Crowdfunding a New Church: A Multimodal Analysis of Faith-Related Giving Rhetoric on Indiegogo

Abstract

The development of Internet crowdfunding platforms has transformed how businesses, nonprofits, and even congregations seek funding from large numbers of donors who each give a relatively small amount of money. In particular, Indiegogo’s religion category for campaigns has developed into a platform used by Christian communities seeking funding for expanding their ministries. Drawing upon a rhetorical analysis of five faith-related campaigns that closed funding between December 2013 and April 2015, I consider how the giving rhetoric varies between the campaigns’ mode of communication, comparing their textual rhetoric to their video messaging. Using the lens of multimodal theory (Córdova, Shipka), I argue that while the textual rhetoric of the campaigns studied emphasizes communicating practical information about the ministry, the giving rhetoric of the campaign videos highlights a more personal, emotional connection between the ministry and potential backer.