>> Would getting a friend to start a discussion engender more comments, perhaps? <<

I think that would help, yes. It's a way for enthusiastic fans to be really, really useful: that first comment is crucial to starting a discussion. So if you know that, you know to do it for your friends who are crowdfunding.

*ponder* Another option would be a sock puppet (posting from a separate account by the same author) but that's cheating and would really annoy people if discovered.

>> How could you "prime the pump" when seeking funding for a project?<<

Not sure, other than the aforementioned sock puppet, which is probably not a good idea.

>> How do you get past the natural resistance of your audience against going first? <<

Maybe offer a special perk to the first person, or first three people, sending a donation?

However, it depends on your project. With my Poetry Fishbowl, some folks donate as soon as they see the thumbnail based on their prompt -- but at least a couple of folks often wait until everything has been written and described so they can pick what to sponsor out of the whole day's batch.