This year, the US federal tax deadline is April 18, 2023. If you aren’t already prepared to file, you still have some time to get started. Whether you prepare your taxes on your own or hire a professional, you might find that filing after a crowdfunding campaign is a little more complex than filing personal income taxes. In order to accurately report crowdfunded income, you may need very specific data about when you earned money and where that money came from. While we can’t offer accounting advice — and always recommend that you consult with a tax attorney, accounting adviser, or your local tax authority — there are a few issues that the crowdfunding creators we’ve worked with often run into, and that you should keep in mind while getting ready for tax season.

Crowdfunding income must be reported on your tax returns

You will need to pay tax after crowdfunding if backers receive something of value in exchange for pledging, which is generally the case when raising money through reward-based crowdfunding. Crowdfunded money received as a gift is usually not considered taxable income. When you file your taxes, you should be reporting all of the income you made through your Kickstarter, Indiegogo, or Crowdfunding by BackerKit projects for the year. There are serious consequences, including fines and prosecution, for not reporting all business income or for incorrectly reporting income. We recommend that if you’re a crowdfunding creator who has raised funds through Kickstarter, Indiegogo, or Crowdfunding by BackerKit, you speak to a tax professional to ensure that you are meeting all of your tax obligations. 

How can crowdfunding creators determine how much money to report on tax returns?

The crowdfunding platform you use will send a 1099-K form to you if you raised more than $20,000 with more than 200 backers, and you have a US bank account. The form will detail the gross amount of revenue you earned from crowdfunding transactions, and assist you in reporting your income. 

However, the 1099-K form doesn’t tell the full story about how much money you, as the campaign organizer, need to report. Here are a couple of reasons why:

1. Even if you don’t meet the thresholds for receiving the form, you are still required to report your crowdfunding income. 
2. According to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) website, the form does not “include any adjustments for credits, cash equivalents, discount amounts, fees, refunded amounts or any other amounts.”
3. Project transactions that were generated outside of Kickstarter or Indiegogo won’t be reported on the 1099-K that you receive from them, but you’ll still have to pay taxes on those funds.
4. Some of the money included in the form may be tax-deductible. 

To see what your true taxable income is, it helps to get a breakdown of the money you made. If you were keeping very clear records throughout your campaign about how all of your funds were being allocated, you can use that as a guide. But if you haven’t done that, you don’t need to worry. With BackerKit Accounting Reports, you can see all of the money you raised through Kickstarter or Indiegogo campaigns as well as money raised through BackerKit. 

Download the Expected Revenue Report to get a detailed breakdown of where your revenue is coming from. Along with backer identification data, like email and location, this report shows you the pledge level cost, pledge level upgrades, add-on cost, shipping cost, tax cost and total cost for each backer. 

This report details the expected revenue for your backers in BackerKit, meaning this is what your project is expecting to collect based on the current backer data (regardless of survey completion) in BackerKit. The report will be more accurate after you’ve successfully charged your backers in BackerKit. 

This report can also be helpful throughout the year for bookkeeping purposes. For example, in some states, all shipping charges are considered taxable. In other states, shipping charges aren’t taxable. With the Expected Revenue Report, you can see which state money is coming from and how much of that money is allocated for shipping, so you can determine if funds are taxable.

Decide which accounting method you’re using

There are two accounting methods: accrual accounting and cash basis accounting. With the accrual method, you record revenue when you provide goods or services. If you’re using cash basis, however, you record revenue when you receive money, even if you haven’t delivered the goods or services yet. 

When you pay taxes, you’ll need to classify income based on the accounting method you’re using. If you’re using the cash method, and you collect money from your backers during the 2020 tax year, but won’t ship out rewards until later in 2021, you’ll have to report the money on your 2020 tax returns. If you’re using the accrual method, and you collect money during the 2020 tax year, but don’t ship until the 2021 tax year, you won’t have to report that income on your 2020 tax returns. Instead, you’ll report the income the following tax year.

Crowdfunding creators often use the accrual method. It allows you to offset some of the costs associated with shipping and manufacturing that might occur several months after you’ve finished your campaign. 

Regardless of the method that you’re using, you will want to know when transactions occurred. To do this in BackerKit, you can take a look at the Collected Revenue Report. This is an Accounting Report that shows you all of the transactions that happened in BackerKit. Also, toward the bottom of the report, Kickstarter or Indiegogo transactions will be listed in the section titled “platform_pledge.” The report displays the backer ID, backer email, backer state, backer country, transaction ID, transaction date, transaction amount, and transaction source.

