Kickstarter will start notifying supporters when a fundraising campaign faces “significant fulfillment failures” and breaks the platform’s rules. The notification will also inform supporters how it’s addressing the issue, including by “restricting the creator from launching future projects.”
The update comes as part of a series of changes Kickstarter plans to make this year that are aimed at “enhancing the backer experience and building trust in our community.” Kickstarter has long faced challenges with scams and projects shutting down after raising thousands (or sometimes millions) of dollars, but this change should at least provide more transparency to backers.
Additionally, Kickstarter will show more information about creators on their project pages, such as their track record, collaborators, and past projects. It’s also enhancing its tools for monitoring projects, which could “help detect and address potential risks earlier in the project’s lifecycle,” the platform says.
Kickstarter is introducing post-campaign “add-ons” as well that will allow creators to collect contributions after their campaign has ended. Last year, the platform introduced a similar feature, called Late Pledges, that let campaigns raise money for a period of time after its original deadline.
Some other features new include Pledge Over Time, which allows backers to split their contributions into four payments, along with new search filters and sorting options that should make it easier to find specific campaigns. Kickstarter is revamping its mobile app, too, and plans to offer a way for backers to view all the projects they funded, including live and unsuccessful ones, by the end of this year. It also aims to add ways for users to search and filter through their pledges.
