Crowdtilt blog

New Features: 24 Hour Direct Deposit & International Credit Cards

Thu, 03 May 2012 06:56:06 -0700

More awesomeness dropping this week @ Crowdtilt - 2 features we’ve added:

1) 24-Hour, Direct Deposits… Yes, 24-hour Next-Day Deposits.

Pooling money online has NEVER EVEN COME CLOSE TO THIS! Until now.

Once your direct deposit is set up, you are guaranteed to get your funds within the next business day (and once your direct deposit is set up, you never have to set it up/configure it again)! This is faster than what any of the major payments platforms currently offer, and it’s ONLY ON CROWDTILT :)

2) International Credit Card Support!!

You can now start a campaign on Crowdtilt and accept contributions from all over the world! Do you have friends in Canada, France, or Japan? Invite them to your campaign and make your community span across the globe. And your friends get to take advantage of our One-Click Easy Payments :)

Our goal is simple: to help you do more with your group. We hope these two new features are another step in this direction.

New Features: Follow & Invite Friends

Tue, 24 Apr 2012 11:07:00 -0700

We are excited to announce two REALLY BIG features coming out today!

Introducing Follow Friends

You can now easily see what your friends are doing on Crowdtilt by following people. Once you click on the “follow” button under your friend’s image in the campaign community or on their profile page, we will let you know when he or she starts a new public campaign. New private campaigns will not send these notifications, so you can still safely plan that surprise birthday party!

If you want to see who is following you, as well as who you follow, click on the “Followers” or “Following” links on your profile page. And just for thrills, we’ll ping you if somebody starts following you.

Invite your Friends to Crowdtilt

If you want more of your friends to join you on Crowdtilt, you can now effortlessly invite them right from your profile and we’ll do the rest. Send invitations via email, Facebook, Twitter, or take the reign yourself and share a short link any way you like. We can also help you access your contacts from popular email service providers like Gmail, Yahoo, Hotmail, and AOL, so you don’t have to guess on emails addresses either.

Ready to check out these new features? Jump on over to our website here.

Fund Your Open-Source Project on Crowdtilt

Wed, 11 Apr 2012 12:21:59 -0700

Do you currently collaborate on an open-source project or see a clear need for a new one?

Let Crowdtilt help you boost or jumpstart your project.

Turning to the open-source community for funding is not new, but has become a lot easier in recent years. Even just a few weeks ago, this project was posted to Kickstarter to help people install Ruby on Rails on their Mac computers.

While Kickstarter is great for funding larger projects, Crowdtilt allows you to go after smaller initiatives that you know would be supported by a specific community. And because of the all-or-nothing approach, it’s a risk-free approach to gauge interest in a new feature or entire project.

Needless to say, not all campaigns will be embraced with equal enthusiasm especially when a realistic funding goal, technical aptitude, or feasible plan is missing. However, if done properly, it can be a great way to collectively fund projects that otherwise would stay stagnant for months or years.

Take a look at this recent campaign aimed at supporting the existing Drupal community.

While it does not focus on one particular open-source project, it helps developers find one another and reduce the coordination and transaction costs of connecting them with potential projects.

“For example, if a non-profit wants a better donation process built for their web site and can offer their office space, three developers can offer their time, and five interested individuals can fund transportation for the developers — then Drupal gains this feature and everyone benefits, whereas without this coordination it might not have happened at all or been done as a custom code hack that others wouldn’t have been able to use.”

Progress on this projects can be found here: http://groups.drupal.org/node/190094

So if the bottleneck to your current open-source project is a lack of funding, but you know people would love to get behind the idea, then start a campaign on Crowdtilt today and share it within your community.

Drupal is an open source content management platform powering millions of websites and applications. It’s built, used, and supported by an active and diverse community of people around the world.

Private Show by Ishi & Booker T. Washington Student this Saturday

Thu, 05 Apr 2012 09:00:00 -0700

This Saturday April 7th, Ishi will be performing a private acoustic show at The Black Swan Saloon in Dallas. The show will be headlined by Spencer Kennedy, a student from Booker T. Washington High School of the Performing and Visual Arts.