Ensuring you have enough money to cover taxes

When it comes to paying taxes, no one wants to dip into funds that weren’t already earmarked for that purpose. As a creator, you may need that money to cover other aspects of your project, like manufacturing costs. You can make sure you have enough money on hand to cover your taxes by doing the following: 

1. Factor the taxes you’ll have to pay into your funding goal. You should consult with an accountant and look up the federal tax rates to get an idea of what you’ll owe. 
2. Take some time to research the benefits of the accrual method of accounting. As mentioned earlier, you may be able to write off expenses that occur after you’ve collected money from your backers. This could relieve some of your tax burden.
3. Collect additional taxes in BackerKit. Using the Tax Rules feature, you can charge an additional percentage based on the total cost of the backer’s pledge level plus the cost of any add-ons selected in BackerKit (minus shipping).

This feature lets you set a tax rate based on country and/or state. Doing this may increase the amount a backer will owe, which will give you additional funds when paying income tax. One added bonus: If you have backers in the EU, you can also add your VAT number and VAT address in the Tax Rules section. This information will show up on your pack list and backers’ confirmation screens and emails. 

What about sales tax?

Depending on where you’re located, you may need to pay sales tax. Typically, crowdfunding creators will only have to pay sales tax on transactions if they have a significant connection to the location of the backer. So if you live in California, you may have to pay sales tax on all of the transactions from backers in California. 

To figure out your sales tax obligation, you will need to identify where backers are located. 

Trying to manually divide backers up by location can be challenging — especially if you have a large number of US and international backers. One way to make this process easier is with BackerKit’s Segments tool. Segments allow you to zero in on specific backer data points.

Use the tool to split up your backers into smaller groups based on criteria such as location, the items they purchased, or pledge level. 

Tax season can be stressful. But when you’re prepared, you can face it with confidence. Contact our team to learn more about these BackerKit tax tools and other features that will help you stay organized and manage your crowdfunding campaigns. 

Disclaimer: BackerKit does not provide tax advice. The information presented here is for informational purposes only, and does not constitute tax, legal, or accounting advice. Consult a tax attorney, accounting adviser, or your local tax authority regarding crowdfunding tax implications and obligations that pertain to your project. 

Editor’s Note: This blog post was originally published in 2021. It has been updated for relevance and accuracy.

The post How Can Crowdfunding Creators Prepare for Tax Day? appeared first on Crowdfunding Blog & Resources | BackerKit.

In 2018, BackerKit established The Creative Fund — our commitment to redistribute the crowdfunding wealth and encourage and inspire creators. Since 2020, BackerKit has focused our efforts with The Creative Fund on supporting Black-led campaigns and campaigns about Black and African culture.

We noticed a lack of diversity in the crowdfunding space, and one way that we are working to help make crowdfunding more inclusive is through The Creative Fund. We donate $1 to every project that launches on Kickstarter, but we also make significantly larger contributions to multiple Black-led projects every month.

Aside from seeing all of these projects take shape, one of the benefits of making contributions through The Creative Fund is the wonderful rewards we receive. From comics to tarot decks to tabletop games, so many great projects are being shipped to us all the time.

February is Black History Month, and during this time, we’d like to celebrate a few of the creators who have launched successful campaigns in the past year and highlight their work. We hope you’ll check out their campaign pages to learn more about their projects.

The Black Femme Tarot

On the campaign page for The Black Femme Tarot, Creator Latisha Shelton says, “as a Black person who loves tarot, it has been my wildest dream to create a full tarot deck of people who looked like me, people I know, and people who are underrepresented in your average tarot deck.” Shelton brought that dream to life through her successful crowdfunding project. The 78-card deck is vibrant and full of color, featuring a variety of skin tones, hairstyles, body types, and relationships across the LGBTQIA spectrum.

On the Streets of Ondo

Created by Evelyn Logan, On the Streets of Ondo is a beautifully illustrated children’s book about three brave friends on a quest to stop a mysterious figure in their town. The story is set in Nigeria and manages to be suspenseful while celebrating family, cultural traditions, and multi-generational relationships. Logan, who as a child was teased about her Nigerian heritage after immigrating to America, hopes this story will “inspire children to embrace who they are, no matter what street they come from.”

Gumbo Social

Dontaye Ball — also known as Mr. Gumbo — has served his signature gumbo, po’boys, and classic soul food at San Francisco farmers markets and community events throughout Northern California. In November of last year, he launched a successful campaign to open a restaurant. The Gumbo Social physical location is set to open its doors in 2023. For backing, we received these recipe cards, and we’re excited to try them out. Check out the campaign page updates to see how much progress Ball and his team have already made.

Hawi

Hawi is an African fantasy comic about a young woman on a mission to find her kidnapped mother. Etan Comics, which publishes this series, is a Pan-African entertainment company that “brings African stories to life through comics.” We received two copies of the comic — one in English and one in Amharic, the Ethiopian National Language. If you missed the campaign, you can get your own copy of Hawi on the Etan Comics website today.

All of the projects we’ve shared here have been featured in our bimonthly Black Creators Newsletter. If you or someone you know has a project that would be a good fit for the newsletter, please let us know by contacting community@backerkit.com. If you would like to subscribe to the Black Creators Newsletter, sign up at the link below.

