iWorld
The influence of social media on crowdfunding: Amplifying causes in the digital era
Mumbai: The social media landscape has become an undeniable force in shaping our lives, transforming how we connect, share, and pursue our goals. This digital revolution has extended its influence to the realm of fundraising, creating a powerful new avenue for individuals and organizations to bring their ideas to life: crowdfunding. These initiatives can range from entrepreneurial startups and innovative products to charitable causes, artistic projects, and more.
Crowdfunding themes that garner more visibility on social media platforms often revolve around social impact, personal journeys, innovative projects, humanitarian causes, tech innovations, community initiatives, and personal development. These themes evoke emotions, offer unique experiences, and address societal needs, making them highly shareable and relatable. Successful campaigns typically feature authentic storytelling and a clear call-to-action, captivating a diverse online audience and fostering widespread support.
Social media has always been a boon to people’s lives. This digital revolution has also impacted fundraising, giving us crowdfunding. It’s a powerful way for people and groups to get support for their ideas. With the help of social media, creators can reach a large audience worldwide, gathering support and resources in a new and different way from the usual methods of fundraising. Social media platforms, which were initially designed for personal connections, have expanded their roles and become essential tools for businesses and organizations. Crowdfunding, in particular, has experienced a significant transformation due to this evolution. In the past, crowdfunding relied on reaching out to small communities with limited scope. However, with the widespread use of social media, crowdfunding campaigns can now tap into the extensive reach and focused engagement features of these platforms.
Social media provides numerous benefits to crowdfunding campaigns, acting as a crucial tool for raising awareness, building communities, and securing financial support. To begin with, social media platforms provide a broad outreach, enabling advocates to engage with a worldwide audience and widely disseminate their initiatives. Through engaging content such as videos, images, and compelling stories, crowdfunding campaigns can capture the attention of potential backers. The interactive nature of social media fosters direct communication between creators and supporters, enabling real-time feedback, addressing queries, and building a sense of community around the project. Moreover, social media serves as an effective promotional tool, enabling the rapid dissemination of campaign updates, milestones, and behind-the-scenes content. The viral nature of platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram can result in campaigns gaining traction and going viral, reaching audiences far beyond the initial network.
Crowdfunding platforms strategically leverage social media platforms to amplify their campaigns and foster community engagement. By building and nurturing communities around specific projects or campaign categories, these platforms create a sense of belonging and shared interest among potential backers. Social media also serves as a dynamic space for real-time interaction, enabling crowdfunding platforms to respond to user comments, share updates, and actively participate in conversations. Additionally, they harness the power of influencers and paid advertising to extend their reach and connect with a broader audience. By incorporating elements of social proof, educational content, and interactive challenges, crowdfunding platforms enhance the visibility and success of campaigns, ultimately creating a vibrant ecosystem that empowers creators and backers alike.
The era of traditional fundraising methods, such as bake sales and car washes, has given way to a new landscape where an in-detail designed social media campaign has the power to transform a simple idea discussed at a kitchen table into a globally supported phenomenon. Social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram play a pivotal role as virtual megaphones, magnifying the voices of creators and bridging the gap between them and audiences that extend far beyond their local spheres. In this contemporary setting, the reach and influence of social media have reshaped the dynamics of fundraising.
The once-constrained scope of fundraising efforts has expanded exponentially, allowing causes to resonate with diverse audiences globally, ultimately propelling grassroots initiatives into the realm of internationally recognized and funded endeavours.
The following are majorly used tools in boosting crowdfunding platforms.
1 Amplifying Your Voice: Social media empowers your network to become your advocates. Share your campaign with friends, family, and followers, sparking potential “viral” reach. If your story resonates, shares can propel your message to a vast and supportive audience.
2 Building a Community of Care: Connect directly with your supporters! Share updates on your medical journey and express sincere gratitude for their contributions. This fosters a sense of shared purpose and encourages continued support, building a powerful community around your cause.
3 Streamlining Donations: Social media platforms enable easy and secure online donations, making it convenient for anyone to contribute. This increases the potential for success by reaching a wider audience and accelerating fundraising efforts.