Checkout their campaign here: https://www.crowdtilt.com/campaigns/ishi-music

If you are new to the sounds of Ishi, you can get a taste below (just hit play and keep reading). The band is best known for their high energy electronic music with influences of Soul, Funk & Folk to Electro, Techno & House. Since their start a couple of years ago, the group has built a loyal following by creating positive atmospheres that encourage everybody to just be themselves and let loose.

Ishi’s “Pastel Lights” with re-edit of the 80’s classic Solarbabies

In 2010, Ishi released their debut record “Through The Trees” and received awards for “Best New Act” & “Best Electronic/Dance Act” from the Dallas Observer the same year. In 2011, they again took the top spot for “Best Electronic/Dance Act.”

The band is currently raising money for their second album and dedicated half of the funds raised to go towards Booker T. Washington High School.

The school is Dallas Independent School District’s arts magnet school and has over the years graduated many accomplished performers and artists. Prominent examples include Norah Jones, Erykah Badu and many others.

The private acoustic show can be attended by supporters of their campaign. For $15 or more, you can attend the show and meet the band up close. The group is also offering t-shirts, mentions in the liner notes, signed posters, and more for contributions towards their second album. No matter what amount you donate, you will get the digital downloads of their first album, as well as remixes of their popular songs.

If you are in the Dallas area this weekend or you just want to support this upcoming band, check out their campaign here.

https://www.crowdtilt.com/campaigns/ishi-music

The private acoustic show will be on 4/7 at 7 pm The Black Swan Saloon - 2708 Elm Street Dallas, TX 75226

Supporting the Catholic Education in the U.S.

Tue, 03 Apr 2012 08:54:00 -0700

In recent years, there has been one institution that has struggled across the country more than perhaps any other - and that is the education sector in America. While a high-quality education is the bedrock for successful professional careers, proper funding for many schools has become more difficult to come by and in some cases dried up completely.

Even numerous Catholic Schools across the nation, supported by the Catholic Church, had to shut down or find other sources of funding to provide education to their students. And in order to bring a continued education to their students, some schools are taking matters into their own hands.

For example, John Paul II Catholic High School in Tallahassee, Florida found out earlier this year that that their diocese would no longer be able to provide traditional levels of financial assistance and the school had to become self-funded.

With no other alternative, the board and community launched into an ambitious fundraising campaign to raise $676,000 before May 1st of this year.

Since January, the group has raised more then 2/3 of their required funding and turned to Crowdtilt to crowdfund another $99K towards their goal by April 9th.

More importantly, the Catholic community, including Jeb Bush, former Governor of Florida and leading proponent of school choice, picked up on the ambitious campaign pursued by JPII and provided support on a national level. The article from Catholic.org can be read here as well as other front page coverage. Currently, the campaign is just 9% away from tilting and if you would like to make a contribution and share the campaign with a friend, you can follow this link to the campaign page.

https://www.crowdtilt.com/campaigns/preservation-of-the-only-catholic-high-school-in-floridas-capital-city

How Crowdtilt is allowing groups to do more offline

Fri, 23 Mar 2012 09:00:00 -0700

Our goal at Crowdtilt is to help groups do more awesome things offline by building the world’s easiest way to pool money together.

If you hosted a casual/informal party for St. Patrick’s Day and didn’t use Crowdtilt, you probably either asked each person to bring food and drinks, or you bought everything in advance and asked people to pitch in when they arrived (Or God forbid, you made friends buy tickets online to your casual party through a service like Eventbrite).

If it was the latter, how much of your expenses were you able to recover and how much effort was required to get the money from each person?

This is where Crowdtilt comes in. For example, this group raised more than $1,000 for their St. Patrick’s Day party to cover everything from kegs of green-dyed beer, an abundance of food, all the way to blow-up leprechauns (the full list is actually pretty impressive).

You might think $1,000 is a lot for a party among friends, but the beauty of running a campaign on Crowdtilt is that no credit cards were charged until the campaign tilted. It’s simply the best way to get the whole group on board with an idea (and is a much less risky approach to planning things), instead of hoping enough people show up with cash in their hands. Admit it, collecting $1,000 at the door of your own party would be awful… So awful in fact, that without Crowdtilt, you’d likely just resort to making everyone just bring food and drinks so that you don’t front the costs for everyone. Well tsk tsk - there’s no point in imagining a world without Crowdtilt, because THAT WORLD IS OVER!

