Crowdfunding

Crowdfunding is the practice of raising money for a project, business, or cause by collecting small contributions from a large number of people — typically via an online platform. Kickstarter, GoFundMe, Indiegogo, and Patreon are the dominant mainstream platforms. All have deplatformed, blocked, or seized funds from campaigns they deemed ideologically objectionable, making crowdfunding platform choice a free speech issue.

What it means

GoFundMe seized $10 million raised for the Canadian trucker convoy in 2022, citing vague terms-of-service violations — then redirected the funds to "approved" charities rather than returning them to donors. Patreon has removed creators for content posted outside the Patreon platform. Kickstarter has rejected projects for content policy reasons. The pattern is consistent: the same platforms that process crowdfunding also make editorial judgments about which fundraisers deserve to succeed.

This creates a two-tier crowdfunding world: campaigns from ideologically compliant creators can raise millions; campaigns from conservative, Christian, or libertarian causes face arbitrary removal.

How it works on Gab

Gab provides a platform where alternative crowdfunding solutions — direct donations through cryptocurrency, GiveSendGo, and other parallel economy funding tools — can be promoted and shared. Gab Marketplace and Gab Social together give fundraisers an audience that's specifically values-aligned with their cause. The community knows which crowdfunding platforms don't deplatform them.

Related terms

Crowdfunding is a form of creator monetization. The deplatforming risk comes from payment processors. Cryptocurrency enables crowdfunding without these intermediaries. The parallel economy has developed alternatives.