Crowdfunding has been described as the combination of fundraising and social media. It is also defined as a collective effort of individuals who network and pool their money, usually via the internet, to support efforts initiated by other people or organizations. Essentially, it’s a way to raise capital or finance a project. Most crowdfunding models rely on donations to reach a certain goal, targeting people who identify with that goal.

Recently, a friend of mine had his .45 stolen. With the economy in the state it is, he didn’t have any plans to replace it, which I thought was a shame. What’s worse is that this is the type of guy that will drop anything he’s doing to help you, would give you his last dollar, etc.

My first inclination was to go out and buy him a cheap replacement, almost as a placeholder, until he could get something better. Then it dawned on me that if a lot of people could give a little, we could get him something that would last a lifetime. As I’ve said before, shooters are some of the most generous people I know.

So, I sent out a plea on Facebook and Gmail, briefly explaining the situation and asking for donations. I asked for donations of any size, assuming that in the aggregate, I’d end up with enough.

The response was incredible.

In just over a week, I had donations in excess of $600, and I hadn’t even pursued the idea very vigorously. Just a couple of status updates and emails and that’s all it took. The people that donated were all strong 2nd Amendment supporters, as you might have imagined. I never cease to be amazed by the good people are willing to do. Needless to say, I was incredibly humbled and grateful and I’m just the intermediary – my friend will most likely be overwhelmed.

I eventually got sick of telling people I was crowdfunding a gun purchase and just started using the term “crowdgunding”. It’s been an amazing thing to be a part of. I hope to do it again soon, although I hope no one else’s guns get stolen.