Crowdfunding gives women the opportunity to go out there and engage their community. When you go to raise money from institutions, banks or venture capital these are people that don't know you, but platforms like BuildHer will allow you to leverage people that do know you and offer them something whether its a bonus, products, rewards or anything else, but people like to feel like they are a part of something. I really salute BuildHer for what they’re doing and encourage more women to take advantage of this opportunity that was not previously available for us.
I have raised almost $3,000000 (3 Million Dollars) through crowdfunding and I wanted to show that it is possible and we can have so many Black women doing this that we lose count

A lot of Black/Ethnic causes are overshadowed when in a predominantly white platform or environment, and when we try to bring our causes forward it’s almost like we are complaining, and unless we have a “White Saviour” then the presumption is that nothing can get done.
So I feel that BuildHer is necessary at the end of the day because it's pushing what Black women are doing. It shows what they’re doing to help themselves and help their community and do what they need to do. Those who don’t understand haven't lived in our shoes and felt our experiences, but the founder understands the issues and problems that Black women go through, and that’s why it's different, that’s why it's important

What I love the most about BuildHer is that they’ve partnered Crowdfunding with Coaching, whereas a lot of crowdfunding platforms just leave you to it, but they walk us through it so we don’t feel lost and they actually help people with where to go with it, so they’re really ensuring success for people, which is great and I can tell it’s not just a platform for them to make money for themselves, they’re really trying to invest in people and help women which is so great!

I would have found it a little bit difficult to set up the campaign on my own because I don't know where to start, but BuildHer did all the leg work and all I did was just sharing my link with friends, family and everyone. I’m very grateful for their help in setting it up which I think is what makes BuildHer different to other platforms out there

There is a lot of POWER in crowdfunding, and if you have ideas but don’t know how to start it then it’s great to know that there is support here with BuildHer so anyone that doesn’t already have an idea for a business but wants to go into business BuildHer could help you as well

BuildHer is great, anytime you have a very clear perspective and very clear focus that’s actually very supportive for your project. It’s very important to reach out for support within your own community and from your own people and it’s really heartening to see how Black women support each other. This whole process of my crowdfunding experience underscored that for me in a huge way. A community of Black women supporting Black women and publicising Black women's crowdfunding projects I think is definitely an equation for success!
I was able to raise over $30,000 through crowdfunding for my magazine celebrating Black women in the food and wine industry.

"I've been proud to mentor BuildHer and support it's business growth. I believe that black ecomonic empowerment is the key to long-term equality and this platform enables black and brown women to pursue their dreams by taking control of their business finances in an empowering way. I wish them every success!"

Ultimately, the crowdfund wasn't just to raise money, it was more about spreading the world about my company and my blog

The guidebook that was provided by BuildHer was very good, the reason why I say that is because it reiterated some of the elements that I came across when I was monitoring other crowdfunding campaigns

I had always wanted to help women in business and bring women together, so when the ‘Black Lives Matter’ movement happened I started researching into Black women in business and I was shocked because I didn’t know what Black women go through and how difficult it is for them.
I’m so proud and happy that in conjunction with my Sarah Baily fashion brand, and BuildHer platform, we were able to launch a competition to win 1 of my custom handmade Jackets and raise money to help more Black women in business, and we raised over £2,500!

I'm just happy, if there’s any other project, I'll definitely reach out to them again. And promote them to other friends and family as well as colleagues

I think what BuildHer is doing is great, it’s amazing. We know that getting funding from banks or investments is harder for females, particularly in the western world for Black/Brown women. A platform like this brings awareness to crowdfunding, bringing the community & people to help you come up with a project and donate to your project, instead of the bank giving you money. BuildHer helps because not everybody has the capital even though they have the dreams, plans and actions but dont have the funding for it. Crowdfunding is empowering and has been around for ages and African communities like in Kenya have been doing it. It's really important and needed especially where people may not know where or how to share their projects and get it seen or heard

The thing that I love about BuildHer is obviously because it supports Black women & women in general. It’s not over-bearing on anyone who wants to contribute or pitch. It's a community within itself. Having more options out there allows people to feel empowered to get on with it and not just sit back and say ‘I don’t have the option’ or ‘no one understands me’. Now that BuildHer exists, someone can recommend to check out BuildHer instead of the other platforms where there is too much noise and it’s easy to get lost in the massive sea of campaigns.
I was able to raise £5500 through the power of crowdfunding to kickstart my organisation.

There is a funding gap between minority businesses and other races especially minority female owned. A crowdfunding platform like BuildHer is a phenomenal way to raise money for your business or project because you're engaging with people who will ultimately become advocates for your business. If they funded you, they know you, they’re aware of you and they’re gonna spread the word about your business or project. The strongest channels for growth is ‘word of mouth’ and BuildHer creates this and also access to capital because you will need capital to grow ultimately

Yes, my experience has been good, they have been very supportive throughout my campaign, they helped me with all of it, and then in terms of the endgame, the whole money raised, the process of giving, no issues at all. I’m really, really happy with them and would definitely recommend them.