Conclusion: Making crowdfunding more appealing

Abstract

Abstract This conclusion summarizes the benefits of and ethical, political, and practical concerns with donation-based crowdfunding as it is generally practiced. Following from this summary, nine values should guide the practice of crowdfunding: benefit, choice, solidarity, privacy, dignity, equity, social justice, non-maleficence, and accountability. The author uses these values to suggest ways that crowdfunding donors, campaigners, recipients, platforms, and policy makers can act to realize the benefits of crowdfunding while dampening some of its many problems. Using crowdfunding as a tool among people in existing relationships and in the service of mutual aid is much more likely to promote these values insofar as campaigners can draw attention to the root causes of their needs, protect privacy and dignity, and motivate and coordinate collective actions to address these problems.