The Cultured Girl

Remember SaveKaryn.com? It was an utterly ridiculous web site launched in 2002 by a 20-something New Yorker, asking complete strangers to help pay off her $20,000 in credit-card debt. But the really ridiculous part is that it worked. Now, there’s a really cool startup called Fundable that’s applying that idea to just about anything.

Here’s how it works: Say you want to raise money to throw a party, make a documentary, or—dare I say—launch a web site . You simply start a Fundable page explaining what you need the money for and set a target amount; then, anyone who wants to donate money can do so. If the target is reached in a set amount of time, every person who donates the money gets some promised perk: say, an invite to the party or a credit in the film. If the target isn’t reached, no one has to pay. This site would be a great way to solicit money for a charity event without feeling like you’re begging your friends for money. One guy even used it to fund some much-needed dental work. Of course, if you really want to be obnoxious, you could use it to pay off your credit card debt.