I've supported one Kickstarter because it was a photography project by a friend who is a professional photographer, i.e. he's been published in Time magazine. I supported it because it was a thoughtful project with a timeline and real deadlines. Once the funding was met and he started the project, he gave status updates every few days and completed the project on time. I was happy to participate.
Every other offer that's been solicited by friends I've turned down. The most recent one, which did get funding, was a friend who started a handmade clothing company. This person is the CEO and chief designer. The company has had 3 employees on and off over the last 3 years. A shipping deadline was missed last Christmas to deliver handbags, scarves and laptop bags. This person has taken donations from friends and family and given them receipts so they can claim them on their taxes, but the company is not a 503c. The Facebook message from the launch was "If this doesn't get funded, my company is going out of business."
I feel like Kickstarter is a great idea, but the latter has become the norm for me. "I've completely screwed up as an owner, but I'm not really begging if its on Kickstarter." Or "I have this idea, but I have no idea how to execute it but I need money, off to Kickstarter!"