The post The Creative Fund: More Success Stories appeared first on Crowdfunding Blog & Resources | BackerKit.

Are you looking for a new Mothman enamel pin for your collection? Maybe you’re interested in a glow-in-the-dark, mischievous cat pin. Dungeons and Dragons? Ghouls and Goblins? Finally, you can get all of these pins and more in one place. BackerKit is thrilled to announce our first-ever Pintopia, launching Tuesday, January 17th! 

What is Pintopia?

Pintopia is a multi-campaign, cooperative crowdfunding event by BackerKit — and you! It’s a celebration of creative collaboration where artists work together to bring you the best enamel pins around, and backers have the power to unlock exclusive designs.

We see crowdfunding as a massive multiplayer marketplace — it’s community driven. A creator’s vision stirs up backer enthusiasm, and together, they bring a new idea into the world. But that multiplayer, communal experience doesn’t have to stop with the collaboration between creator and backer. When creators team up, the success of one project can have a ripple effect that allows everyone to benefit.

During Pintopia, a series of enamel pin projects from a diverse group of creators will collectively launch on Crowdfunding by BackerKit. With all of the Pintopia projects launching simultaneously, backers will have a chance to discover projects they may not have otherwise found while creators can collaborate in ways that add even more value to their already exciting offerings. That means more creators launch successful campaigns and more cool things for all of us!

Who’s participating?

The Pintopia lineup is full of talented artists whose work encompasses so many different genres and concepts. From plants and cats to 90s nostalgia and skateboarding breakfast foods — there’s truly something for everyone. So head over to the Pintopia page today to check out the 21 projects that will be launching.

How does it work?

Pintopia runs from January 17th at 10 AM PST to February 7th at 1 PM PST. On January 17th, the projects on the Pintopia page will go live. This is your chance to explore and back the projects that catch your eye. But remember, the more projects you back, the more you earn.

If all of the projects get funded, all backers will receive a free Pintopia 2023 pin. Also, free collab pins will be revealed throughout Pintopia that you can snag by backing multiple projects.

Back 3+ projects
Free collab pin #1 designed by Jason Furie and Katie Bacigalupi

Back 5+ projects
Free collab pin #2 designed by AsherBee and Liquid 90s

Back 7+ projects
Free collab pin #3 designed by Aspenhearted and Carly K

But wait, there’s more! If you back 10+ projects, you’ll get the limited Gold Trophy pin. And if you back all of the projects, you’ll get a secret reward.

How can you get involved?

Visit the Pintopia page and sign up for updates from your favorite projects. Once the projects go live, show your support by backing, letting the creators know what you think about their designs, and sharing the projects you love with your friends and family. Make sure to join us for the launch on January 17th!

The post Announcing Pintopia 2023 appeared first on Crowdfunding Blog & Resources | BackerKit.

This year at Backerkit has been one of transformation, experimentation, and growth. We started a new crowdfunding platform — Crowdfunding by BackerKit! In doing so, we, along with everyone who has launched or backed a project with us in 2022, are taking the first steps toward building the future of crowdfunding, and it couldn’t be more exciting. We’re also celebrating BackerKit’s 10th anniversary. That’s 10 years of working with the crowdfunding community and helping creators of all types bring amazing ideas into the world. Over the years, the BackerKit team has worked with over 14,000 projects, helping creators raise over $650 million, while our expert Support team has directly helped 376,115 backers, resolving issues and requests.

Major developments and milestones like these beg you to ask how you’ve gotten to this point. The answer is all of you. It’s you – the creators, backers, friends, and partners that have made this possible. Your passion motivates us to discover new ways to support the work you’re doing. So, as we take a look back at 2022, we also want to thank you for all that you do.

Introducing Crowdfunding by BackerKit

This year, we took on our most ambitious endeavor yet: the beta release of Crowdfunding by BackerKit. While the platform launched in June, this new chapter actually began years ago.

Since 2012, we’ve had a chance to work with so many of you, witnessing the techniques you’ve invented to engage your backers and build your audiences. We’ve listened to your challenges, we’ve learned from your successes, and we’ve been inspired by the way that the crowdfunding community has been able to innovate in this space throughout the years.

We believe that you all deserve a crowdfunding platform that evolves to meet your changing needs and embraces the spirit of innovation and experimentation that have pushed crowdfunding forward. Since launching in June, we’ve teamed up with the creators of 42 projects to begin building that platform. We’re working hand-in-hand with these creators, listening to their feedback, figuring out ways to support their explorations, and developing tools that will make it easier for more creators to adopt the most effective crowdfunding techniques.

Because we’ve been working closely with these creators, we’ve had a front-row seat to so many amazing moments. We’ve seen creators like CMYK and XYZ Game Labs have their most successful campaigns ever, and we’ve seen others like Baby Bestiary and Greater Than Games hit backer count milestones. While there are great stories that have come from each project that launched with us this year, here are just a few that were especially exciting.

