Creative uses for Kickstarter.com: Raise funds and raise awareness for your cause!

So I recently posted about an iPhone application that received funding from Kickstarter.com and the more I went through the site, read the history, read the FAQs, saw the openness for feedback, the more I realized the unique potential Kickstarter has to become a mainstay of social media.

Most of the projects on there are primarily art-based, music, video, etc. But if you browse you'll notice a group that are social cause related.

Overall Kickstarter is great for creative projects that engage people. That doesn't mean it's only for art related projects. But it's good to have small expectations and creative projects for your organization/non-profit to post on Kickstarter.

The way it works:

• You select the amount you want to raise, the amount of time to raise it in, and add some incentives for people to donate (for instance donate $50 to be an honoree).
• Then you start promoting your project online, getting people to sign up and back your project. After the time is up, you will be funded if you reach your goal.
• Donations will be processed through an Amazon business account and your funds will soon be available in your bank account.

Currently the ability to post projects on Kickstarter is by invite only, which may change, but it isn't impossible to get invites!

This site will most likely never be solely for non-profit organizations and it shouldn't be. But there are a lot of possibilities for organizations to fund creative projects.

I am curious to see what other people think of this site? Anyone have ideas or suggestions for using the site for social causes?

Below are a couple ideas I thought might make good use of Kickstarter... I know there are more ideas out there! My only suggestion is to keep it low dollar, creative, and something that will be beneficial beyond the initial Kickstarter funding.

Create a video project

Some non-profits can really benefit from a documentary style video on the positive changes they are making in their community. Quality is an issue when it comes to these promotional videos and hiring a recent film grad with production equipment might be a good idea! These types of videos can be shown at fundraisers or on websites and social media platforms to get people engaged.

Start a service provided by your Non-Profit

If your non-profit is the educational authority on a topic or causes - why not get some funds to start a blog/create a print magazine, hire a freelancer to write professional quality articles about the field your non-profit works within. This is also a great way to sell advertisements and maybe generate sustainable revenue.

Collect funds for a very SPECIFIC small budget program

Some non-profits have a need to communicate with the community they serve. So starting a chat hotline as a feature of your website could be great!

These are just a couple ideas - but I would like to hear more!