StartSomeGood has partnered with leading financial services provider ING DIRECT to launch Dreamstarter, a crowdfunding initiative to boost Australia’s social enterprise sector.Dreamstarter offers inspirational Australian entrepreneurs an online platform to raise funds towards diverse social change projects. Successful projects that capture the imagination and support of the community will receive additional funding from ING Direct.
StartSomeGood cofounder Tom Dawkins said the partnership breaks new ground in the corporate social responsibility (CSR) sector.
“Crowdfunding is a participatory model that democratises corporate philanthropy. The projects that will succeed are those that have a genuine mandate from the community,” said Dawkins.As the pioneer of branchless banking in Australia, ING DIRECT’s focus on online delivery and social media offers clear synergies with the crowdfunding model.
“At ING DIRECT we strongly support innovative projects that address real community needs,” said Vaughn Richtor, ING DIRECT CEO. “Leveraging ING DIRECT’s customers, employees and the general public’s support benefits all involved.”
Ten ventures by social entrepreneurs that graduated from the School for Social Entrepreneurs Australia will launch in the initial round of fundraising through the Dreamstarter platform. The first enterprises to go live include a project to connect remote Aboriginal entrepreneurs to new markets via an online store (Enterprise Learning Australia) and an initiative to help rural communities in Malawi to achieve greater self-sufficiency (Empower).
The CEO of the School for Social Entrepreneurs Celia Hodson sees innovative crowdfunding collaborations like Dreamstarter as breaking down many of the traditional barriers social entrepreneurs face when attracting support for their ventures.
“The Dreamstarter Campaign is a fantastic way for start up social ventures to raise their profile, attract critical seed funding and inspire others to create change in their communities,” said Hodson.
People can apply to be a part of the Dreamstarter program, or find more information, at http://www.ingdirect.com.au/dreamstarter