Moments we loved

Return to Dark Tower reaches $2 million: We were thrilled to work with the talented team at Restoration Games, launching the 2nd printing of Return to Dark Tower and the Covenant Expansion on our platform in July. From start to finish, we were impressed with the amount of hard work and thought that was put into this project, as well as the team’s willingness to experiment with things like email communications using BackerKit Launch and how pledge add-ons function. One of the most exciting moments of the year was watching all of that hard work pay off in a major way as the project raised $2 million.

An interactive campaign: In October, creators Alchemy Art, blushsprout, and Chocolate Raisin Fury teamed up to launch Purrtagonists: Fabled Felines — a cat and Dungeons and Dragons-themed enamel pin project. The trio came to us hoping to do an interactive, choose-your-own-adventure-style campaign, and we were eager to help them get the results they were after. Using the platform’s poll feature, backers were able to influence the direction of the project and which pin designs would be unlocked. You can read more about their experience with BackerKit here.

Creator collaboration: Bird Ita Bags & Accessories by Corviforms and Pizza Pinz by BackerKit’s own Jason Furie were two of the first projects to launch on BackerKit. Both creators dove into the experience with an incredible amount of enthusiasm and quickly coordinated a cross-collaboration while their projects were live. Both offered a free, specially designed pigeon pin for people who backed both projects. Together they exemplified the spirit of collaboration and community that you love to see in crowdfunding.

StarKid Returns: Demonstrating just how powerful a strong community (and strong coffee) can be, Team StarKid held a marathon 18-hour Finale Livestream where they hung out with their fans and drove pledges. By the end of the livestream, they’d unlocked all of their stretch goals and surpassed their funding goal by more than $100,000.

We want to thank all of the creators who’ve put their trust in us and have offered their candid feedback. We also want to congratulate them for the work they’ve done this year. We look forward to teaming up with more of you in the new year!

Are you launching a crowdfunding project in the new year? We’d love to hear from you! We are now accepting applications to launch on Crowdfunding by BackerKit in 2023. Apply here. Spots are limited.

Supporting the crowdfunding community

While Crowdfunding by BackerKit was a major focus this year, we remain committed to supporting all creators at every stage of their crowdfunding journey. This year, a few ways that we were able to continue this work were by producing all new resources, highlighting projects by creators from underrepresented communities, and learning more about the crowdfunding community’s needs from many of you in person at conventions.

BackerKit livestreams

In 2022, we hosted seven livestreams, covering everything from game design and manufacturing to landing page do’s and don’ts. Studio Midhall — creators of the tabletop game Beast — joined us, sharing tips on how to get funded on your first try. And by popular demand, we continued our campaign page daft reviews, where we analyzed campaign pages submitted by the BackerKit Community and offered tips on how to design a great-looking page that drives pledges.

Livestreams are a fun way for us to connect with all of you. We also like to provide the community with an opportunity to ask questions at the end of each presentation. So if you haven’t attended a livestream in the past and are thinking of launching a crowdfunding campaign in the new year, we hope you’ll join us during our upcoming presentations. We already have an exciting lineup planned for 2023, so make sure to follow us on Crowdcast to be the first to know about what’s coming next.

New resources

One thing that we firmly believe in here at BackerKit is the power of an email list. When you’ve taken the time to build a high-quality list of people who’ve shown interest in your project before you launch, getting funded early is easier. However, the process of building that list can be challenging. In fact, whenever we’ve asked the BackerKit Community about their top crowdfunding challenges, building an email list and organic marketing are always mentioned.

This year, we created several resources to help creators tackle email list growth. We hosted Start Building Your Email List — our first crowdfunding mini-course.

Throughout the six-week course, the 160 creators who enrolled learned:

• How to get their first subscribers and find their target audience
• How to optimize a landing page
• Which tools to use to assess list-building progress and refine their strategy

In addition to the course, we also published new pieces on list building and community engagement. You can check them out below:

• How strong is your crowdfunding email list?
• 6 creators offer advice on community building

Events and conventions

Conventions and in-person events were back in full swing in 2023, and we were so happy to be able to participate and meet so many of you. This year, our team attended Gen Con, Essen Spiel, and PAX Unplugged.

Conventions have always been a big deal at BackerKit. Because of the pandemic, it’s been more than two years since we’ve been able to attend in-person events. We loved being back there on the convention floor, letting people know about the latest developments at BackerKit, chatting with creators, and passing out resources and swag. A few of the highlights from this year include:

• Reconnecting with our tabletop games family at Gen Con and sponsoring the First Exposure Playtest Hall where we ran game playtests all day long four days in a row!
• Traveling to Germany and getting priceless facetime with our international friends at Essen Spiel.
• Attending the reveal event at PAX Unplugged for the Gloomhaven Role Playing Game. Immediately followed by an epic party we co-hosted alongside Cephalofair Games filled with food, fun, and…axe throwing!

