StartSomeGood is a peerfunding platform for broadly-progressive social impact projects and organizations. While our focus is on social entrepreneurship as a vehicle for creating change we support all forms of changemaking: entrepreneurial, advocacy and activism, community organizing, research and information provision and inspiration.

Our vision is a world where everyone can be a changemaker, where communities can create the future they want and governance is citizen-focused and responsive.

Our goal is to build the world’s best mobilizing platform for changemakers, allowing them to raise the funds, grow the community and gain the skills and contacts they need to make a difference.

Our values are:

        Democracy;

        Equality;

        Transparency;

        Collaboration;

        Opportunity for all;

        Care for our planet;

        Care for each other.

We were inspired to create StartSomeGood to support changemakers who share these values and help them create a better future for all of us.

We believe:

        In the power of community-led solutions;

        That we live in an abundant world;

        We have all the ideas we need;

        The least interesting thing about an organization is its tax status;

        What matters is the future they/you/we are creating;

        That we must do this together.

We will not support projects which promote exclusion, fear or hatred, which advocate for discrimination, exploitation or war or are environmentally unsustainable.

Our Criteria:

How do you know if StartSomeGood is the right platform for your goals?

The first step is submitting your venture to tell us about the future that you are creating.  This is to tell us about the high-level vision for your venture and how you go about creating change.  When reviewing ventures we look to see if you’re a social venture creating new futures for your community.  You can be a non-profit, for-profit, unincorporated group or any other status; all we care about is your ability to have social impact.

Then, once you’ve been approved as a venture you’ll create a specific fundraising campaign centered around, well, starting some good. 

For social enterprises or businesses the impact of the project must be created through the operations of the initiative itself, not a transfer of a portion of funds for the creation of impact somewhere else.

When we talk about projects we simply mean a specific piece of work that occurs within a specified time-frame. It does not have to finish or produce a product or outcome within this time-frame, it can be ongoing and the project can be to launch or the first year’s operations. Projects raising funds on StartSomeGood should represent new initiatives, whether a new project or expanding to a new geography or adding a new element, something is being started, not just continued.

To make sure that only great campaigns are endorsed on StartSomeGood we use the following criteria to ensure campaigns are a good fit for our site. Here's what we'll be looking for when we read through your campaign.

First we'll ask a series of yes or no questions:

• Does the campaign create positive social change?

• Is the budget laid out in the "use of funds" section coherent?

• Does the tipping point at least cover any real tipping points in the project? It can be more than that minimum, but it must be realistic and proportionate.

• Are the rewards able to be delivered in a reasonable amount of time once the funding is secured?

The answer must be yes to all for the campaign to go ahead.

Then we'll take a more qualitative approach to examining the following important components of your campaign:

Social Impact: if the campaign were to succeed, how much difference will it make to communities and the world?

Innovation: is the campaign doing something unique, taking a successful model to a new location or challenging us to think in a new way?

Viability of campaign: do the funding goals make sense? Does the marketing plan show an understanding of how to run a peerfunding campaign, and has the venture thought through how to rally its supporters?

Viability of project: Based on the campaign description and use of funds, could this project actually happen? Are we confident that if the funds were received that the endeavor as described would happen successfully and in a reasonable time frame?

Networks: Running a peer funding campaign is hard work, and requires rallying support of a venture's network. Does the venture have a strong presence on social networks? Are they affiliated with a network partner or other organization? Do they have the social proof to show they have what it takes?

Rewards: Creative and inspiring rewards make a big difference in rallying support for a campaign. Are the rewards compelling? Do they offer a variety of levels, and rewards that match the various amounts?

Your campaign does not have to score well on each of these criteria, but must do well enough overall to give us confidence in endorsing it. If you are below average across the board or especially weak in one area we will ask you to make improvements before moving forward.

Once you submit your campaign we'll review your draft with these questions in mind. Once we've had a look, we'll be in touch with feedback, ideas and advice, and we'll continue to work with you until your campaign is ready to go live.

If you have any questions about our values, our criteria or if your venture and campaign are a good match for StartSomeGood, just drop us a line hello@startsomegood.com