The fame of many crowdfunded innovations as the Pebble wristband and the Oculus Rift has resulted in popular websites such as Kickstarter and Indiegogo establishing their role as financial facilitators for under-resourced ideas. However, apart from the crowd-based funding mechanismsupporting entrepreneurs-, other network-sourced financial opportunities emerge, including the current proposal: a crowdgifting portal for members of a social network to give and receive funds for gift purposes. While crowdfunding is typically a terminal, one-round initiative, crowd gifting is a repeatable event that can be initiated by any member of a social network at any time. The current study demonstrates the viability and the complexity of this initiative, developing a strategic plan for competing against a rising population of gifting competitors through network development and the contagion effect. Ultimately, these findings highlight the role of identity and membership within the broader scope of the social network, suggesting that the proposed crowd gifting application will only be successful if it uses identity and membership to create and sustain user engagement and loyalty over an extended period of time.