We will be at CES January 5-8, 2023, and hope to see you there! You can find BackerKit in Eureka Park at Booth # 60516.

The Creative Fund and Black Creators Newsletter

In July 2018, BackerKit launched The Creative Fund — our commitment to make space for independent creators, spread the crowdfunding wealth, and encourage creators to bring their passions to life. To date, we’ve pledged $190,727.37 to creators. As part of this initiative, we donate $1 to every project that launches on Kickstarter. Last year, we decided to refocus the Creative Fund to combat the lack of diversity we noticed in the community. While we still donate $1 to every Kickstarter project, we now also make a more substantial pledge to Black-led campaigns every month.

We also send out a bi-monthly Black Creators Newsletter, featuring Black-led projects. This year we’ve sent out 24 of these newsletters. Check out our Creative Fund success stories to learn more about a few of the projects that we’ve recently featured.

You can subscribe to the newsletter here, and if you or someone you know is interested in being featured, please reach out to community@backerkit.com.

Looking ahead

We have so many exciting things in store for our customers and the crowdfunding community at large. We’re kicking off 2023 with Pintopia — a series of small-scale enamel pin projects from a diverse group of creators collectively launching on Crowdfunding by BackerKit. One of our goals with this event is to lift up more projects and bring attention to the entire group in a fun, creative way.

We also plan to launch even more projects on our platform in the new year and are currently accepting applications. As always, we’ll continue to find new ways to support the community that we’re so proud to be a part of.

The post BackerKit Year in Review 2022 appeared first on Crowdfunding Blog & Resources | BackerKit.

Crowdfunding is all about community. One of the guiding principles of our new crowdfunding platform, Crowdfunding by BackerKit, is that “backers make it better.” Backers not only help projects grow, but are also an important part of the creator’s journey. But what if there was a way to really take your backers on a journey — an adventure! And wouldn’t it be great to not only allow them to participate by backing but also empower them to shape the project? These were the questions that the team behind Purrtagonists: Fabled Felines explored during their recent campaign.

Purrtagonists launched on Crowdfunding by BackerKit, which is currently in Beta, in October. A collaboration between artists Alchemy Art, Blushsprout, and ChocolateRaisin Fury, the project is a story-driven collection of Dungeons & Dragons and cat-themed enamel pins. Each of the furry felines featured in the designs is part of a guild setting out on an adventure.

The project had great designs and the creators put a lot of thought and preparation into the campaign, so it was no surprise that Purrtagonists was a success in terms of funding — it surpassed its goal and raised more than $24,000. But what really sets this project apart is that the Purrtagonists team found a novel way to keep their audience invested from start to finish: a “choose your own adventure” style campaign that replicated DnD gameplay.

The Challenge

All three of Purrtagonists’ creators had experience running successful crowdfunding projects in the past. They’d all also been able to build large audiences through their previous work. As a treat for their communities and to make the Purrtagonists campaign stand out from what they had done previously, they wanted to create a social, interactive campaign.

The project’s enamel pins are DnD themed and the Purrtagonists team came to BackerKit wanting to launch a campaign that mirrored what it’s like to play DnD. They’d envisioned telling an episodic story about the cats featured in the pin designs and then using polls to allow their backers to vote on different story outcomes that would change the direction of the project and the rewards offered.

Since launching the crowdfunding platform in June, we’ve been working with creators to develop tools to enable them to collaborate better and collect feedback from backers. One of those tools is the Polls feature. Most creators on Crowdfunding by BackerKit have been using polls in a more straightforward way. For instance, Westley Coleman, the creator of Novel Travelbooks, asked his backers which of his designs they were most excited about to determine what would ultimately be produced. Similarly, during the campaign for Smut Peddler X & My Monster Girlfriend, Iron Circus Comics asked their backers which design they should choose for their exclusive day-one backer pin.

The Purrtagonists team would essentially be using polls to get the same kind of information other creators were after but through interactive storytelling. This was something that we hadn’t explored before. We were excited to run this experiment with the tools we’d created to see how we could meet this need. We immediately started working with the Purrtagonists team to create the interaction and engagement that they were after.

If you’re interested in enamel pin crowdfunding projects like Purrtagonists, we hope you’ll check out Crowdfunding by BackerKit’s Pintopia in January. Learn more about the lineup here. 

The Solution

The plan was to present a new chapter of the Purrtagonists story and a poll to go along with it every 48 hours. But obviously for this to work, you need people who care about the project to participate. There are a few ways that BackerKit and the Purrtagonists team’s combined efforts were able to make sure that participation happened:

• Polls on BackerKit are designed to ensure that only people who are invested in a creator’s success are able to cast votes. That’s why only people who backed a project can participate.

• We suggested that the Purrtagonists team post an update to their project page with the new chapter and poll when the content was ready. On BackerKit, updates are automatically sent to everyone who has backed the project as well as anyone following the project.

