Crowdfunding since 2010

Giving and becoming with rewards

Crowdfunding is not panhandling.

Say goodbye to the ‘begging’ mindset. On Startnext, you get in touch with your supporters as equals. You have an offer and are supported for it. 

Your project can be supported in the financing phase by a free donation or by selecting a reward gift.

Rewards can have a large variety, like the following:

Products

  • Your new album
  • The plastic-free sunscreen
  • The first edition of your book

Products that reflect your project in return

  • Tickets
  • Tree seedlings or posters
  • Collectibles

Meet and Greets

  • Seminar or workshop
  • Personal VIP meetings
  • Online or living room concerts

Actions

  • Sponsorships
  • Mention in credits, book or websites

Virtual gestures

  • Good karma
  • Virtual applause

Merch drops

  • Limit T-shirt edition
  • Poster

Create rewards

Shipping costs are part of the reward costs!

At Startnext, the shipping costs must (currently) be included in the reward. There is no differentiation for different regions. Use our calculation tool to determine an optimal value.

Shipping costs calculator

In the project interface, you create rewards for your project. You can also do this during the financing phase.

Rewards can be presented with images, text and various functions. With meaningful images and a clear description, you can motivate the crowd to book the reward.

There are legally regulated details that must be provided for certain consumer goods (ingredients, quantities, etc.). This information must be included in full in the product description. You are responsible for their accuracy.

There are additional settings that may be useful for your campaign:

  • Category
  • Limit
  • Shipping address query
  • Properties like size or color
  • Individual queries to thank you, such as a dedication

Let rewards speak for themselves

Getting attention through rewards

Some users may discover your project through rewards, e.g. via social media or search results.

Consider how your reward looks when it stands alone. Is it clear and inviting?

Rewards are not only displayed on your project page, but also in our marketplace and in our shareables for social media. Rewards can therefore also be understood as an invitation to your project. It is therefore important that a reward is understandable, even if the project context is missing.

We recommend this:

  • Make image one of the thank you gallery emotional, clear and inviting. Further motifs are animated in the gallery.
  • The thank-you title should describe the thank-you well in factual terms. The image and title will convince potential supporters.

Omit:

  • Shipping information, delivery conditions
  • Category name
  • Filler words

Manage rewards

The processing of ordered rewards is limited because supporters must be able to refer to the description given at the time of support.

You can also edit rewards and create new ones in the project interface during the start and funding phase. The ‘Supporters’ tab is added in the start phase. 

There you can see

  • The number of supporters
  • The names of the supporters and the amount supported, as well as the status of the transaction
  • Click on the name to open the details of the support
  • In the details you can see which rewards were booked or whether it was a free support

Send rewards

Final address data only after payout!

The list of supporters is only finalised once your funding amount has been paid out to you, as revocations and collection errors can occur in the meantime.

As soon as the funding phase is over and you have reached the minimum amount (if set), you will receive the list of supporters for download (Excel format) in the ‘Supporters’ tab.

Tip:

Download the order list after the crowdfunding to plan your production and then again when the payment has been made, as cancellations may have resulted in changes to the list.

In the Excel list you will find all the information for shipping:

  • Name
  • Address, if it was requested
  • Rewards and the number booked
  • Variant information, if you have requested it in detail
  • Further rewards, if you have placed several orders for support
  • E-mail address

Tips & tricks

Typical checkout value

The shopping basket for a typical support on Startnext is around €35-75.

Basics

  • Before starting the funding phase, make sure that you can produce, procure and ship all rewards
  • Include shipping and taxes
  • Set a limit if you can or only want to produce a certain quantity
  • above all, offer rewards that match the content of your campaign (and can ‘carry’ it)
  • the rewards title should be complete, clear and descriptive so that users, search engines and AIs can easily distinguish between them

Marketing

  • Use the rewards within your communication campaign
  • Offer early bird rewards
  • Limitations can increase the appeal
  • Use reward levels to automatically offer rewards only once certain funding targets have been reached

Sustainability

  • Use CO2-neutral shipping options and mention this in the rewards
  • Use environmentally friendly, plastic-free packaging and mention this in the rewards
  • Offer rewards individually, supporters can put together their own packages in the shopping basket (bundles are often incomprehensible and complex)
  • Use digital rewards (asset links)