Whether they’re granting second chances through job opportunities or bringing breakfast to a neighborhood in need of early-morning nourishment, these women business owners are helping other people in creative ways.
Check out these 5 women-led crowdfunding campaigns:
1. A New Audience for Vegan Ice Cream (via Kickstarter)
The Business: Margie Broadhead’s London-based business, Nana Nice Cream, deals in dairy-free ice creams made from ingredients like bananas. Rather than selling them as desserts, she’s presenting her inventions as alternative on-the-go snacks to be enjoyed at any time of day. Her chocolate, vanilla and strawberry confections are about to debut in stores throughout England, and in honor of that milestone, she’s opening a pop-up shop on King’s Road this summer.
The Money: Just seven days remain for Broadhead’s campaign. By or before the week is up, she hopes to raise the equivalent of at least $9,544 to finance her pop-up shop.
2. Representing Black Parents (via Indiegogo)
The Business: In 1993, the magazine Black Parenting launched in an effort to expand representation of parents of color in the media. The publication fell by the wayside for a time, but now, a group led by Janice Celeste is hoping to bring it back to life. The new-and-improved outlet will include advice columns and articles written by and for black families. “It’s important to us to … talk about [our] differences and show positive images of the black family,” the campaign pitch says.
The Money: To put together a magazine mock-up and marketing campaign, conduct research and generate professional imagery, Celeste and her team are hoping to raise $20,000. They have another month left to achieve that goal.
3. Breakfast at the Break of Dawn (via Kickstarter)
The Business: Wilmington, Del., has a breakfast problem — and Elaine Brown has the solution. The idea for her planned shop, The Red Eye Bakery, came to her when she first moved to the area and found herself without a coffee spot to visit during early morning hours. The lifelong baker set out to solve the problem herself. She plans to cater to shift workers with her unconventional hours and to also support veterans and community members by using their products in her bakery.
The Money: By or before July 23, Brown hopes to raise $5,000. That money would go toward paying for interior design and lighting projects, among other renovation costs.
4. A ‘Farm-to-Teacup’ Offering (via Kickstarter)
The Business: The Virginia Tea Company run by M. Lightfoot is hoping to bring the myriad health benefits (and occasional caffeine boost) of herbal and black teas to customers in a responsible, sustainable way. Specifically, she will import only fair trade, all-natural teas directly from the growers themselves. “There are no other Virginia-based tea companies that offer fair trade tea, and only a few nationally,” Lightfoot says in her campaign.
The Money: Lightfoot is trying to raise at least $10,000 by July 23. If she’s successful, the money will be put toward paying fair trade fees, packaging teas and launching an advertising campaign.
5. Serving Up Second Chances for Employees (via Indiegogo)
The Business: Carolyn Ocheltree is the co-owner of Tree of Life Cafe & Bakery, a Fresno, Calif., eatery that opened up earlier this year. As the venture gets off the ground, Ocheltree wants to make sure it is helping others from the start. To that aim, the cafe hopes to employ people who may find it difficult to secure employment due to troubled pasts. Her prospective employees are men and women who “have completed drug and alcohol rehabilitation programs in Fresno County, but many have criminal backgrounds that make job searching very difficult,” Ocheltree explains on her campaign page.
The Money: Within the next month, Ocheltree aims to raise at least $25,000 to pay these employees for their work.
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Want to be featured in The Story Exchange’s Crowdfunding column? Drop us a line and tell us about your campaign at [email protected].
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