And while this is a typical example of the power of you+Crowdtilt, what we love the most, is that this campaign (and subsequent party) was funded in just hours - and instead of food and drinks, it was an extravaganza that would’ve made St. Pat proud.

So, what is keeping you from planning your next awesome get together? Is it the fear of getting enough money from friends?… Fear no longer, Crowdtilt is here.

Top 7 SXSW Group Discounts

Mon, 12 Mar 2012 15:02:00 -0700

SXSW is bigger this year than ever before. With more than 250,000 people anticipated for the music festival and 25,000 present at the interactive part of event, you quickly find yourself moving from one introduction to another. Below is a list of the top group discounts for the week. Use these kickass activities as an excuse to get to know the new chums you’ve just exchanged business cards with or to get out and about the city with your company.

River Party Boat - Rent out the Lonestarr riverboat with up to 150 people for a mere $3,000 for the whole night. Add a cash bar or go full out with food and drinks included. The boarding dock is a 10 min walk from the convention center. Limited parking is also available.

Paintball - Bring a group of at least 10 people and get the fields to yourself during the week! $25 per person gets you everything to get going. More rounds can be bought for $5/100 rounds. Field is 30 mins east of downtown. Advance payment for at least 10 people is needed to reserve field. Call Wade at 512-796-9760.

Segway City Tour - Want to see more of Austin besides the Convention Center and local bar scene? Jump onto a Segway and cruise through the city on a guided tour at $75/rider. Groups of 8+ people get a $25 discount per person. A guide is assigned for each 8 riders.

Indoor Rock Climbing - Challenge your new-made friends to race you to the top on one of Austin’s hardest walls. No worries, neither one of you will make it. Depending on group size, $10 - $16 per person gets you 2 hours of action at either location (North or South).

Austin Duck Tour - Take a sightseeing tour in Austin’s amphibious vehicle at $26/person. Get your own boat and private tour for groups 20-44 people for $595 for a 1-1/2 hours. Public tours start at the Austin Visitor Center, private tours can start anywhere. Call 512-477-5274 to schedule pick up.

Hang Gliding - If you are looking for some more adrenaline, go with an aerial view of Austin in a hang glider. Get at least 10% discounts for your group. Need to reserve by phone 1-877-338-8805.

Skydiving - Ah, hang gliding is for sissies anyways. Go ahead and do it big. Get your group jumping within 3 hours and get at 10% discounts for 10+ brave souls. Otherwise it’s $199/person. The airport is located 30 mins east of Austin.

If you need transportation to any of these activities, you can find a charter bus or van at a reasonable price here. $350 should get 40 people around Austin for 5 hours.

Last Minute Places to Crash

And if you are still looking for a place to stay for at SXSW, check out these last few places on Airbnb. You can rent out the entire house with other like-minded crazy souls and make this year’s SXSW experience one you’ll never forget. If you need help finding people to join your casa, create a theme for your house (artists, music genres, etc), send us the campaign link, and we’ll throw it on our blog.

Since Crowdtilt can provide you with an incredibly simple and risk-free way of organizing any of these activities, you may find yourself on the Lonestarr party boat before you know it.

Now that’s how you and your group can make a splash at this year’s SXSW without putting a huge dent in the wallet.

(Note: We are not affiliated or receive a commission from any of these vendors)

*See a spreadsheet of our complete list of group discounts here

New Feature: Custom Message to Contributors

Thu, 08 Mar 2012 13:45:10 -0800

You can now send custom messages to anybody that contributes to your campaign. You can add this message when setting up your campaign.

Here is the field you will have to fill out in the campaign form.

Your message will be shown in the email after people contribute to your campaign (regardless whether it is tilted or not).

If you only want to send a message to everybody once your campaign tilted, you can use our older “Contact all contributors” button, and write your message there.

Weekly Roundup: A Movie Night, Album Recording, and Crawfish Boil Get-together

Thu, 01 Mar 2012 08:02:00 -0800

Take a look at these campaigns from last week.

