7 campaigns driven by female founders to back today!
--
Words by Natalie Wadwell
Did you know that that despite 70% of Australian social enterprises being founded by women, they only receive 2% of venture capital globally?*
As a female founder this makes me cranky. Gender representation in the workforce is a topical issue in Australia. The social sector should be making a conscious effort to do better.
Despite the increase in accelerator programs and the emergence of venture capital groups focusing on female founders, more needs to be done to enhance the visibility of female founders. As with any program, the sheer volume of applications means that not everyone can get a ‘yes.’ How do we address the demand and turn thousands of no’s into a yes?
Crowdfunding is a great tool to not only help female-led projects raise the capital they need to test or launch their ideas, but to build a supportive ecosystem around them. Within my role at StartSomeGood, I have the privilege of supporting female-led projects daily as they write their campaign and develop outreach strategies. They are ambitious, determined and put in a round the clock effort.
In the spirit of crowdfunding, together we can help them start good and increase the visibility of female trailblazers in Australia. Here are 7 campaigns to throw your support behind today
Radical Self Journal — When exhaustion stress and depletion are the norm, self-care can be radical.
Kate Alexandra is a yoga teacher, women’s circle facilitator and a mama of two boys. She’s worked with hundreds of women who work hard, perhaps too hard on creating a positive impact on the world. Informed by her own experiences, she developed the Radical Self Journal. Imagine starting each day checking in with yourself with her prompts to guide you.
CAMPAIGN CLOSED: Go here to order the Radical Self Journal → http://www.radicalselfcareproject.com/#journal-section
The Pack Australia — Making the music industry fair again.
You’re encouraged to shop local for food and clothing to support local businesses and ethical supply chains. So why isn’t this same mentality applied to music? Global streaming services are costing local musicians their income and impacting Australia’s presence on global stages. But don’t worry, dynamic duo Harry Deluxe and Melanie Bainbridge are developing an app that can help local businesses and every Australian listener back local musicians.
Cinema of the Oppressed — working through emotional trauma with the power of film making
When Mona Ibrahim came to Australia in 2012 she felt lonely, depressed and isolated. Until one day when she decided to write her story down and turn it into a film. Since then, she has gone on to make more films and become an exhibiting artist. Just this month she won the Macarthur Award at the Fisher’s Ghost Art Prize at Campbelltown Arts Centre. Now she wants to create a safe space, Cinema of the Oppressed to help others connect to themselves and others through the power of storytelling and film making. With a few days to go, this idea will have ripple effects!
Colour-athon — an innovative art marathon to raise money for family violence prevention
Colourathon is led by young women who are passionate about helping raise awareness for family violence– an issue close to their hearts. They want to encourage workplaces and community groups across Australia (and the world!) to participate in their second Colour-athon. This will help to raise essential funds to deliver specialised childhood trauma training to women’s shelters across regional and remote Australia.
With 19 days remaining, sign up your workplace or school to participate, or join them at the National Gallery of Australia for 12hrs straight of colouring.
Co-founder Lissa Barnum is a lecturer passionate about social change projects. She spends her week commuting between the Sydney city and NSW South Coast where she lives with her partner in life and business. The Good Shed is their answer to the underemployment rate in the Shoalhaven. They have developed a program to help take individuals of any age through career building blocks and get them back on their feet with a liveable income. If you think that sounds impressive, check out The Good Shed’s campaign page for more.
Unwaste Your school Habitat — help kids learn how to protect the environment
A mother and her daughter walk down the street and collect all the rubbish they encounter along the roadside. They are baffled. There isn’t a shortage of bins, but there is an evident shortage of respect for the natural environment. This is why they started Unwaste, to help teach children with their big kids alongside about good habits for disposing of waste. From what goes in what bin to how to reduce the amount of plastic waste, this program can go into to schools or come along to your next community event.
State of the Arts Media — build a balanced living archive, because culture is everywhere
Disclaimer, I am a co-founder of this. My business partner, Lucinda Davison and I know that when we learnt about past civilisations, we looked to their art and culture; objects that could tell us about the values of the time and the people. This is why we are working with local writers to build a more inclusive living archive about the innovation and social impact of the arts across greater NSW. Innovation doesn’t happen in isolation, which is why we need you to help us build the archive.
* Read more about Female’s in social enterprise (link: https://blog.ing.com.au/beyond-banking/dreamstarter/encouraging-female-social-entrepreneurship-in-australia/#article-63 ) and how the Venture Capital Funding Gap is actually getting worse. (Link: http://fortune.com/2017/03/13/female-founders-venture-capital/)
Are you a female founder interested in pursuing crowdfunding to turbocharge your impact? Get in touch today by email support@startsomegood.com and I’ll send you our special Female Founders Support offer, including 55% off our online crowdfunding masterclass.
