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What is BackerKit?
If you just made your very first pledge — welcome 👋🏽 and thanks for making a pledge towards a creative project! This article is your starting point. We’ll walk you through what crowdfunding actually is, how BackerKit Crowdfunding fits into the picture, and what to expect from here.
Do I need a BackerKit account? Learn more » | Log in trouble? Learn more » | New to Crowdfunding? Learn more »
What is crowdfunding?
- With the support of backers like you, crowdfunding is how creators turn big ideas into tangible things.
- You get to be a part of the journey from the very beginning to help a creator fund their dream. This could be a TTRPG, gadgets, an art book, or something brand new the world hasn’t seen yet!
- If the campaign hits its funding goal. thanks to backers, the creator only then gets the green light to bring their project to life — and the goal is you get to own something you helped make happen.
- Think of it less like “placing an order” and more like joining the first chapter of something exciting!
Crowdfunding is very different from ordering from a typical online store like Amazon where items are already made and ready to ship. When pledging, instead of buying something sitting on a warehouse shelf, rewards are often still being designed or manufactured. Fulfillment is not instant (it can sometimes take months, to years) — and that’s the whole point, to be a part of the process from start to finish. The rewards can’t exist without you!
👉 Check out: Are my Rewards Guaranteed? »
🤝🏼 Backers Make it Better:
Crowdfunding backers form vibrant communities and offer valuable ideas and feedback right from the jump to help creators make better products and build resilient businesses.
🌟 That is the magic of crowdfunding: how it transforms the creative process into a collective effort.
What is BackerKit, and what do we do?
BackerKit Crowdfunding is a crowdfunding platform built by creators, for creators. We are also a pledge management tool used by thousands of creators via external crowdfunding platforms (Kickstarter, etc) to run campaigns and manage their backers through surveys.
Here’s where we fit in:
- If you pledged on BackerKit directly: You pledged through our crowdfunding platform at backerkit.com.
- If you pledged on an external platform (Kickstarter, etc): The project creator team is using BackerKit’s tools to manage backer’s preferences, quantities, and more after the campaign ends. Learn why here »
In both cases, BackerKit’s pledge manager helps the creator stay organized by collecting thousands of survey responses in one space instead of a giant spreadsheet. In the survey, backers can confirm (or select) add-ons, add shipping addresses, and payment details to ensure everything goes smoothly. This allows backers to make edits as they watch the project progress.
💡 BackerKit is separate from the project’s creator team. We’re the platform, we do not handle reward production, price calculations, or fulfillment. The creators are responsible for designing, manufacturing, shipping your rewards, and keeping backers up to date through project updates.
👉🏽 Pledged via Kickstarter and wondering why BackerKit is now involved? BackerKit and Kickstarter are two distinct companies with separate crowdfunding platforms and policies, but it’s a lot easier to use BackerKit for pledge management (surveys). If your concern is about a Kickstarter-run campaign, the Kickstarter team would be your best point of contact for platform-specific questions.
👉 Still need help? Please contact Support. If you do, please include: The name of the project you’re referencing