The 2012 Crawfish Boil – In order to support the Texas Children’s Hospital through the Krewe of Cajuns & Cowboys Seventh Annual Crawfish Broil, this group was able to pool the funds ahead of time. Now it’s time for a healthy amount of Crawfish Boil and Beer!

MatchStick: An album in Memory of Terry N. Gladstone – In dedication to his mother, Carl Gladstone set out to record a collection of songs he wished he had time to write and sing to her before she passed away last November. The project now lives on at http://music.carlthomasgladstone.com/album/matchstick

Point Break Viewing and Party – How do you feel about getting your friends together for a classic movie night and top it off with food and drinks for everybody? That is exactly what this group is doing this week. We really wish we could join.

These are just a few examples of how Crowdtilt can help you pool money for something your group wants to do. Thank you to the admins for letting us feature these campaign. Do you have something coming up that you could use Crowdtilt for? Go ahead and start a campaign!

10 Best Uses for Group-Funding

Tue, 28 Feb 2012 08:00:00 -0800

Whether you know it or not, the social phenomena of group-funding online is starting to take off and soon collecting cash and checks for your group activities will be a thing of the past. Group-funding refers to the pooling of money from a group for something the entire group benefits from. Based on the early examples coming through our site, here are the top 10 uses:

Parties with friends
Party Buses/Limos
Tickets (concerts, movies, shows, etc)
Vacation Rentals/Beach Houses
Group Dinners
Office Parties
T-Shirt/Apparel
Group Gifts (Wedding, Baby Shower, etc)
High School Reunions
Tailgates

Sounds like fun right? So the questions is, what are you going to group-fund next?

Spring Break and March Madness: both made easier with Crowdtilt

Mon, 20 Feb 2012 16:39:00 -0800

Spring is right around the corner (if you even count this past “season” as “winter”), and this means two very important things: MARCH MADNESS and SPRING BREAK are almost here.

Crowdtilt and March Madness is a match made in heaven. Use it to get together at your favorite bar or friends’ apartment to watch the games, get tickets to the games, or even plan your trip to the Final Four. Pool money for food & drinks, and let the rivalries begin. So, what are you waiting on… give a campaign a shot.

SPRING BREAK

Spring break trips are another one of the best uses for Crowdtilt, as campaigns can solve a lot of the problems/stresses that come with planning, organizing and paying for the trip…and help you focus on having the good time you deserve instead!

Whether you are in college and want to rent a house on the beach with a group, or you and your friends just need a little get away from work (and wish you were still in college like we do), Crowdtilt WILL make everything easier. In fact, Crowdtilt will make MORE things possible with the ease and simplicity of a campaign. You can probably aim for a bigger house or a nicer destination, all because Crowdtilt now exists.

It’s very simple: all you have to do is figure out how much each person needs to pay, start a campaign, send it to your friends and the rest is history. Each person can easily click and pay on the campaign (actual commitment), and if you run the campaign early enough, no one will have to personally pony up the deposit. This makes things easy, and it WILL make your trip happen. In the past, all you could do was put down a deposit, start talking to people that have “committed” and try your hardest to collect the money. 9 times out of 10, there is at least one person that doesn’t pay (we know this from experience), but with Crowdtilt you know everyone will pay, and it’s really easy to keep track.

Whether you are renting a house on the beach, a cabin on the slopes or getting a group of hotel rooms…Crowdtilt will help your Spring Break happen, without the usual worries or stresses. You can even use separate campaigns for “booze funds” or “grocery funds” so that you have that money ahead of time, allowing you to go and buy your supplies right when you arrive. If you are going skiing with friends, EVERY mountain gives group discounts so you can use a campaign to get a group of lift tickets and end up saving money. The list goes on, and trust us…we have seen A LOT of campaigns work for Spring Break.

But don’t take it from us, TRY A CAMPAIGN today..

Crowdtilt Explained

Wed, 15 Feb 2012 11:28:00 -0800

Our goal at Crowdtilt is to make the pooling of funds between groups as easy as possible.

