1. What is Crowdthinking?

Crowdthinking is a group support platform for ideas.

We are convinced that:

• Good ideas can easily become Internet memes that spread rapidly.
• A community of individuals sharing common interests can be a great source of support, providing experience, contacts and even the funding to put them into practice.

Our aim is to encourage individuals to engage actively in ideas that will change the world. We're aware that the near future will be vastly different from the world we know and that many of those changes have not yet been invented. With Crowdthinking our intention is to democratise the support process for new ideas.

2. Who can finance your Crowdthinking project?

Crowdthinking was set up in order to provide support for university R+D+I projects, although we soon realised that the platform could be extended to include projects of all kinds. It's not just about R+D+I; there's also room for business and cultural projects, as well as for good causes.

3. How can I provide support for a project?

We can all offer support for projects and engage with them.

• We can help by contributing new ideas, as well as our specific knowledge within a sector, know-how, experience, contacts, etc.
• We can provide financial support, making a donation or buying shares.
• We can also help to amplify a project:
  By explaining the project to our network of family and friends.By sharing the project on our social networks (Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin...).By sending an email to our friends, explaining the project to them.By contacting local newspapers, television, radio stations webs and blogs. Editors are always on the lookout for news.

4. Why do people offer support for projects?

• To engage actively in the ideas that will change our world.
• To provide support for ideas that inspire and motivate, and which we believe can make a real difference.
• To obtain a firsthand insight into the world's latest trends.
• To form part of an international network of people I share common interests with.
• To make a direct contribution to employment, innovation and growth.
• To access special rewards, not monetary ones.
• To invest in startups with major growth potential.
• To maintain a direct control over the sectors I invest in.
• To be able to make small investments and diversify my capital.
• To obtain tax relief.

5. Why should I pitch my project?

• To obtain financing.
• To build up a community around my idea that will help me to put it into practice.
• To guarantee amplification and notoriety for my idea.
• To gain access to the know-how I need.
• To test out my idea before launching it on the market
• To bring my areas of research within the reach of society.
• To obtain international contacts
• To get ideas that will improve my project.
• To obtain support.
• To contact others with similar projects.

6. Entrepreneur

6.1. How do I start a project?

Click on the 'Start your project' button on the home page. This will then take you through the process of registering your project.

6.2. What information do I need to get my project off the ground?

To make the process simple, we've come up with a single form for all projects where you are asked to provide the following details:

• What type of project is it?
• How much money do you need and what are you offering?
• Who are you?

Why not click on 'Start your project' so you can see for yourself how the registration process works?

6.3. How should I present my project?

It's essential to have a specific and well-defined project with a clear start and finish. The patrons that provide funding must know precisely which project they will be funding, how you will be working, as well as your schedule and objectives. To be successful, your work must be totally transparent and your goals clearly defined. You must share both your successes and your failures with your patrons, as they will be an endless source of support and ideas.

6.4. What do I have to prepare before starting on my project?

6.4.1 Choosing the project name.

Crowdthinking project names must be simple, specific and memorable. That way it will generate curiosity and encourage platform users to find out more about your project.

6.4.2 Choosing the project image or video.

Your project image is the way it will be presented on Crowdthinking and the rest of your website. So make sure you choose something that really gets your project message across! The design is really important; remember that a simple image forms the first impression of your project and the team behind it. Try to make sure that your image is original and transmits the spirit of your project.

Even though they may not be essential to get your project off the ground, videos are an excellent way of getting across great ideas – their characteristics, essence and the motivation behind them – thereby generating even more support. Not everyone enjoys standing in front of a camera, so why not create a video showing images of your project, photos of the team members, facilities, etc.?

6.4.3 Write a brief description.

You have to transmit the essence of your project in no more than 150 characters. If you had to describe your project in a tweet, how would you go about it?

6.4.4 Detailed information about the project.

Here you can go into greater detail about your project: your work methodology, objectives, schedule, team, etc. We recommend you include lots of descriptive detail in your explanations, as well as images, videos, graphics and links, etc. Don't give too much detail; it's better not to overwhelm potential patrons with too many facts and figures. If they ask you for them later on, then you can share them publically on your space.

