Kickstopped

Creative types are flocking to Kickstarter, GoFundMe and other sites to fund their dreams, but what happens when no one buys into their ideas?

If you're plugged into the news, you've no doubt seen splashy headlines about successful Kickstarter campaigns in recent months.

In March, the creator of the long-defunct TV series "Veronica Mars" used the crowdfunding website to raise an astonishing $2 million in one day to make a movie based on the series, ultimately raising more than $5.7 million for the project. And less-famous creatives can also hit the big time with the online donation tool — from unknown filmmakers who presented at Cannes to tech startups hoping to rival industry giants like Google. The site allows users to raise money for projects in any creative field, such as art, design and technology.

But what about the Kickstarter campaigns that don't make it? Only about 44 percent of fundraisers on the website reach their goal, according to Kickstarter.

Though setting up a website to raise donations sounds simple, gathering thousands of dollars with an average donation of about $75 is no easy task, Brian Meece, CEO and co-founder of the crowdfunding website Roc

kethub, said.

"There's a lot of people who think, 'If you build it they will come'; that they create the website and wake up with $100,000," Meece said. "That’s not the case." Continue