title: To Crowdfund Research, Scientists Must Build an Audience for Their Work.
abstract: As rates of traditional sources of scientific funding decline, scientists have become increasingly interested in crowdfunding as a means of bringing in new money for research. In fields where crowdfunding has become a major venue for fundraising such as the arts and technology, building an audience for one's work is key for successful crowdfunding. For science, to what extent does audience building, via engagement and outreach, increase a scientist's abilities to bring in money via crowdfunding? Here we report on an analysis of the #SciFund Challenge, a crowdfunding experiment in which 159 scientists attempted to crowdfund their research. Using data gathered from a survey of participants, internet metrics, and logs of project donations, we find that public engagement is the key to crowdfunding success. Building an audience or "fanbase" and actively engaging with that audience as well as seeking to broaden the reach of one's audience indirectly increases levels of funding. Audience size and effort interact to bring in more people to view a scientist's project proposal, leading to funding. We discuss how projects capable of raising levels of funds commensurate with traditional funding agencies will need to incorporate direct involvement of the public with science. We suggest that if scientists and research institutions wish to tap this new source of funds, they will need to encourage and reward activities that allow scientists to engage with the public.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, University of Massachusetts Boston, Boston, Massachusetts, 02125, United States of America; National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis, Santa Barbara, California, 93101, United States of America.
authors.forename: Jarrett E K
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Byrnes
authors.affiliation: National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis, Santa Barbara, California, 93101, United States of America.
authors.forename: Jai
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ranganathan
authors.affiliation: Institute for Social, Behavioral, and Economic Research, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, California, 93106, United States of America.
authors.forename: Barbara L E
authors.initials: BL
authors.lastname: Walker
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, The University of Texas-Pan American, Edinburg, Texas, 78539, United States of America.
authors.forename: Zen
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Faulkes
mesh_terms: D063045:Crowdsourcing / Q000191:economics*; D005653:Fund Raising; D006801:Humans; D020407:Internet; D016013:Likelihood Functions; D018803:Models, Economic; D012108:Research Personnel; D012109:Research Support as Topic; D012586:Science / Q000191:economics*; D012919:Social Behavior