6.4.5 Tell us something about you.

Your biography is a great opportunity to tell us more about yourself. How did you get involved in this project? What previous projects have you been part of? Who is included in your work team? What kind of infrastructures do you have? This is the way to win patrons' confidence. We suggest a brief description of between 150 and 200 words, which can be completed with external links, personal websites and accounts on social networks such as LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Slideshare, etc.

6.5 What kind of rewards can I give?

The people that support you will wish to accompany you on your venture. Share your everyday activities on the project page, post photos, videos and organise encounters with them.

Here are just a few of the things you can do:

Offer a personalised copy of your work, or a making of.

Show your gratitude to your patrons by including them in the project credits.

Set up a meeting where they can speak directly to the entrepreneurial team, see your facilities and/or take part in your project. If you have international sponsors, these meetings could be arranged via videoconference.

It's essential to be imaginative.

6.6 What does "projects for profit" mean?

This refers to those projects in which the patrons make a financial contribution, whereby they agree to acquire a number of project shares, formalised by means of an agreement. The agreement for the purchase of shares in projects for profit must specify how profit will be obtained (royalties, resale of shares at a higher value, etc.).

We make it easy for you. And we also attach a standard agreement that you can fill in if necessary, stating who you are, the percentage of shares on sale and their total price.

NB: Can an entrepreneur use their own agreement? Yes, if an entrepreneur does not wish to use the standard agreement, this can be replaced with another.

6.7 How can entrepreneurs help to spread the word about their own ideas?

A really outstanding project may attract support from all over the Internet; however in the case of most projects, support will come from within their own networks. In order to generate people's support, you have to be insistent and constant; don't give up: you've got 40 days, so there's time to try it several times and in various ways. Publish the details of the project, state how much you've raised, how long you've got left before the deadline expires and the rewards patrons will receive. Remind them that everyone can contribute; they don't necessarily have to invest money, although if they wish to, they can make micro-contributions.

Here are a few ways of spreading the word about your project:

• Social networks.

- Facebook: Generate content relating to your project and encourage your friends to share it on their walls and other social networks. Post it on the walls of similar profiles you know you can trust and that have lots of friends.

- Twitter: Generate content and encourage your followers and friends to retweet it.

• Mailings.

Generate effective content and send it by email to your closest contacts, people you trust. Make it easy for them and help them to become focal points for spreading news of your project; send them a link to your project so they can forward it to their own contacts.

• The media.

Contact your local newspaper, television and radio stations and explain your idea to them. Look for blogs and similar media and ask for coverage. Editors are always on the lookout for something new to write about and the media are particularly drawn to original, exciting and innovative ideas.

• Sponsored advertising.

- Google AdWords for the Google search engine. This is a simple and convenient system as you can segment your target market in accordance with the searches they make. You only pay per click and have complete freedom in terms of how much you wish to invest, starting from just a few euro cents.

- Facebook Ads for the Facebook platform. This system allows for market segmentation based on country, age, gender, interests, etc. You can pay per click or impression and have complete freedom in terms of how much you wish to invest, starting from just a few euro cents.

• Events.

Take advantage of the opportunity to get talking to colleagues, friends and relatives. Organise meetings and reunions. Publish posters and carry out mailshots. Organise your patrons so they become focal points for spreading details of your project; provide them with printed posters or leaflets for distribution within their community. Be creative!

6.8. How can I generate interest among my patrons' community?

Keep them informed and up-to-date with all the latest news about your project.

It's important to keep your project updated on the Crowdthinking page, answer the questions posed by the community and generate debate around your ideas. Focusing all the information on a single site ensures that everyone receives the same information and can take part in the debate.

When it comes to the funding process, you must be extremely active, carrying out actions that will guarantee visibility and ensure that people take an interest in your project and spread your idea. Avoid repeating contents. Try to build up a story around your project, constantly developing and updating it. Post photos of the process, as well as related links or anything that can provide added value to your idea.

