Ending soon! Pledge Manager Next Steps

If you're here, it's because your BackerKit Crowdfunding campaign is Ending Soon. There are a few things to keep in mind re: what happens next:

Send a Launch Email

This is your last chance to send your audience an email while your project is still live! For ideas on what to send, check out these templates.

Overtime Mode

NEW Feature that gives you the ability to extend your campaign by 10 minute increments, as long as backers keep pledging. If you would like to disable this feature, go to your Basics page → Overtime Mode → Save.

We’ve seen great success with projects when enabled, bringing a heightened sense of excitement from backers, all while increasing the overall funding goal.

Funding Summary

14 days after your campaign ends, you'll be able to see your funding report under "Live Stats" —> "Funding Summary."

Backers have 14 days to correct any failed payments (and generally when you'll receive your first payout from Stripe). After 14 days, all backers will import into the pledge manager. More on that here.

Next Steps - Pledge Manager

To access your Pledge Manager before your campaign ends, click on your avatar in the upper right hand corner >> Pledge Manager. Once you've accessed your Pledge Manager, it will now appear as an option on the lefthand side of your Crowdfunding Dashboard.

To set up your pledge management surveys and open a Pre-Order Store (Late Pledges) in BackerKit → Click 'Get Started' under the Pledge Manager section here:

Check out our project update templates to keep backers informed in the meantime.

Pre-order Store

No rush on the survey setup; feel free to focus on opening up your Pre-order Store. Be sure to share your pre-order store link via the Post-Campaign section on your "Basics" page:

New pre-order beta - check out the new pre-order beta feature here and contact crowdfunding@backerkit.com if you are interested in enabling it for your project.

Setup Steps:

Complete the steps under each section on the lefthand sidebar: 1) Connect → 2) Build → 3) Review. As you complete each step, you will need to check the boxes "Yes, I completed this step".

Create Items for Pledge Levels and Add-ons: Use the Item Generator to configure all your reward and add-on items. It will create your items (also referred to as SKUs), pledge questions, and add-ons in one go. Please read through our best practices here.
Create the item with SKUs, assign to pledge levels if applicable, and check off "Can backers select this as an add-on?" "Yes" if you sold it during the campaign OR if you want it available after the campaign.
If you sold add-ons during the campaign:
1. Once you set up all your items/add-ons via the item generator, navigate to https://yourprojectnamehere.backerkit.com/admin/remote_entitlements.

2. Match up the add-ons you created with the item generator to the add-ons you sold during your crowdfunding campaign and click "Save."

3. Click “Create Add-ons in backers carts." All set! Now your backers will see the add-ons they purchased during the campaign in their carts during the checkout flow.

You can also use the copier tool under "Settings" —> "Copy Items" to copy over items from previous pledge manager projects.

Shipping Options: Learn about the Options to Charge Shipping in BackerKit here.

Incentives: Since you offered Early Bird or Returning Backer incentives during the campaign, please note, they should be added to backers' orders before surveys are sent out. Please check out this help article to learn about how to add a free item to your backers.

Before Sending Surveys to Backers: Submit Setup Review - We will carefully go through your project and follow back with any feedback or suggestions. If all looks good, we will set your project live so you can send out your surveys. Please keep in mind that the review may take a day or two so make sure to plan that into your timeline.

If your project doesn't fund

If your project doesn't fund by the time your campaign ends, none of your backers will be charged, and you do not need to set up the pledge manager.

Bookmark our Creator Help Center where you'll find helpful articles and video tutorials on the project setup, backer management and communication, fulfillment and much more.

If you get stuck, feel free to reach out to crowdfunding@backerkit.com!