In comparison to similar crowdfunding platforms (which advocate your campaign to bring you the biggest exposure possible) we depend on you to share your campaign with your personal and professional networks (your crowd). This means that it ultimately comes down to the willingness of your friends and acquaintances to put up the money for your suggested idea.

We noticed that campaigns asking for contributions from people they don’t know have not done so well in the past. Our campaigns also only run for a week right now, because people typically contribute at the beginning and end of an campaign, regardless of the time frame. Running a 7 day campaign gets people into action sooner than later. Having a longer expiration only gives people more time to put off their contribution.

With that being said, our site has proven to be most valuable for groups of friends that are planning to do something together such as getting a partybus or renting a beach house for their group. It works pretty much any time you want to pool money together from a group of people you know and trust. The uses really are limitless… BBQs, group gifts, mid-night movie showings, a group of tickets for a concert, bottle service at the club, and the list goes on and on.

A majority of our campaigns are actually ‘private’ and therefore are not featured, highlighted, or even listed on our site. The campaign is only shared with the people the admin chooses to send it to and is invisible to everybody else. Since private campaigns also don’t show up in our search results, the search bar is really left for the remaining public campaigns that we do have on our site. We simply wanted to make it easier for you to find those campaigns in case you lost the link to it, or simply don’t want to go look for it.

Even failed campaigns are actually successful in our opinion. Finding out that your group is not willing to pay for the suggested objective will save you time, stress and possibly even money. If you get stuck with a $1,000 bill for a hotel room that 3 of your friends backed out on last minute, then you know that an ‘unsuccessful campaign’ would have spared you from that financial burden. This means that Crowdtilt can not only help you pool the funds, but also gauge people’s interest and get you firm commitments at the same time.

So the next time you want to do something as a group, just say “Let’s crowdtilt it!”

4 Tips to Make Your Crowdtilt Campaign Successful

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 17:59:00 -0800

If you’re new to Crowdtilt and are still getting a pulse on this exciting new way of pooling money with friends, follow these tips and blow the roof off your campaign! This advice is based on our personal experiences of watching campaigns be extremely successful or totally flop.

Know the Cost - Before you start a campaign, you should know how much it will cost to do what you are planning to do. Asking for additional money or returning money afterwards will not only create additional work for you, but it may actually cause your camaign to fail.

Write a Good Description - It’s not about the length but rather the content. Communicate the main aspects of your campaign in a few sentences. “When”, “Where”, “Why”, and “How Much” are your best friends in this.

Share. Share. Share - As with many things in life, if you don’t ask, you don’t get. Make sure to share your campaign with your friends via email, Facebook and Twitter so they understand what you are asking of them. Repeat as often as necessary.

Post Progress Updates - This is probably the most overlooked aspect of running a campaign. Celebrating crossing the halfway point is a great way to re-introduce your campaign. Repeat when crossing 75% (and 90% if necessary).

As always, we’re always right behind you to answer any questions you may have. Email us at team@crowdtilt.com or hit us up on the Live Chat.

Image: photostock / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Crowdtilt + Cruises = HUGE group discounts!

Mon, 06 Feb 2012 10:04:46 -0800

Did you know that many cruise lines provide 10-15% discounts to groups of at least 16 people? Often, as the organizer you can enjoy free trips or get lower fares and extra amenities for the whole group.

The catch is that the tickets have to be booked all at once.

As with most group activities you will have to deal with getting the commitments from everybody beforehand and then hope that nobody changes their mind by the time you ask them for the money.

If you have had any experience with Crowdtilt, you know how much easier this process can be by simply starting a campaign.

Use the links below to find your dream cruise, and get a quote for your group from a travel agent. Group discounts require at least 8 staterooms w/ 16 guests.

Royal Caribbean for groups - Cruise credits can be used towards the base cost of one person’s fare in your group, or spread across one or more fares in your group. The deposit is due within 30 days (or less if sailing is within 90 days) of the reservation date. Final payment is generally due 75 days prior to sailings or 90 days for holiday sailings

Carnival Cruise for Groups - Fun points can be used for complimentary champagne, chocolates, private onboard cocktail party, as well as special amenities. To get lower rates, ask the representative for the no-amenities rate. (more details on how fun points can be used click here)

Disney Cruises - While Disney does not publish group discounts on their website, travel agents have the flexibility to offer lower rates and extras. Use their contact page to find the closest travel agent to you. They also post special offers here.

