Is Crowdfunding a Public Good or a Sign of Society’s Failures?

According to a recent report from GoFundMe, the site has raised $30 billion, since 2010, for fundraising campaigns around the world. Crowdfunding, as a concept, is not new. One of the first crowdfunders was an 1885 appeal to pay for the base of the Statue of Liberty, resulting in thousands of donations, some just mere pennies. Today, donors can help pay for disaster relief, medical treatments, classroom supplies, and more with a click of a button. But are these donations going to those who need the most help? And what does it say about our society that people need to create campaigns to pay for basic needs? We’ll talk to experts about crowdfunding, and hear from you: Have you run a crowdfunding campaign or benefitted from one?

Guests:

Tony Cookson, professor of finance, Leeds School of Business at University of Colorado Boulder

Jeremy Snyder, professor of health sciences, Simon Fraser University; author, "Appealing to the Crowd: The Ethical, Political, and Practical Dimensions of Donation-Based Crowdfunding"

Una Osili, associate dean, Lilly Family School of Philanthropy at Indiana University