crowd-fundingFor this discussion, suppose a critical problem that affects travelers and it would effectively increase the cost of a fare by 0.3%. The system is not directly used by travelers and is used by transit officials. Backers will NOT receive anything tangible. Traveler benefits include reduced travel time and stress reduction (i.e. ‘not missing the boat’).
Funding is NOT needed to implement / build the prototype or the production system.
I want to understand if the public is willing to support and not just glad-hand me when I explain the idea to people that I meet. I have not met anyone that said: here is the problem with your system and that concerns me.
Is there any history of anyone using crowdfunding to gauge public support or is there a better way?
I am contemplating starting a kickstarter, where no one can fund more than the minimum donation ($1 ?) and set a nominal target to pay for specialized software that would accelerate the last 30% of software development (~$10K). The target amount is not important because money is not needed to fund the project
If the project reaches a certain level of success, I would like to have the option to refund the backers. Is there any precedent for this or mechanism to accomplish refunding backers?
Q. If you do not need funding then why bother with crowdfunding?
A. The money is unimportant in the sense that it is not an obstacle to completing the project, however, it does provide a sense of whether the crowdfunding audience (and travellers in general?) would be supportive as a product stakeholder. ASSUMPTION: A stranger that is willing to part with $1 is not glad-handing the idea / system. The nominal donation is important in the sense that it weeds out glad-handing and is an indicator of public support.
If it were practical to make the minimum $0.25 I would like to do this, however, but I suspect the minimum is ~$5 because of transaction costs.
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