Cruises.com for groups - If you don’t want to deal with a specific cruise line, you can use this travel agency to get the best out of all.

In order to ensure the widest selection of cabins and amenities, cruise lines require you to book 60-90 days in advance.

Are travel agents free?

Most of the time. Usually travel agents receive a commission from the cruise lines so you don’t have to pay extra for their service.

So how do you feel about taking a trip to the Carribbeans or Bermuda? Hopefully you can use those shipboard credits to enjoy a nice bottle of wine in your cabin!

3 Unexpected Benefits of Pooling Money with Crowdtilt

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 12:00:56 -0800

Besides the sheer fun of organizing events, trips and gift givings, there are few unexpected benefits to the Crowdtilt service. Campaigns are…

Viral - If you are running a public campaign, you can reach people outside of your personal network. If the cause is applicable to many people, the campaign can turn viral.

Quick - Since you don’t have to wait for peoples’ checks to come in the mail or wait until you see a person the next time, you can pool money much quicker.

Convenient - Probably the best benefit of all is the sheer convenience. Sending a payment online takes less effort and makes it a win-win for everybody involved.

Is there anything else that you enjoyed while using our service? We are dedicated to improving your experience so let us know if there is anything on your mind!

Image: farconville / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

3 Annoyances You Can Avoid With Crowdtilt

Thu, 26 Jan 2012 12:00:08 -0800

Asking somebody for money for an event that is still in the planning can sometimes give you headaches. Here are three annoyances you can avoid by using CrowdTilt when pooling money from groups.

Holding large amounts of cash - While most activities can be covered with a few hundred dollars, sometimes you will find yourself collecting larger amounts. Either way, you are now responsible for the money given by other people. We can help you sleep better at night, since we handle the transactions.

Tracking down the last few people - If you run a private campaign and only invite a limited number of people, everybody knows who has not contributed yet and consequently gets “socially pressured” to pay up because everybody else wants the campaign to tilt.

Refunding money if the campaign doesn’t raise the required amount - Think collecting money is difficult? Wait until you have to track down everybody to return it. We simply don’t charge the credit card until the campaign tilts, so you don’t have to worry about this.

While these are the main problems associated with collecting money in the traditional way, there are many more. We genuinely believe that nobody should have to struggle with these.

If you have a horror story to share, we all would like to hear it and empathize with you. Send us an email or write on our Facebook Wall.

Crowdtilt's New Payout Options

Tue, 24 Jan 2012 12:20:20 -0800

Up to this point, admins of Crowdtilt campaigns have had one option of receiveing the money they pool: waiting about a week for a check to come in the mail.

While this has not created any problems, or had much resistance, we felt that it was time to create some more options. Sure, admins can still opt to receive a check in the mail, but now they have a choice involving a few more options thanks to our new payment processing company Pound Pay.

Direct Deposits into your bank account that will show up after your campaign ends are now available! This means you can start a campaign, collect the money, and it will show up in your bank account within a few days (soon it will be within 24 hours too). Not only is this much faster than waiting for a check and much easier than dealing with depositing that check, but it also opens up many new opportunities for faster, “on-the-fly” campaigns. All you have to do is set up your direct deposit information one time, and you can always have the one-click option of sending it straight to your bank account.

PayPal deposits will also allow admins the capability of having the money they collect sent directly to their PayPal accounts, making the process very easy for those who prefer the online payment transactions that PayPal provides. Some people like going through PayPal when organizing certain things, so we wanted to make sure that they have that option if they want it.

Basically, when your Crowdtilt campaign ends you will receive an email from Pound Pay giving you all of the options to receive your money, leaving the control in your (the admin’s) hands. We felt that giving our customers more options of payout is one way to really optimize the experience of Crowdtilt, which we believe is the best, most effecient and easiest way to pool your money…for ANYTHING. It’s also social and fun!

TEAM@CROWDTILT.COM to start your campaign today!

