Creating a crowdfunding website has become easier than ever with the help of WordPress, a crowdfunding plugin, and a suitable theme. Crowdfunding websites such as Kickstarter, RocketHub, and Indiegogo have helped many great projects get off the ground, including the Pebble watch, the Ouya video game console, and a consumer 3D printer. However, if you have a project you want to find financial backers for or you want to create your own fundraising community, there is now no reason why you can’t create your own crowdfunding website.
When it comes to creating a crowdfunding website with WordPress, the plugin options are pretty thin on the ground. IgnitionDeck is currently the strongest candidate for WordPress users. The plugin offers a free version that should give you a good overview of the interface that you can use to create an unlimited number of crowdfunding, pre-order, or fundraising projects on your WordPress website. However, the more advanced features are found in the premium version, which includes PayPal and Stripe integration, Kickstarter importer plugin, membership registration and dashboards, recurring pledges or donations, front-end project submissions, and more.
Depending on the license you choose, you can have everything up and running to allow visitors to register and start adding their own products in the hope of finding financial backers, with multiple options for processing and collecting payments. IgnitionDeck also offers a premium valet service in which they take care of everything from installing WordPress through to creating your first project.
Another selling point of IgnitionDeck is the extensions that are available for it. Depending on the license you choose when purchasing the plugin, you will get access to at least one of these extensions, with the others being available at an additional cost. Some of the highlights from the library of extensions for IgnitionDeck include Amazon Payments, Stretch Goals, and Constant Contact.
While the above IgnitionDeck plugin will in theory work with any theme, the developers have created a selection of themes built especially for creating a crowdfunding website with WordPress. The responsive 500 Framework is a free theme that comes with IgnitionDeck and now includes WooCommerce support for handling the checkout process. Backer is a clean and minimalistic design that appeals to anyone looking for a sleek and modern look for their crowdfunding website. Fundify is ideal for creating a website to promote a personal project or building a multi-author, multi-project fundraising website.
WordPress and the scores of developers working in its ecosystem have made it very straightforward to build a specific type of website, which would otherwise require a large time or financial investment. While in this case, the premium options will yield the best results, the amount of money required in order to get a professional looking and functioning crowdfunding website online is very reasonable.
Whether you want to start your own fundraising community or simply get some financial backing for your latest great idea, WordPress has it covered. IgnitionDeck is a great option for those looking to create their own crowdfunding website, but there are also other crowdfunding tools available for WordPress. Share your experiences in the comments below.