Social media acts as a powerful catalyst for crowdfunding, providing a significant boost to campaigns in various ways. First and foremost, it serves as a promotional tool, enabling crowdfunding platforms to share captivating stories, multimedia content, and campaign updates, reaching a vast audience. The interactive nature of social media fosters community building, allowing creators to engage directly with potential backers, answer queries, and build a supportive network around their projects. Leveraging influencers and targeted advertising on platforms like Facebook and Instagram expands campaign visibility, attracting backers who align with specific interests or demographics. Social media platforms also facilitate the sharing of success stories and testimonials, building trust and credibility. Overall, the dynamic and viral nature of social media amplifies the reach and impact of crowdfunding campaigns, turning them into widely recognized and supported endeavours.
The author of this article is Ketto India co-founder Varun Sheth.
iWorld
Bill Ackman makes a $64bn bid for Universal Music Group
The hedge fund boss wants to list the world’s biggest record label in New York and thinks he knows exactly what ails it
NEW YORK: Bill Ackman wants to buy the world’s biggest record label. Pershing Square Capital Management, the hedge fund run by the billionaire investor, submitted a non-binding proposal on Tuesday to acquire all outstanding shares of Universal Music Group in a business combination transaction worth roughly $64.4 billion (around 55.8 billion euros).
Under the terms of the offer, UMG shareholders would receive 9.4 billion euros in cash, equivalent to 5.05 euros per share, plus 0.77 shares of a newly created company, dubbed New UMG, for each share held. Pershing Square values the total package at 30.40 euros per share, a 78 per cent premium to UMG’s closing price on April 2.
The deal would see UMG merge with Pershing Square SPARC Holdings, with the combined entity incorporating as a Nevada corporation and listing on the New York Stock Exchange. New UMG would publish financial statements under US GAAP and become eligible for S&P 500 index inclusion. Pershing Square says the transaction is expected to close by year-end, with all equity financing backstopped by Ackman’s firm and its affiliates, and all debt financing committed at signing. The transaction would cancel 17 per cent of UMG’s outstanding shares, leaving New UMG with 1.541 billion shares outstanding.
Ackman has a long history with UMG. Pershing Square first bought approximately 10 per cent of the company from Vivendi in the summer of 2021 for around $4 billion, around the time of UMG’s listing on the Euronext Amsterdam exchange. He has since trimmed that position, raising around $1.4 billion from the sale of a 2.7 per cent stake in March 2025, and resigned from UMG’s board in May 2025, citing new executive and board obligations arising from recent investments.
His diagnosis of UMG’s troubles is blunt. The company’s stock has fallen around 33 per cent over the past twelve months on the Euronext Amsterdam exchange, and Ackman lays out six reasons why. These include uncertainty around the Bolloré Group’s 18 per cent stake in the company, the postponement of UMG’s US listing, the underutilisation of UMG’s balance sheet, the absence of a publicly disclosed capital allocation plan and earnings algorithm, a failure to reflect UMG’s 2.7 billion euro stake in Spotify in its valuation, and what Ackman calls suboptimal shareholder investor relations, communications and engagement.
The Bolloré stake has long cast a shadow over the company. Cyrille Bolloré stepped down from UMG’s board in July 2025 as the Bolloré Group battled the French financial markets regulator over its stake in Vivendi, which holds a further capital interest in UMG. UMG had confidentially filed a draft registration statement with the US Securities and Exchange Commission in July 2025 for a proposed secondary listing in America, but put those plans on hold in March 2026, citing market conditions.
Ackman has kind words for UMG’s management, at least. “Since UMG’s listing, Lucian Grainge and the company’s management have done an excellent job nurturing and continuing to build a world-class artist roster and generating strong business performance,” he said. But he made his diagnosis plain: “UMG’s stock price has languished due to a combination of issues that are unrelated to the performance of its music business and importantly, all of them can be addressed with this transaction.”
In other words, Ackman believes UMG is a great business trapped inside a broken structure. If the board agrees, he intends to fix that, loudly and in New York.
