2 Great Tools Every Startup Should Use

• ELENA LAGARIA

As crowdsourcing continues to grow, we're especially thankful for two platforms that are helping us bring you valuable content: Freshdesk and GoFundMe. Although these guys are lining our offices with dollar bills, we wouldn't have accepted their $47 if we didn't like what they're doing. And if you're an entrepreneur, these two companies can save you & make you money.

Freshdesk caught our eye as a pretty sweet help desk/customer service tool. We just started using their service, which as we can tell gives you your first agent free forever. As we continue to unlock its mysteries, we'll share our insights & tips. If you'd like to put their service to the test (or stress out my assistant), try & bombard us with hello's & updates on our social media pages. Freshdesk automatically converts your emails, tweets, & facebook comments into "tickets" which can be doled out to your different departments. Sponsoring Crowdopolis question?.... Dani!  Editorial question... Casey! It's like our own 911 dispatcher, without the threat of unionizing.

GoFundMe is, oddly enough, one of the top 3 crowdfunding platforms in terms of market size & amount funded through their platform. Something you probably didn't even realize unless you read our homepage yesterday.

Why I love GoFundMe & am willing to accept their money:

1. Their focus is on offering easy online fundraising
2. They're based in San Diego
3. They're one of the oldest crowdfunding sites & they've been around the block
4. They have the easiest set-up we've seen to date
5. They can help you leverage your crowd to raise money for your business, crisis, celebration, or anything in between

So there you have it. Two great companies that have started sponsoring this fabulous site, which we highly recommend using. To continue to thank them, we'll be giving you honest evaluations, feedback, & tips about them.  If you're interested in seeing how your company can benefit from a partnership with the leaders in crowdsourcing resources, contact Dani. We wouldn't mind a few more sponsors.