We held the first Belgrade Crowdfunding Academy, co-organized by the German Initiative for Sustainable Development and Employment in Serbia (GIZ). Over 70 teams from NGO’s, enterprises, startups and the public sector applied for this free education programme. We accepted the best 16 teams wishing to fund various projects such as the renovation of theatres, production of honey, chocolate and pastry, an anticorruption magazine or an educational programme for children without parents or from marginalized groups.
The four well-tried modules of the crowdfunding education include: an introduction to crowdfunding and building the foundations for the campaign, creating a plan and promotional content, public relations and digital marketing, as well as the detailed technical aspects of a crowdfunding campaign.
By the year 2017, crowdfunding campaigns in Serbia collected over $650.000 with over 30% of the campaigns funding the broad area of art. Even though only 41 out of 570 campaigns (7,2%) have been successful so far, the number of crowdfunding campaigns has grown by 400% since 2012. The goal of Crowdfunding Academy is to increase the number of successful campaigns and backer as well as contribute to the development of the alternative financing market in both Serbia and the broader region.