• The updates the Purrtagonists team posted were incredibly entertaining. The writing was fun, evocative, and perfect for an audience of fantasy fans.

In the project’s first chapter, backers were asked to choose whether they wanted to “head left for monsters, cheese, and loot” or “right for chests that may or may not be traps.”

52% of voters chose “Cheese” and in Chapter 2 it was revealed that this choice unlocked a new fabled feline: Soot.

Structuring the campaign in this way created an extra layer of excitement. It gave backers a reason to return to the project page and deepened the connection between backer and creator.

The Results

There were a total of 14 different polls. Not only were they able to maintain a consistent level of participation, but during the middle of the campaign, they actually had one of their best-performing polls. The sixth poll they shared attracted 21% of their backers. What’s more, the polls generated conversation, providing yet another way that the Purrtagonists team was able to engage with their backers and gauge interest in the story and the designs.

As a repeat crowdfunding creator, you want to build a relationship with your audience. You want them to continue backing your future projects. So if you’re able to not only deliver an excellent product but also create an excellent experience, you’re more likely to turn a backer into a fan who will be happy to support your next endeavor.

The Purrtagonists team and what they were able to accomplish are great examples of why we built Crowdfunding by BackerKit. We believe that backers make crowdfunding special and that they help shape projects. And that’s exactly what backers did for Purrtagonists — they actually determined the direction of the project. It’s inspiring to see this type of innovation and exciting to think about what Purrtagonists’ creators will come up with next.

We love working with people who value experimentation, want to push themselves creatively, and are always thinking of new ways to engage their communities. If this sounds like you, please apply to launch your next project on Crowdfunding by BackerKit. We are currently accepting applications for 2023.

The post How Backers Helped Shaped the Purrtagonists Crowdfunding Project appeared first on Crowdfunding Blog & Resources | BackerKit.

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Announcement: Crowdfunding by BackerKit is here!   Crowdfunding Favorites There are thousands of live crowdfunding projects to discover every week, so we’re here to show you the best ones. In this bimonthly newsletter, we are highlighting Black creators and their projects. We, as BackerKit, stand in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement. Read our statement here. Know of a project that should be featured? Share it with us! Gumbo Social, Restaurant Launch in Bayview, San Francisco Dontaye Ball, also known as Mr. Gumbo, is the chef-owner of Gumbo Social, a San Francisco-based pop-up restaurant specializing in gumbo and soul food since 2018. Besides getting great reviews from their guests, Gumbo Social has been featured in Forbes, the San Francisco Chronicle, and on The Kelly Clarkson Show. Now, Gumbo Social is opening its first brick-and-mortar restaurant in the heart of the Bayview in San Francisco. They plan to establish Gumbo Social as the premier place to get incredible gumbo in San Francisco.    The Theme Of Thieves Issues #1-3: A Time Travel Mystery! Three people time traveling to solve a mystery of why people are disappearing in the present day! 100 Books By Black Authors Scratch Poster A scratch-off poster highlighting works of African American literature. Eight categories of literature are covered. AFROSPORT – THE BOOK A 320-page art book – African design is reshaping the world’s cultural stage, sport shows us how. Dream Variations An audiovisual collage seeking to explore liberation and world-building through Black radical imagination. New Projects Launching on Crowdfunding by BackerKit  Come see the exciting lineup of creators that have launched and are launching on BackerKit soon.  The BackerKit team finds great live projects by Black creators and shares them in your inbox. Manage Email Preferences | Unsubscribe @ 2022 BackerKit. 1265 Folsom St, San Francisco, CA 94103

The post Support Black Creators | FT. Gumbo Social; The Theme of Thieves; AFROSPORT & more appeared first on Crowdfunding Blog & Resources | BackerKit.

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Announcement: Crowdfunding by BackerKit is here!   Crowdfunding Favorites There are thousands of live crowdfunding projects to discover every week, so we’re here to show you the best ones. In this bimonthly newsletter, we are highlighting Black creators and their projects. We, as BackerKit, stand in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement. Read our statement here. Know of a project that should be featured? Share it with us! Luji’s Chocolate : Made Directly with Farmers in West Africa Even though West African farmers are critical to the billion-dollar chocolate industry, a lot of them live below the poverty line & the region barely profits from the chocolate industry. Luji’s (“Loo – geez”) believes it’s time for this to change. Luji’s Chocolate is deliciously grown, crafted and packaged from bean to bar in West Africa and made with ingredients from the region. When you purchase a Luji’s bar, they’ll deliver cocoa tree seedlings to a cocoa farmer in West Africa. All-Negro Comics 75th Anniversary Edition The first anthology of Black characters created by Black cartoonists is remastered for today’s readers and beyond! SHOOK! A Black Horror Anthology A 160+ page EC Comics styled horror anthology featuring writers such as Rodney Barnes, John Jennings, and Kevin Grevioux.  Black Joy Lenormand Oracle Deck A 44-card oracle deck that showcases surrealistic beauty in Blackness. Exhale App: A Well-Being Resource for Black Women Provides well-being resources exclusively for Black Women and Women of Color. Dream Variations: Reimagining a New World Audiovisual collage exploring liberation and world-building through Black radical imagination. Innovative Therapist Connection Platform A platform that connects Black and minority individuals to mental health providers they’re likely to connect with. New Projects Launching on Crowdfunding by BackerKit  Come see the exciting lineup of creators that have launched and are launching on BackerKit soon.  The BackerKit team finds great live projects by Black creators and shares them in your inbox. Manage Email Preferences | Unsubscribe @ 2022 BackerKit. 1265 Folsom St, San Francisco, CA 94103

