- Kickstarter. If you have a creative project—movies, games, art, and more—this may be your best bet. Although smaller, IndieGoGo is worth a look. Tech products are also included in this group.
- EarlyShares. For many small businesses with a solid idea and sound management team, this site can be an excellent source of funds. You are offering equity when you go this route. Think of it as your source of micro-angels as well as a way to involve family and friends. Fundable is similar.
- Mechanical turk. This is an Amazon.com enterprise that connects people who need a lot of small, receptive tasks completed. If you had 1,000 pictures of products that needed to be classified, this would work for you. MicroWorkers is similar.
- Creative designs. For logos, websites, banner ads or anything that requires design skills, 99Designs is currently at the head of the pack. You post a project. The designers essentially see it as a contest and propose design ideas. You pick the one you like best. CrowdSpring is another option. Elance, and oDesk are moving into freelancer territory, but you do draw a “crowd” of possible providers when you list your jobs at these sites.