Crowdfunding, the practice of funding a project by soliciting donations via the internet, allows organizations and individuals alike to raise funds for a variety of causes. In this paper, we present the results of a study of philanthropic crowdfunding, aimed at understanding some of the practices and needs associated with raising money for charitable causes. Our analysis highlights the diversity of stakeholders and roles in philanthropic crowdfunding and the immense amount of work associated with legitimizing many of these roles, including the fundraiser, organization, platform, and project. We introduce the construct of legitimacy work and discuss ways in which current crowdfunding systems both support and thwart this work.
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