The post Support Black Creators | FT. Luji’s Chocolate; All-Negro Comics 75th Anniversary; SHOOK! & more appeared first on Crowdfunding Blog & Resources | BackerKit.

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Announcement: Crowdfunding by BackerKit is here!   Crowdfunding Favorites There are thousands of live crowdfunding projects to discover every week, so we’re here to show you the best ones. In this bimonthly newsletter, we are highlighting Black creators and their projects. We, as BackerKit, stand in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement. Read our statement here. Know of a project that should be featured? Share it with us! JEMBER: African Comics by African Creators! Anxious, frustrated, and ready to leave his city behind, jobless graduate Amanuel Tilahun gets abilities that change his life. He must now make a choice; to help himself or the city that’s always treated him like a nobody, and now even sees him as a threat! JEMBER is an award-nominated African graphic novel inspired by East African mythology & created by an all-African team!  Women’s Space Travel Suit The first bold step in crafting a fashionable space travel suit designed for women. Hiding Spot In this film, a woman recognizes that to heal from her past, she’ll need more than therapy. Orishas: 7 African Powers An epic odyssey of the Nigerian Gods! The beginning of the God War series! New York African Film Festival Celebrating the 30th anniversary. New Projects Launching on Crowdfunding by BackerKit  Come see the exciting lineup of creators that have launched and are launching on BackerKit soon.  The BackerKit team finds great live projects by Black creators and shares them in your inbox. Manage Email Preferences | Unsubscribe @ 2022 BackerKit. 1265 Folsom St, San Francisco, CA 94103

The post Support Black Creators | FT. JEMBER; Women’s Space Travel Suit; Hiding Spot & more appeared first on Crowdfunding Blog & Resources | BackerKit.

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Announcement: Crowdfunding by BackerKit is here!   Crowdfunding Favorites There are thousands of live crowdfunding projects to discover every week, so we’re here to show you the best ones. In this bimonthly newsletter, we are highlighting Black creators and their projects. We, as BackerKit, stand in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement. Read our statement here. Know of a project that should be featured? Share it with us! Ngolo Diaspora Issue #2 Ngolo Diaspora Issue #2 is the continuation of the exciting African Martial Arts comic series based on the Urban Action Showcase award-winning screenplay. Book #1 introduced you to a near-future alternate world where assassination is a legal part of the political process and assassin guilds hold great power. But book #2 introduces us to the beginning of a plot that might mean the end of all of the assassin guilds! The Peoples of Nigeria A children’s chapter book featuring 36 different ethnic groups across Nigeria. Nova: Goddess of the Universe Nova is a resiliently magickal doll; created from the Afro Goddess Tarot Arcanas deck. Dream Chaser Paranormal women’s Fiction urban fantasy novel. Negative Space A photo book featuring ten diverse women of color working in the photography industry. Joyful Black Women DocuSeries profiling women as they navigate careers fueled by technology. Logan’s 3D Printed Surprise An exciting, 3D STEM savvy book introducing children to the intriguing world of 3D printing. New Projects Launching on Crowdfunding by BackerKit  Come see the exciting lineup of creators that have launched and are launching on BackerKit soon.  The BackerKit team finds great live projects by Black creators and shares them in your inbox. Manage Email Preferences | Unsubscribe @ 2022 BackerKit. 1265 Folsom St, San Francisco, CA 94103

The post Support Black Creators | FT. Ngolo Diaspora Issue #2; The Peoples of Nigeria; Nova: Goddess of the Universe & more appeared first on Crowdfunding Blog & Resources | BackerKit.