3 Ways of Using the Tilt Feature on Crowdtilt to Your Advantage

Sat, 21 Jan 2012 22:51:12 -0800

The purpose of the Tilt is very simple. If you don’t raise the necessary amount for your event, trip, gift, etc. you don’t get stuck with the bill. We refund the money contributed, and you can come up with a better plan!

Here are 3 common ways of using the tilt feature to your advantage

Organize activities only if a minimum number of people contribute.
Organize activities only if your expenses will be covered.
Turn your campaign viral (for public campaigns).

So if you are planning the next BBQ or trip to an amusement park with your friends, use Crowdtilt and don’t get stuck footing the bill.

Image: photostock / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Kitchit + Crowdtilt = Make The Amazing Dinner Experience Reality

Fri, 20 Jan 2012 12:25:04 -0800

There comes a time in life when people make a list of all the wonderful things they want to experience in their lifetime. Many write something exhilarating like skydiving, while others want something more romantic like a world-class chef bedazzle them with a five course meal right from the convenience of their home.

Kitchit makes this experience a reality for people every single day! Founded in San Francisco, California, the company allows its members to hire world-class chefs to cook for dinner parties and private events in their homes. Even a quick glance over their blog will show you just how much enjoyment and amazement it has brought to its members.

To have your own party, you simply sign up with Kitchit and start browsing for chefs in your area. You can read full profiles and compare the various packages offered by each chef (Here is an example chef profile). Prices can be as low as $10 per diner and can go up to as high as $300.

Once you arrange a date with your preferred chef, you really have nothing else to worry about except for having a good time! The chef will take care of everything from shopping, to cooking, to service, and even clean up. I don’t think you could ask for anything more!

Kitchit’s core belief is simple: Nothing beats a great meal shared with great company.

And great company is what we are so adamant about at Crowdtilt. We want to help you enjoy life’s memorable moments in the presence of others! Setting up a Crowdtilt campaign for your own dinner party is a breeze and will alleviate you from the burden of coordinating the “Who’s In” and “Where is my money” hassles that will detract you from the beauty of such an incredible event. Equally important, the dinner will only happen if your friends commit to join (i.e. your campaign tilts).

And who knows, what if you have a Kitchit dinner just because of the sheer simplicity of group-funding it through Crowdtilt? Well, then we’re just going to be jumping up and down in our chairs with huge grins on our faces.

The Art of the Party Bus

Thu, 19 Jan 2012 13:24:00 -0800

Party Buses have never not been fun, and they just so happen to be safe at the same time. There is always that issue of ‘reserving’ the bus, ‘organizing’ the group (while trying to gather firm commitments) and then ‘paying’ for the bus. More times than none, someone gets the short end of the stick…whether it be the organizer having to put the cash up front and not getting paid back, or someone in the gorup slipping through the cracks and making the bus more expensive for each individual that actually does pay.

Not AnyMore…

With Crowdtilt you take care of all of these issues with one campaign, and it also makes the whole process fun for everyone. All you have to do is figure out how much the bus will cost and then you have your Tilt goal. Next, you send out the campaign and watch everyone that ‘wants’ to come put their money where their mouth is, while also securing their spot on the bus (RSVP).

What just happened?

The campaign took care of everything. It served as the organization tool, the RSVP mechanism and also settled the issue of paying for the bus. People can see their friends pictures and names show up as they join the campaign (in the campaign community) solving the, “I’ll wait and see who is gonna go before I commit” issue.

It also speeds the process up…

These campaigns get knocked out in 48 hours or less (most of the time), rather than weeks of organization and ‘bothering’ your friends (and their inboxes) with constant emails and communication about the status of the bus. This allows everyone to worry more about where they are going to take the bus, and how much fun they are going to have, instead of constantly stressing over whether there will even be a party or a bus.

It works with any “party-bus-situation”

We have seen people use Crowdtilt for buses that transport them to and from everything from weddings and engagement parties, to raves and Phish concerts. Campaigns even give you the unique opportunity of ‘reserving’ the bus before paying anything, and using the campaign to test the waters of commitment.

Crowdtilt is the Party-Bus-Organizer’s best friend!

Go to our website to start your party bus campaign RIGHT NOW!