The Effective Use of Kickstarter Thread

Kickstarter both fascinates and concerns me. It seems like a great way to get a project funded, but it's also a scammer's dream come true. I have not done a successful KS, but I have pledged money to some successful projects. This is my reasoning for not funding a project.

Very often, and especially with Indie games, people will launch a KS and set a goal. Other than the project simply not appealing to me, there are two big reasons why you will probably never see my money:

1. Your idea is under developed. If you don't know what you're doing, you aren't inspiring me to help you.
2. You give no justification for your financial goal.

#2 needs to be explained. I took a class in grant writing once, and it seems to be very applicable to KS. A big part of grant writing is submitting a detailed budget for your project/organization. People want to know where their money is going. So, you've set a goal of $10k. How is that 10k being spent? I want to see a budget, complete with KS's cut, miscellaneous expenses, and as much detail as possible. You need $3k for an artist? Okay. You need to support yourself full time while programming? Got it. When you just ask for money, how am I to know that it will make your project happen? Understanding your budget also makes me feel like you have a clue about what you're doing, and this inspires confidence.

As you know, there are no guarantees with KS. The least you can do is look like you know what you are doing to inspire a little faith in your potential supporters. When I give money to a crack head, I can be pretty confident that I know where that money is being spent. I expect the same from your KS proposal.

I made something about this: Moddb.com

Wow, that's everything I said, and more. Nicely done, Masternerdguy.

I hope no one is discouraged by either document. It seems that too many people are skipping a few steps before they get their KS out. I really don't like to see creative people fail.

that is really useful. i have launched a kickstarter and we actually have not included a breakdown of how the money will be spent, just what we will achieve with that money.

So that is the next thing i am going to do, provide more transparency. really important tip, thanks.

good old google brought me here, shameless plug
Kickstarter.com

Good comments.