Every year at ioby, we are in awe of the projects leaders come up with to strengthen their communities. As we celebrate our 15th year, that couldn’t be more true.
In every inch of the country, people have deepened their neighborhood bonds through ground-breaking ideas, from farms growing delicious, organic produce in Upstate New York to free jazz concerts in Northwest Arkansas and storytelling workshops for climate resiliency in frontline communities worldwide.
Here are 8 of the crowdfunding projects we loved to see this year—and all of them are still raising funds! If you feel inspired, share and donate to celebrate the holidays. Plus, you can use these crowdfunding examples to brainstorm projects for your own community in the New Year. Already have a great idea? Share your idea with us and we can help!
Chris Nickell and Brenda González are longtime organizers who are working to develop Finca Seramos, a new food justice project based in Beacon, NY. The farm will grow nutrient-dense fruit and vegetables for families in Northern Manhattan and the Bronx, with an emphasis on three key pillars: ecological stewardship, building community, and cooperative labor. During peak growing season, they will have the capacity to deliver food to 200 families. The name finca seramos means “We-will-be Farms” in Spanish and comes from the Pablo Neruda poem Love Sonnet LXIX: “I am because you are.”
Through the Northwest Arkansas Neighborhood Match Program (which doubles donations!), the Northwest Arkansas Jazz Society plans to present free jazz concerts in public parks, event spaces, and local schools around the region. These concerts will take place during NAJS’s Summer Jazz series. In addition to providing live music, the funds will be used to pay local musicians for their performances—a much-needed support for independent artists in the region.
In many frontline communities around the world, the impacts of climate catastrophe can already be felt on a daily basis, from extreme weather events to unprecedented drought. However, many of these crucial stories are not heard. Climate Chronicles aims to address this imbalance through storytelling workshops with directly-impacted communities. Their goal is to spark urgently-needed policy change and to build a supportive network of peers. Change will come by centering the most vulnerable among us—which is exactly what Climate Chronicles is committed to doing.
Also part of the Northwest Arkansas Neighborhood Match Program, the Grit MTB festival is a three-day bike ride fundraiser and celebration for trans men and women, cis women, and non-binary riders of all abilities and backgrounds. The event is part of All Bikes Welcome, a nonprofit that increases racial and gender equity in the cycling world. This year, a significant portion of the funds will be used to expand opportunities for disabled cyclists, including those who are deaf, hard of hearing, para or adaptive cyclists. This will make cycling more accessible for all. (For more transportation inspiration, check out ioby’s recent Active Transit toolkit).
Like many dog rescues around the country, the team at Color Country Animal Welfare in Torrey, Utah often receives more dogs than they have the capacity to care for. This is especially true since the pandemic, when thousands of dogs and cats have been returned to shelters. However, CCAW has dozens of acres in which to provide additional shelter—they just need the resources to build! The new building would allow CCAW to help more dogs, particularly as the winter months arrive in Utah and indoor shelter becomes essential for animals.
The annual HERoes Bruncheon celebrates Black women in Richmond sparking transformative change in their community. The brunch celebrates “everyday heroines,” and seeks to challenge the notion that history is only made through extraordinary acts (similar to ioby’s mission!) To do this, the HERoes Bruncheon presents four awards— the Game Changer, Small Deeds, Big Impact, Lift As You Climb, and Money Moves—to extraordinary women in their community.
The Webster Community Center is currently being built in a school that has been vacant since 2007, and is transforming into a hub for science, technology, engineering, and math in Pontiac, Michigan. While General Motors has agreed to fund the maker space—a location to tinker, build, and develop new ideas—this fundraiser will support ongoing development and programming for young people in the area!
This fundraiser will brighten the lives of 300 children in Cleveland, Ohio by providing jackets, scarves, and inspiring artistic activities. Their goal is to not only address the basic needs of young people but to provide them with a deeper, more sustained sense of warmth through self-expression and community. In addition to artistic activities, the organizers will provide haircuts, healthy food demonstrations, and more!
These are just a handful of some of the incredible projects crowdfunded on ioby this year. For more, head over to our Browse Projects section!
ioby is a national crowdfunding nonprofit, but we’re much more than that. We help connect leaders (like you!) with one-on-one coaching and support to raise the money they need from their communities to make our neighborhoods safer, greener, more livable, and more fun.
Have a great idea to get good done in your neighborhood? We want to help! Share your idea with us and we can help get you started.