You may joke that the only person who reads your blog is your Mother, so what? The audience of one is still an audience. In his TED Talk “How To Start a Movement, Derek Sivers said “The first follower has a crucial role. He’s going to show everyone else how to follow.” So, ask your Mother to do you the honour of being the first person to pledge to your campaign. In crowdfunding, every little bit helps. Your Mother’s pledge didn’t just help you get started, but it validated your project’s existence, it demonstrated to other people that there are signs of life and that people are already interested in your project.