My last album was crowd-funded, via MudCat, largely (but not exclusively). A number of people were asking me when my next album would be out and I had no prospect of affording studio time or manufacturing costs. I firmly believe that if I am recording an album I want it to be of professional quality (and therefore my husband and I pushing buttons at home really won't do the job) and I want some other musicians to add to the texture of the overall sound, who will need to be paid. We collected enough on the appeal for "angels" which went out at gigs and on Mudcat and to other friends and relatives to record an album and manufacture it (including a very fine piece of art for the cover, by my husband). This meant everyone had the albums they paid for, some people had t shirts and additional albums, and credits on the CD, and we were able to produce a product to be proud of. What I didn't have the money for, however, was promotion, and that's the big difference these days between albums that exist and albums that get out into the bigger, wider world and stand a chance of nomination for awards etc.
I don't think any of my friends or fans or family felt they were in any way emotionally manipulated into putting some money into the pot and I had money from some quite surprising sources along the way. It was good to start the album's life knowing it had broken even on costs. Previous albums had been made possibly by generous loans from individuals, and I repaid them all in full as soon as I could - but that was quite a pressure.
I am constantly now asked to crowd source albums, books, artistic projects and to contribute to charities, all via Facebook and emails. If I like the project then I do - if I have any doubts then I don't. I don't think I've offended anyone by not joining in. It's no more difficult a choice than deciding which gigs to go to or what albums to buy.
As to GuestJB's post - if all I did with money was save for a recording then yes, that's how the sums would work out for me, mostly. However there are a number of albums for review and airplay, which need to be factored into the cost as well as postage for these albums, and there's the small matter of travelling to the studio - oh, and food, drink, mortgage or rent, clothes, guitar strings and the rest of those things called "living". The album sales very often make the difference between a gig being financially worthwhile or not.