Indiegogo.

Crowdfunding is the process in which the budget of a project is raised through contributions from the public, usually via an online campaign. Indiegogo was founded in 2008 and Kickstarter a year later.

The two websites list about 35 and 40 Singapore-based projects respectively, with at least 10 of them wanting help to fund non-entrepreneurial projects.

But some of these seem no more than disguised begging. After all, such projects are generally self-serving and there are either small or no tangible rewards for supporters. Instead, benefits usually come in the form of a thank-you e-mail, postcard, e-hug or an acknowledgement on social media.

Overseas, there has been much hype over such projects that simply call for donations - and succeed.

Take Mr Zack Brown's potato salad project on Kickstarter, for instance. In July, the American asked for US$10 (S$12.65) to make a potato salad and ended up securing 6,911 backers and raising US$55,492 within a month.

Those who pledged at least US$3 will get "a bite of potato salad", which is expected to be delivered in December. Those who pledged US$110 or more will get a potato salad recipe book, a shirt and a hat, along with a bite of the potato salad and a photo of Mr Brown making the salad.

Over on Indiegogo, a Canadian named Steve raised C$440,195 (S$507,557), exceeding his target of C$400,000, to build a sanctuary for his 227kg pet pig Esther. His project drew 7,459 funders in June.

So is there a problem with such self-serving projects? Associate Professor Hooi Den Huan, director of the Nanyang Technological University's Nanyang Technopreneurship Center, thinks not.

"The crowdfunding concept can be used by anyone and be applied to any industry," he says.

"Ultimately, it is up to the community to decide whether to invest in the various projects and causes."

Indiegogo's spokesman says the website allows "anyone, anywhere" to "make their dreams a reality".

So whether the campaigns are entrepreneurial or not, they can be listed on the platform.

The spokesman adds that cause-related campaigns, such as "help me get a new tooth" or "help me have a baby" by sponsoring fertility treatments, have drawn growing support from Indiegogo's global community, which spans 224 countries and territories. Without revealing absolute figures, he says the number of such campaigns has been increasing by 50 per cent over the past year.

Kickstarter, whose mission is to help bring creative projects to life, operates differently from Indiegogo. According to its website, every Kickstarter project must follow three rules: It must create something to share with others; it must be honest and clearly presented; and it cannot promise to donate funds raised to a charity or cause.

SundayLife! contacted six Singaporeans who used such crowdfunding platforms as a means of securing money for personal reasons, whether it is to further their studies or to pay for their meals.

All either did not reply or declined to comment.

A quick look at the status of these campaigns showed that nine out of 10 of them fell short of their target amount. For instance, the NSman who wanted people to pay for his meals has drawn zilch since his request was posted in late July, while a teenager who wanted funding to study dance in Taiwan raised US$5,600, or just 14 per cent of her US$40,000 goal at the close of her 11/2-month campaign.

There are also Singaporeans who ask for money to fund entrepreneurial projects and have their wishes granted. One of them is part-time polytechnic lecturer Erwin Lian. The 35-year-old managed to raise US$53,850, surpassing his target of US$50,000, last month on Kickstarter for his project to create "The Perfect Sketchbook for Travel Artists & Art Enthusiasts". According to his campaign page, this is a "top- of-the-line sketchbook made with quality materials sourced from around the world".

Those who pledged US$3,000 and above were promised a painting done by Mr Lian and three of the sketchbooks with his autograph.

Entrepreneur Elshan Tang, 26, also secured enough funding to start his own watch brand Zelos Helmsman, which offers bronze and steel automatic timepieces. He managed to raise C$81,934 - he set up his campaign account with the help of a friend from Canada - far exceeding his goal of C$30,000.

Mr Tang spent six months designing and manufacturing his watch prototype, while Mr Lian took a year to launch his sketchbook.

Even after posting their appeals for funds, both men say there remained much to be done.

Mr Lian says: "I had no idea if I could raise enough money. So I e-mailed the whole world asking for monetary support."

Mr Tang says: "I had to be on the ball, marketing my watches, sending out e-mail messages to blogs asking for support and replying to queries from interested backers. It was definitely not a part-time effort."

Those who pledged C$590 or more will receive a bronze Helmsman watch model worth $900.

Given the effort they poured into their campaigns, both men have much to say about those who want money for purely self-serving projects.

Mr Lian says of the potato salad project: "I thought it was ridiculous that people were backing that and not mine. Here I was, trying to do something substantial and nobody seemed to care. And there was this guy with a fluffy potato salad project that caught fire.

"I guess it was so ridiculous that it caught people's attention. I see it as an anomaly."

Mr Tang agrees, saying: "People always want something in return. They are generally less motivated to put money into a project without a tangible reward. I personally would not donate to such a project."

Despite that, he does not mind having self-serving campaigns jostling for attention with entrepreneurial projects such as his, as he feels they help raise awareness of crowdfunding here.

"Crowdfunding platforms are for everyone. If they can raise the funds, good for them," he says.

brynasim@sph.com.sg

This article was first published on September 14, 2014.
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