Let's all chip in!
Since June 7, 2015, Russia has celebrated Crowdfunding Day annually. This date was chosen because one of the first Russian crowdfunding services, Planeta.ru, officially launched on June 7, 2012. Crowdfunding (from the English words "crowd" and "funding") is the collective collection of funds for socially beneficial projects. For supporting these projects, people can receive a variety of non-financial rewards—often the future product for which the crowdfunding campaign is being launched. Sometimes, the main bonus is the feeling of involvement in the project.
NeMoscow decided to recall the most notable crowdfunding campaigns:
1. Dozhd TV channel campaigns
In March 2014, following the scandal surrounding the survey about the siege of Leningrad and the subsequent loss of advertising revenue, the Dozhd TV channel announced a week-long campaign, "Support Dozhd!", which began on March 24, 2014. This was likely the first instance of crowdfunding in television broadcasting in Russia. The campaign's goal was to raise funds for the channel's continued broadcasting, and within the first five days, 6,6 million rubles had been raised, and by March 31, the total had exceeded 7 million rubles.
2. In March 2022, after broadcasting in Russia was suspended due to restrictions imposed by Roskomnadzor, Dozhd once again appealed to viewers for help and, within a few days, raised approximately 40 million rubles, which allowed it to cover operating expenses and continue operating from abroad.
3. Alexei Navalny's RosPil project
In February 2011, Alexei Navalny launched a fundraising campaign for the "RosPil" project, aimed at exposing corruption in public procurement. The initial goal was to raise approximately 3-5 million rubles annually, but by February 18, 2011, nearly 4,5 million rubles had been raised, and by the end of April, over 6 million rubles had been raised through thousands of donations, ranging from one kopeck to 150,000 rubles, and the number of donors had reached 15,000.
4. Alexei Navalny's election campaign
From December 2016 to April 2018, Navalny's team raised nearly 373 million rubles for his presidential campaign, over 91 million of which came in bitcoin donations. More than 100,000 people supported the campaign, with the average donation amounting to approximately 1,500 rubles. A significant portion of the funds (approximately 368 million rubles) was used to support campaign headquarters, staff salaries, and the production of campaign materials. This amount set a record for opposition projects at the time.
5. Marathon "You are not alone"
The first wave of the "You Are Not Alone" marathon to help political prisoners took place on June 12, 2023, and raised 39,43 million rubles from 17,5 donors. Of these funds, 31,4 million rubles were transferred directly to prisoners and their families, and 9,9 million rubles went to charities providing legal support and assistance in prison settings. In 2024, a similar marathon, organized by independent media and human rights projects, raised over 25 million rubles exclusively from foreign cards and cryptocurrency, which was associated with risks for donors located in Russia.
6. Fundraising for Svetlana Prokopyeva
In February 2021, Pskov journalist Svetlana Prokopyeva, convicted on July 6, 2020, of "justifying terrorism" and fined 500,000 rubles, received support through crowdfunding. By February 15, 2021, the fundraising campaign, posted on Facebook, had fully covered the fine: stand-up comedian Danila Poperechny donated the full 500,000 rubles, and the remaining funds continued to arrive throughout the day. Ultimately, the total exceeded 2,5 million rubles. After paying the fine, Prokopyeva transferred the remaining amount (approximately 2 million rubles) to Mediazona and the Center for the Defense of Mass Media Rights and used part of the proceeds for legal expenses for other journalists.
7. Gas analyzer for Ryazan
In August 2023, Ryazan environmental activists from the Environmental Ryazan Alliance (ERA) raised half the funds through crowdfunding and borrowed the remaining 650 rubles to pay for a gas analyzer worth 1,2 million rubles. ERA had previously rented two gas analyzers for 200 rubles per month, but the rent proved unaffordable, so the activists decided to purchase one device. Now, thanks to charity concerts and the support of concerned citizens, the debt is gradually decreasing, and the analyzer data allows them to prove "gas attacks" in court and protect the health of Ryazan residents.
8. Fundraising for a fine for the media outlet "7X7"
On June 20, Magistrate Judge Natalia Dobrovolskaya of the Krasnozatonsky Judicial District of Syktyvkar fined the magazine "7x7" 800 rubles and its editor-in-chief, Sofia Krapotkina, 40 rubles for publishing a statement by politician Mikhail Svetov regarding the legalization of psychoactive substances. On August 31, the media outlet announced the launch of a fundraising campaign, and just 846 hours later, they had collected 310 rubles from 236 donations, with more than half of the amount donated by a single person in a series of large anonymous payments.
9. Fundraising for Sergei Mingazov's fine
On February 26, a court sentenced Khabarovsk journalist Sergei Mingazov (recognized as a political prisoner) for reposting materials about Bucha on his Telegram channel. Mingazov was fined 1,4 million rubles for disseminating "fake news." The court later took into account Mingazov's house arrest and halved the fine to 700 rubles. The entire amount was raised through donations.
