Suggest edit — ThunderPledge

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title: ThunderPledge
visibility: public
status: hackathon-concept
date: 2013-01-01
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# ThunderPledge

ThunderPledge is a Kickstarter-style platform for collective action pledges. Instead of funding creative projects, users pledge to take action contingent on reaching a critical mass of participants.

## Concept

The platform enables conditional commitments: "I will do X if Y other people also commit to doing X." This solves the coordination problem where individuals are willing to act but only if enough others join. Applications range from consumer boycotts and political campaigns to community organizing and environmental commitments.

## Design

Users create pledge campaigns with a target number of participants and a deadline. Others pledge their participation, and if the threshold is met by the deadline, all pledgers are notified and expected to follow through. The platform handles the trust and coordination infrastructure.

## Why It Matters

Many social problems are coordination failures rather than motivation failures. People would act differently if they knew enough others would act alongside them. ThunderPledge makes that mutual commitment visible and binding. See also [[lifex|LifeX]] for another approach to incentivizing prosocial behavior.

## Status

**Hackathon concept** from the MIT era.

## Related Ideas

- [[lifex|LifeX]]
- [[political-donation-clearinghouse|Political Donation Clearinghouse]]

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*Source: Hackathon projects document*