FarmRaisers | Crowdfunding for Farmers and Aspiring Farmers

Hi there,

My name is Nissa Gadbois. My husband Brian and I are farmers, too. We raise dairy goats and sheep on about 300 acres in central Massachusetts.

In the course of restoring our old farm, and building up our business, we found it really difficult to get funding for the seemingly endless list of projects here. Grants take so long and are incredibly involved, and loans are expensive and pretty limiting.

We love crowdfunding, but noticed that very few farms were getting funded on Kickstarter, Indiegogo, or GoFundMe. And there were some really excellent projects published. So we decided to build a crowdfunding site just for farmers - one that also advocates for family farmers and sustainable agriculture, and works to build a supportive network of media, bloggers, and enthusiasts. We think of it as a new kind of Community Supported Agriculture.

On June 30th, we will launch FarmRaisers.

We’re would like to ask you to visit our website, have a look around, and see if setting up a campaign for your own farm might be something you would like to do. We welcome any questions you have, and would be happy to help you if you decide to set up a campaign.

While our official launch is June 30, the site is open to farmers to begin setting up campaigns now. They can take a little time to get just right. As I mentioned, we’re happy to help you get set up if you get stuck, or need some technical assistance.

Thanks so much for your time. We hope to see your farm project on FarmRaisers!



Warmly,



Nissa and Brian Gadbois

Founders, FarmRaisers

www.farmraisers.com

<3 this!!! THANK YOU!

There is a related crowdfunding site for permaculture training: We The Trees

The more crowdfunding sites we all know about to help us out, the better. Christian Shearer, the man behind We the Trees, is doing great work in the world.

This is incredible!

Agreed with Josh, this is incredible! My farm is so new it doesn't have a name yet. I have not incorporated either. Does any of this matter when setting up a fundraisers campaign?

this is great...please let me know when the site is active for people who might like to contribute to projects posted on the site...I look forward to hearing more about this resource

Honestly I don't know, that's definitely something I, personally would contact my attorney for. I can ask about that if you want, just email or PM me. Savingwithsilver@gmail.com

Nissa and Brian, this is a wonderful idea. I believe more and more people want to support small farmers, and this is one great way to do it, even if you live big city and don't know any farmers personally.

There is one little thing though... the LOGO... it jumped at me, and the artist/ designer in me screamed 'Ahh, you can't read it - the bottom part of the word is missing...!'

I'm sorry, I really don't want to critizise in any way, it's a beautiful project, and I'm looking forward to using it (does it accept farms from all over world?) - maybe just put in a little touch of colour?

Good luck, and looking forward to hearing more about FarmRaisers

Best,

Julia

Matt Powers wrote:<3 this!!! THANK YOU!

You betcha! We hope it helps!

Scott Stiller wrote:Agreed with Josh, this is incredible! My farm is so new it doesn't have a name yet. I have not incorporated either. Does any of this matter when setting up a fundraisers campaign?

Nope, it sure doesn't.

Aome St.Laurence wrote:this is great...please let me know when the site is active for people who might like to contribute to projects posted on the site...I look forward to hearing more about this resource

It's actually open now to start setting up campaigns. All of those campaigns will show on the front page beginning on the 30th. Hope to see yours there! Let us know if you run into difficulties or have any questions!

Julia de Jesus Palma wrote:Nissa and Brian, this is a wonderful idea. I believe more and more people want to support small farmers, and this is one great way to do it, even if you live big city and don't know any farmers personally.

There is one little thing though... the LOGO... it jumped at me, and the artist/ designer in me screamed 'Ahh, you can't read it - the bottom part of the word is missing...!'

I'm sorry, I really don't want to critizise in any way, it's a beautiful project, and I'm looking forward to using it (does it accept farms from all over world?) - maybe just put in a little touch of colour?

Good luck, and looking forward to hearing more about FarmRaisers

Best,

Julia

Julia,

Thanks so much for the design feedback. We'll consider it. If you'd like to submit a logo design, we would be happy to review it!

BTW, we would also LOVE to see urban farms on FarmRaisers. It would be absolutely incredible to support projects that grow food in the midst of urban bustle and decay. We live quite near the city of Worcester, Massachusetts. We see spots in the city every day that would be ideal for such a one.

That's awesome guys!

Does anybody know the difference in taxable income if you receive it from your campaign as an individual vs a corp or something to that affect? I'm still a few years off, but the taxability in the U.S. Is my primary concern and the reason I'd call an attorney.

Josh Ritchey wrote:That's awesome guys!

Does anybody know the difference in taxable income if you receive it from your campaign as an individual vs a corp or something to that affect? I'm still a few years off, but the taxability in the U.S. Is my primary concern and the reason I'd call an attorney.

Josh, in the US, those funds will be taxed at the rate for whichever of your accounts gets the funds. If you put it into a business account, and pay for something related to your farm business, it may be a legitimate deduction, which could save you on your taxes. I don't think that's the case if you put it all into your personal account.

Julia,

Thanks so much for the design feedback. We'll consider it. If you'd like to submit a logo design, we would be happy to review it!

BTW, we would also LOVE to see urban farms on FarmRaisers. It would be absolutely incredible to support projects that grow food in the midst of urban bustle and decay. We live quite near the city of Worcester, Massachusetts. We see spots in the city every day that would be ideal for such a one.

I like the logo as it is, it really just needs some colouring in at the bottom part

Do you want Farmraiser to work outside the USA, too?

Love this! Started a farm school in West Africa. I'm partnered with two local herbalists working on a malaria tonic, permaculture training, food preservation, etc. Read more at : https://newindustryschoolghana.wordpress.com/

Following the topic to know when the site is up for use!

Thank you!

Julia de Jesus Palma wrote:

I like the logo as it is, it really just needs some colouring in at the bottom part

Do you want Farmraiser to work outside the USA, too?

Yes, we sure do. We already have a project pending from Kenya, and another from Canada. We're looking forward to making this available wherever people can access a computer to set one up. Our payment processor automatically does various currencies. And if our campaigners set up a free Stripe account, we can just move those funds directly into your account in your currency. Stripe will make the conversion. Pretty neat!