Kickstarter is adding the ability to collect money indefinitely – The Verge

By Mia Sato, platforms and communities reporter with five years of experience covering the companies that shape technology and the people who use their tools.

Creators fundraising for projects on Kickstarter will soon be able to collect money even after their campaign ends.

Currently, Kickstarter projects can last anywhere from one to 60 days, and creators hoping to continue fundraising after meeting their goal have had to go off-platform to keep raising money.

The new late pledge feature will allow crowdfunding campaigns to collect money indefinitely if the creator chooses. Late pledges could also be helpful for fans who learn about projects after the fundraising window has closed but want to support the creator. Creators who are offering something in exchange for a certain level of monetary support — a digital download of an album or physical items, for example — will need to end late pledges for that tier as they begin fulfillment. Kickstarter says it recommends ending late pledges if the campaign hasn’t received a new pledge in 30 days.

Other crowdfunding platforms have tried similar funding models. Indiegogo introduced a “forever funding” model nearly a decade ago, allowing creators to continue collecting money past a campaign’s end date. Now, Indiegogo campaigns automatically continue collecting funds after the campaign closes, with creators getting disbursements each month as money keeps trickling in. (Some creators who began on Kickstarter eventually moved to Indiegogo so they could keep raising money to sustain their work.)

The company says it is testing late pledges with a small number of users, with a wider rollout to all creators in the next few months. Once a creator turns off late pledges, they won’t be able to revert back.

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