Whether it’s telling their stories, arming them with skills or simply brightening their moods, these five female crowdfunders are bringing empowerment to other women. Check out what they’re working on, and learn how contributors can help them realize their goals.

Check out these 5 women-led crowdfunding campaigns:

1. Happy Raincoats (via Kickstarter)

The Business: Marianne Mollmann of Kaer Brooklyn wants to bring sunshine to even the rainiest of days for her customers. How? By adorning them with fun, fashionable raincoats from her Brooklyn-based business. She uses boldly patterned and brightly colored laminated linen and cotton canvas that wicks away water while also looking fantastic. Sewn in-house, Mollman’s jackets use fabric sourced from “a vocal LGBT-supporting” textile company in North Carolina.
The Money: Mollmann has until April 21 to raise $1,500. If she succeeds, that money will be used to produce the newest line of her coats.

2. Secret Pillows (via Indiegogo)

The Business: The Secret Pillow Project, run by Taja McKinney Zisler from offices in Littleton, Colo., is accomplishing two things at once: making and distributing pillows that unfold into blankets, and effecting social change. The organization accomplishes the latter by recruiting groups of enterprising Indian women who are struggling to make ends meet, and giving them the tools and skills needed to participate in the pillow-making efforts.
The Money: Zisler and the rest of the team are trying to raise $15,000 within the next month. Those funds will be used to bring more women in India into their program.

3. Wearable Security (via Kickstarter)

The Business: Rachel Owens is the driving force behind the mBand, maker of a hi-tech ring designed to improve the safety of women. The device allows wearers to communicate their location in a time of need to an emergency response center and pre-saved emergency contacts. “The mBand ring is unique among women’s safety products because you can activate it instantly with just one finger of one hand,” the campaign says. “Other devices require you to reach for a dongle or pull out your phone and initiate a series of actions to get help in an emergency.”
The Money: Within the next 25 days, Owens hopes to raise $100,000 to fund testing and mass production of the rings.

4. “Scar Story” (via Kickstarter)

The Business: Emily MacKenzie and Sasha Solodukhina are the director and producer, respectively, of “Scar Story,” a documentary that will follow Paulette Leaphart as she walks topless for 1,000 miles from Biloxi, Miss., to Washington, D.C. After a lifetime of struggles, Leaphart learned that she had breast cancer and decided to undergo a double mastectomy as well as months of chemotherapy. The idea for her walk came after a photo of her bare chest, taken post-surgery, went viral on the Internet. “By exposing herself and speaking out bravely, she broke the shameful silence and empowered other women to get the same life saving procedure,” the campaign explains. Her journey will begin in May of this year.
The Money: MacKenzie and Solodukhina are hoping to raise $30,000 by or before May 5. Should they succeed, the money will be used to pay crew members and cover travel expenses as they take the trip with Leaphart.

5. Beyond Jewelry (via Indiegogo)

The Business: Pamela Norton-Shelpuk works with refugees coming to the United States through her organization, Liberti. Her “<1% Collection” of jewelry “seeks to raise awareness for the less than one percent of refugees worldwide who are fortunate enough to escape the hardships of refugee camps, and for the 99 percent who remain behind,” according to her campaign. This particular collection is available at a discount through her crowdfunding campaign.
The Money: Norton-Shelpuk has already achieved her goal of raising $20,000, and another month remains on her campaign. All money raised will be put toward Liberti’s apprenticeship training program, which gives participating refugees marketable skills.

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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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