Our mission
Pack Your Back exists to shine a light on the people building a better future from the ground up. Across every community there are founders, organisers and volunteers launching startups, projects and initiatives designed to create change — and the difference between an idea that fizzles and one that flourishes often comes down to one thing: funding.
We started as a project documenting one community venture, and grew into something broader: a place to observe the wider landscape of community and society startups, the initiatives reshaping how people live and work together, and — crucially — the funding tools that make them possible.
What we do
We do two things. First, we maintain a clear, jargon-free directory of the major funding platforms — rewards crowdfunding, donation platforms, equity crowdfunding and recurring memberships — explaining how each works, what it costs, who it suits, and how to run a campaign well. Second, through our articles we follow the initiatives, startups and projects putting those tools to work.
Everything we publish is written to be useful to the people doing the work: founders, community organisers, and the supporters who back them. We aim to be the clearest map of how community ventures get funded.
How we stay independent
Our platform guides are editorial and educational. We summarise terms and fees to the best of our knowledge, but they change — always confirm current details on a platform's official site before committing. Nothing on this site is financial, investment or legal advice.
Get involved
Building a community-led startup or running an initiative you think the world should know about? We'd love to learn about it. Pack Your Back is a living project, and the more ventures we can document, the more useful this map becomes for everyone trying to pack their bags and go further.