Once the project has been successfully funded, don't forget about all those people that have contributed to making it possible. Share your project's progress with all your patrons and people that have shown an interest. Ask for their thoughts and suggestions; explain what you're doing and how the project is gradually taking shape. Keeping all those that have supported you in the project informed and engaged is an essential part of Crowdthinking.

6.9. Which language should I use?

As this is an international platform, we recommend using English, although any language is accepted. We believe that it's up to each entrepreneur to decide who their project's patrons will be and the best language to address them in.

6.10 Is there a pre-selection process before the projects are uploaded onto the website?

No, all projects received are published on the website, once we have checked for any offensive content. Here at Crowdthinking we value highly the democratic process whereby platform users decide for themselves whether a project is worth supporting or not.

6.11 How can I protect my idea?

If your idea is susceptible to patenting you should complete this process before making it public. In the case of non-patentable projects, you should avoid explaining the most sensitive aspects.

Making your project public shouldn't be a problem; if you want to put it into practice, you'll have to share your idea sooner or later.

7. Patrons

7.1 How can I sponsor an idea?

Anyone can help with those projects they consider important. We've all got something to contribute. You can provide help and advice, share the initiative with your acquaintances or contribute your know-how. You can also encourage the creative team to continue or even help them to fund their project. Just do it!

7.2 How can I contribute to spreading the idea?

Here are just a few ways of doing this:

• Social networks.

- Facebook: Generate content relating to the project and encourage your friends to share it on their walls and other social networks. Post it on the walls of similar profiles you know you can trust and that have lots of friends.

- Twitter: Retweet the content and encourage your followers to do the same.

• Mailings.

Send the project link to those contacts you think may be interested in the initiative. Turn them into focal points for spreading news about the project and encourage them to do the same.

• Events.

Take advantage of the opportunity to get talking to colleagues, friends and relatives. Organise meetings and reunions. Devirtualize. Publish posters and carry out mailshots.

7.3 How can I contribute my ideas?

Go to the project page and enter your comments; they'll be visible to the entire project community.

8. Funding

8.1 All Crowdthinking projects must be completely funded within 40 days; otherwise the money won't change hands.

Why?

• Each project must have a minimum funding requirement which must be met. Projects cannot be put into practice unless they obtain full funding, and therefore the money won't change hands.
• The time limit is a motivating factor. Having a deadline for carrying out a project means that we will try to be as effective as possible in our actions and will also drive us to act faster.
• Those projects that fail to obtain full funding within the stipulated 40 days can start again, modifying those aspects that require improvement.

8.2 How can I donate to a project?

By using our payment platform. Charges will only be made once full funding has been obtained. Remember that Crowdthinking is free of charge for all not-for-profit initiatives.

8.3. What are shares?

It's a way of financing projects that enables investors to obtain a return on their investment and share in the distribution of the profit the project generates.

8.3.1 How can I acquire shares in a project?

• The project page includes the joint share ownership agreement; download and read it.
• Use our payment platform to reserve your shares.
• You will only be charged if the project obtains full funding.
• The documents providing proof of share ownership are the agreement and receipt of payment made via the Crowdthinking.org payment platform.

9. Do you recommend connecting with Facebook?

Yes! It's an easy way for anyone to access Crowdthinking. If you're a creator, it's a great way of enabling followers to learn more about you. That doesn't mean you have to accept all the friend requests you receive or make your entire profile public, but it is an easy way of showing followers that you really do exist. You can also adjust the privacy settings of your Facebook account to have a tighter control on what new visitors can view.

10. Who is behind Crowdthinking?

The collective funding platform crowdthinking.org is owned by Crowdthinking.SL, with registered business address at Calle Llull, 21-329 Edificio CINC 08019 Barcelona, SPAIN and holder of Spanish Tax Id number (CIF) B65914210.

11. How can I contact Crowdthinking?

You can send an email to info@crowdthinking.org; we'll be delighted to talk to you.