Crowdfunding has proved an effective way to fund projects by attracting contributions from a large number of people.
However for all the sensible projects there鈥檚 no shortage of off-the-wall suggestions of how to spend your money.
We take a look at some of the strangest campaigns on crowdfunding sites.
Smoked bacon bourbon? Yes, really
If you happen to love both smoky bacon crisps and Jack Daniel鈥檚, your world could be about to get a little sweeter. Or more savoury, to be precise.
Norwegian-born Sven Almenning, owner of the Experimental Spirits Co and The Speakeasy Group in Australia, raised more than a few eyebrows when he pitch the idea of smoked bacon bourbon on Aussie crowdfunding site Pozible in 2014 鈥� he netted the princely sum of A$26,608 from 213 backers.
“Bacon & Whiskey? What’s not to love?” he wrote in his pitch.
He explained to The Australian: 鈥淲e could have produced this without using the site or using any type of crowdfunding if we had wanted to.
“But I wanted to see if there was interest in it because if nobody donated any money there would have been no point in making it.鈥�
Lionel Richie鈥檚 massive head
Have you ever wondered what it鈥檚 like inside Lionel Richie鈥檚 head? Barcelona-based artists Hungry Castle have鈥� and did something about it.
In 2013 they launched a Kickstarter campaign to build a giant balloon sculpture of the Dancing on the Ceiling singer鈥檚 bonce, with the aim of transporting it to that year鈥檚 Bestival on the Isle of Wight.
The inspiration was the infamous bust of Richie in his worldwide hit video Hello 鈥� and 211 people loved the idea enough to invest a total of 拢8,016.
鈥淲hat a head trip! And you made it happen!!鈥� the group wrote after the festival.
鈥淟ionel Richie’s Head said Hello to over 60,000 people at Bestival.
鈥淗undreds of lucky people even got to go inside his head.鈥�
If I raise $1.2 billion I鈥檒l buy Kickstarter
Aaron Schlechter had a dream鈥� specifically one that involved people paying him to name their dogs.
When Kickstarter told him that his project did not fit into one of their 15 categories and suggested that a book about naming dogs should be its focus, he responded by asking for $1.2bn from potential backers to buy the crowdfunding platform itself.
鈥淚 plan to buy Kickstarter and amend its rules so only projects related to the naming of dogs will be allowed on this site.
“Think about it – if only one out of every six people on earth donates $1 for me to name their dog 鈥楧onald鈥� then we’re in business.鈥�
Dogs everywhere can rest easy 鈥� he was promised just $671 from 42 crowdfunders.
One potato salad
鈥淏asically I’m just making potato salad. I haven’t decided what kind yet.鈥�
Zack Brown had never made a potato salad before and was leery of wasting his hard-earned money on ingredients 鈥� so he took to Kickstarter in search of $10.
The viral thing then happened, giving him $55,492 to play with after submitting 鈥榮tretch goals鈥�.
Instead of making a swimming pool-sized side dish, he used the money to publish The Peace, Love & Potato Salad Cookbook and send copies with T-shirts out to those who believed in him.
As the great man himself wrote: 鈥淲hat you’re holding in your hands is, in my opinion, the best potato salad cookbook in the history of the world.
“This is no exaggeration.”