Ideas to help Detroit Active/Veteran Military, Police and Fire Service Men and Women

**DetroitandBeyond** · February-02-13, 08:13 PM

Hello Everyone, I have been reading and following threads on this forum for years now and it is part of my daily routine to view the discussions and talking points by Detroit area enthusiasts and residents.

I was born in Detroit and my family later moved to Novi where I graduated from high school. I studied at wayne state and currently a Quicken Loans team member.

Needless to say I love Detroit and I'm very proud to have strong roots in this area.

I have recently been invited to join the Bizdom accelerator program to develop my start up website www.Bootstraps.co

Bootstraps is a crowdfunding platform similar to kickstarter designed to give our Service Men and Women an exclusive stage to post projects for funding to enrich their lives and the community.

All Active/Veteran Military, Police and Fire nationwide will be eligible to post projects on this platform however, as a native of this region I want Detroit to be ground-zero for the website launch.

The Bootstraps team is focused on identifying local projects and community problems that can be solved through the funding portal, I immidiately knew the best place to ask for help would be these forums.

Examples of projects include
- The current Ambulance shortage that can be changed with a successful Bootstaps campaign led by a firefighter to raise those funds

- Equipment shortages, toilet paper comes to mind

- Creative projects in the worlds of Art, Comics, Dance, Design, Fashion, Film, Food, Games, Music, Photography, Publishing, Technology, and Theater
Any ideas would be greatly appreciated since a key difference in Bootstraps over traditional crowdfunding websites is that consultation will be established to develop raw "ideas" into "projects". Bootstraps' projects are defined as having a clear goal, like starting a business, a community benefit, or a work of art. A project must eventually be completed, and something must be accomplished or produced by it. Boostraps project ideas have no limitations however the website does not allow charity,personal cause, or "fund my life" projects.

To everyone who has read this far I want to say thank you and thank you to all the members who continue to make this forum a great place to on the world wide web.

**mwilbert** · February-02-13, 08:21 PM

What do you think will make your site more attractive to your target groups than just using Kickstarter? I couldn't tell from your description.

**Detroitnerd** · February-02-13, 08:23 PM

The obvious thing to do to help active military would be ... to end the wars?

**DetroitandBeyond** · February-02-13, 09:09 PM

Bootstraps.co aims to provide the opportunity for all Military veterans and our service Men and Women to harness the power of their community and empower them with the credibility & infrastructure necessary to successfully leverage the financial power of the community. The Public will have the
opportunity to connect with, learn from, and give back to those that support us and make all of our safety a priority on a daily basis.

Bootstraps.co is essentially:
1. An online threshold pledge system for funding projects
2. An online social networking portal within a threaded bulletin board. This allows users to leave messages and multiple individuals to respond, leave their own message, and track the history
3. An online networking communities for business opportunities that will allow Military Veterans and our service Men and Women to utilize a think tank model to organize, discuss, develop and accomplish projects and goals.

For Non-Military veterans or Service Men/this platform provides a safe, credible environment in which they can comfortably support those who support us with their projects or goals and have a direct impact on how and if a project is completed.

Currently, there is no Crowd Funding websites specifically designated for Military Veterans and our service Men and Women ,I believe that by entering the marketplace by establishing a role as a community hub for socialization and information, it will become, and remain, the preferred option in the Crowd funding industry.

Bootstraps fundamental objective is to impact Our service Men and Women’s community that and maintaining a commitment to assisting in their lives by:

- Helping Coordinate Financial assistance so projects and goals can be accomplished

- Serving as a Liaison with local, state and federal veteran organizations

- Enhancing Visibility and positive recognition of our service Men and Women

- Consistent availabilty of confidential, reliable, trustworthy expertise and information to accomplish project needs and goals

**DetroitandBeyond** · February-02-13, 09:21 PM

In addtion Bootstraps consultation services takes ideas, turns them into projects and once funded assists in bringing them into fruition. This personal attention is currently unavailable on many other platforms.

There are other features exclusive to Bootstraps that I cannot list for obvious reasons in a public forum but I appreciate the feedback. Any advice or ideas is helpful and I can be reached directly at RogerM@bootstraps.co

**Lowell** · February-02-13, 11:36 PM

Welcome to the forum Detroitandbeyond. Good luck with your project. Are you a past or present service member?

**gnome** · February-02-13, 11:37 PM

Hey D&B- great idea. You will do a lot of good, but I would like you to clearly write out your goals without using a single buzzword.

that means you can't monetize the target audience in a synergistic sublimation of known and unknown opertunizations. Don't pinpoint priorities or selectivize a cross-section of a needs-based evaluative process.

if you can make your concept understandable to a simple minded person like me, the finer minds you will find here should have no problem getting on-board.

**scottn55** · February-03-13, 12:25 PM

Originally Posted by gnome

Hey D&B- great idea. You will do a lot of good, but I would like you to clearly write out your goals without using a single buzzword.

that means you can't monetize the target audience in a synergistic sublimation of known and unknown opertunizations. Don't pinpoint priorities or selectivize a cross-section of a needs-based evaluative process.

if you can make your concept understandable to a simple minded person like me, the finer minds you will find here should have no problem getting on-board.

I would add to that learning and understanding the difference between "is" and "are" and when each is appropriate to use.

**gnome** · February-04-13, 09:19 AM

D&B - I have an apology to make.

In re-reading my post above, I believe it carried a snarky and caustic tone that was undeserved. You came here looking for positive reinforcement and my words came off as an attack.

i was wrong, and my attempt at humor was misplaced. You did nothing to warrant such an attack, and I am ashamed by what I wrote.

Your project seems exceedingly worthwhile, seems to target a true need, and I believe you have started "Bootstraps" with a pure heart. You don't deserve snark-filled potshots from Internet asshats. I am sorry for what I wrote.

i wish you the best with your mission.

Bill

**Hermod** · February-04-13, 11:15 AM

1. My qualifications:
a. Vietnam veteran
b. MS in Educational Administration and Supervision
c. Long-time government "word-crafter".

2. Gnome, regardless of snarkiness, you were right. The posts do display the terrible crimes committed on the English language by the denizens of academia and the government.

3. Particularly egregious is the conversion of nouns like "contact" and "impact" into pretentious sounding verbs.

**DetroitandBeyond** · February-24-14, 11:22 AM

I'm pleased to announce Bootstraps.co is now www.EndlessCrowds.com

While the website is currently testing a few projects in beta, I would enjoy some feedback and even some local project ideas.

Thanks!