How to fundraise when the powerful want to stop you – Open Democracy

We also want to be able to collect money without one person being held responsible for the whole campaign's actions we have collective responsibility.

After the truckers in Canada got their GoFundMe donations withheld, and in light of our previous experiences, we sought a system that wouldn't be able to withhold donations once theyve been made.

Such cases of extra-judicial action take a toll on legitimate activity and represent a significant means to throttle political opposition.

No matter your political persuasion, theres bound to be a cause you sympathise with that has faced the undemocratic impulses of monetary gatekeepers.

Arguably, centralised crowdfunding sites for example, sites like GoFundMe with a payments firm like Stripe or Visa controlling the flow of funds are more likely to succumb to this as there is a single point of attack.

Uncertainty about income drives campaigners to find alternatives to the payment majors.

Ukraine DAO (Decentralised Autonomous Organisation) uses blockchain systems to raise and distribute funds for the war with Russia. It is a grassroots network that has funnelled over $8m, donated in Ethereum cryptocurrency, to directly assist military and humanitarian efforts with the blessing of the Ukrainian state.

The DAOs team say that the transparency and efficiency of raising cryptocurrency makes it an attractive choice for gathering cash fast. Efficiency may also refer to avoiding the arduous bureaucracy typically involved in financing military operations. This kind of fundraising breaks new ground by allowing ordinary people to mobilise resources for serious geopolitical projects.

In a similar way campaigners for Julian Assange raised over $35m with a mission to seek justice for the WikiLeaks founder.

Liberate Hemp now takes donations in cryptocurrency first and foremost due to the precarity of e-commerce involving hemp. The only easy approach that met our needs were donations direct to our crypto wallet.

So what practical options exist for campaigns stunted by these murky arbitration processes?

There are some, albeit limited, solutions, from cryptocurrencies to crowdfunding platforms designed to withstand take-downs.

Prashan Paramanathan of Chuffed, which hosts campaigns such as Extinction Rebellion, explains that his platform allows fundraising so long as it is not to support criminal activity. Unfortunately, he said, the UK and other jurisdictions have been broadening the definition of various forms of protest as criminal activity, which puts platforms in a tricky situation.

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How to fundraise when the powerful want to stop you - Open Democracy