A new crowdfunding site with a social conscious has launched in New Brunswick, and its first project aims to help 26 low income families that lost their homes in a downtown Fredericton.
Launched by Toronto’s Helix Commerce International, the new crowdfunding software and services offering is called CrowdFundChoice.ca. With sponsors that include RBC< TD Canada Trust and Community Action Group on Homelessness, the site's first campaign is called Next 26.
It’s a charitable donation campaign with the goal of raising $50,000 to fund an affordable housing project to help those 26 families that lost their home to fire. The site has just launched and, so far, they’ve raised over $800 toward their goal. A video posted on the site helps make the pitch.
The Next 26 – Ending Homelessness with Housing First in Fredericton.
Helix CEO Cindy Gordon said they launched the site in Fredericton it’s a compassionate community with government leaders that understand the potential of alternative funding models like crowdfunding to strengthen community DNA.
“We rolled this project out in six weeks with resources from the USA, Toronto and Fredricton — truly a virtual project evidenced by iterative scrumming to achieve the beta to commercialization speed, the only way for more agile deployments,” said Gordon in a statement.
Users can also sign up to CrowdFund Choice to create their own campaigns and receive a weekly newsletter with new projects. Industry association CATAAlliance has long been an advocate of legalizing crowdfunding, and president John Reid welcomed the leadership of Helix in launching the site.
“Having another seed organization germinating in Canada can help us learn from in our efforts to increase our collective connectedness. Launching the first campaign on homelessness, a major issue facing many Canadians can only help make our country stronger,” said Reid in a statement.