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Announcement: Crowdfunding by BackerKit is here!   Crowdfunding Favorites There are thousands of live crowdfunding projects to discover every week, so we’re here to show you the best ones. In this bimonthly newsletter, we are highlighting Black creators and their projects. We, as BackerKit, stand in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement. Read our statement here. Know of a project that should be featured? Share it with us! Urban Force Urban Force is a team dedicated to creating stage combat sequences loosely inspired by the world of Star Wars. You may have seen their content as they’ve gone viral since their inception in 2017 when they were known as ‘Urban Jedi Knights’. For almost a decade, they have built a series around their choreography and efforts, and now, they are creating a web series so you, the viewers, can dive deeper into the world of their characters and join them in their battle between Good and Evil! The Peoples of Nigeria A children’s chapter book featuring 36 different ethnic groups across Nigeria. The Runaway Princess Discover the most memorable women from African history, legend, and folklore! Birthplace A collection of songs that tell the story of the singer’s exit from the grave. Negative Space A photo book featuring ten diverse women of color working in the photography industry. Joyful Black Women DocuSeries profiling women as they navigate careers fueled by technology. Everyday Is A Sunday A young Black boy’s life as a homeschooled child in a culturally centered home.  Lock ‘em Up! A bipartisan game of dirty tricks where YOU put politicians in jail! Keep the drums, lose the knife This photo book explores the influence of the Bondo secret society. New Projects Launching on Crowdfunding by BackerKit  Come see the exciting lineup of creators that have launched and are launching on BackerKit soon.  The BackerKit team finds great live projects by Black creators and shares them in your inbox. Manage Email Preferences | Unsubscribe @ 2022 BackerKit. 1265 Folsom St, San Francisco, CA 94103

The post Support Black Creators | FT. Urban Force; The Peoples of Nigeria; The Runaway Princess and Other Stories & more appeared first on Crowdfunding Blog & Resources | BackerKit.

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Announcement: Crowdfunding by BackerKit is here!   Crowdfunding Favorites There are thousands of live crowdfunding projects to discover every week, so we’re here to show you the best ones. In this bimonthly newsletter, we are highlighting Black creators and their projects. We, as BackerKit, stand in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement. Read our statement here. Know of a project that should be featured? Share it with us! THE CRUSADERS: HUNT FOR THE SUN BLADE – NIGERIAN COMIC BOOK The Crusaders: Hunt for the Sun Blade is an ensemble piece, based on true-life African history, led by the young swashbuckling hero, Max Okalo. He’s trying to get up from under the shadow of his older siblings and make a name for himself in the treasure hunting game. To do that he must find The Sun Blade, the treasure that evaded both his father Walter Okalo and his oldest brother George. Guess Who’s Coming To Dinner A black woman wary of meeting her partner’s white parents grows anxious when they welcome her with enthusiasm. Eva The Kid Reporter Bringing little ones on a fun journey of self-acceptance and love for their unique personality and skills. Tumaini Festival 2022 Event developed by refugees and the host community, promoting peaceful coexistence. I’ll Be Here I’ll Be Here is the ideal children’s book for diverse populations. Amazing Black Inventors A beautifully illustrated and informative children’s book for ages 0 to 5. Brassfly Oracle Deck This handmade deck brings to life the journey of the African experience in the Americas. New Projects Launching on Crowdfunding by BackerKit Come see the exciting lineup of creators that have launched and are launching on BackerKit soon.  The BackerKit team finds great live projects by Black creators and shares them in your inbox. Manage Email Preferences | Unsubscribe @ 2022 BackerKit. 1265 Folsom St, San Francisco, CA 94103

The post Support Black Creators | FT. The Crusaders; Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner; Eva the Kid Reporter & more appeared first on Crowdfunding Blog & Resources | BackerKit.

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Announcement: Crowdfunding by BackerKit is here!   Crowdfunding Favorites There are thousands of live crowdfunding projects to discover every week, so we’re here to show you the best ones. In this bimonthly newsletter, we are highlighting Black creators and their projects. We, as BackerKit, stand in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement. Read our statement here. Know of a project that should be featured? Share it with us! CAMPUS WAHALA The strike has just been called off. Staff and students are returning to the University campus. As a student, it’s time to secure the highest books you can. Beware of everyone. Campus Wahala is a Mancala-style card game with lots of direct interactions, created with an African university campus theme and designed by Africans. The Sundering As the broken body of the Ashen God crashed into the sea, searing blades of flame reshaped the land. A new 5e adventure. Darrell Damper’s Hi-Top Hi-Top and Samuel ‘aka’ Fade are back in these action-packed issues as they continue the fight against the Sons of the Cross. Who Will Protect Me? A book devoted to Strong Black Women submitted into silence. Taskoma Keep your Tasks Super Simple, Organized, and Prioritized; Optimize Productivity. Brassfly Oracle Deck This handmade deck brings to life the journey of the African experience in the Americas. Hattie Mae’s Jook Joint Musical about the legacy of the jook in Black communities and American culture. Introducing Crowdfunding by BackerKit Built on the premise that backers make it better. Learn more. The BackerKit team finds great live projects by Black creators and shares them in your inbox. Manage Email Preferences | Unsubscribe @ 2022 BackerKit. 1265 Folsom St, San Francisco, CA 94103

The post Support Black Creators | FT. Campus Wahala, The Sundering, Darrell Damper’s Hi-Top & more appeared first on Crowdfunding Blog & Resources | BackerKit.