Built with creators: How Kickstarter’s Pledge Manager has grown since launch

When we launched Kickstarter’s Pledge Manager in May 2025, it was an important step toward bringing more of the crowdfunding journey together in one place. It was also just the beginning.

Over the past year, creators have shown us what happens after a campaign ends: how they manage production, coordinate with fulfillment partners, organize thousands of backer orders, and adapt when plans inevitably change. Their feedback has helped us see where a little more flexibility can save hours of work, and where the right tool can remove a major obstacle altogether.

Since launch, we’ve released nearly 20 improvements to make it easier to manage everything between collecting final backer details and delivering rewards. Here are some of the biggest ways Pledge Manager has grown.

Move from pledges to fulfillment more efficiently

No two projects fulfill exactly the same way. Some creators ship everything at once. Others fulfill by country, reward, or production batch. Some send a mix of physical and digital rewards. Others need to coordinate several packages for a single pledge.

We’ve expanded Pledge Manager to support more of those real-world workflows, including collecting more complete shipping information—like required phone numbers—to help creators meet carrier requirements and avoid preventable delivery issues.

• ShipStation integration: Sync finalized orders directly to ShipStation. Tracking information automatically returns to Kickstarter, helping keep backers informed along the way.
• Address locking by segment: Lock addresses for selected groups of backers so you can start shipping in waves while other rewards are still in production.
• Digital reward delivery: Upload and deliver files directly through Kickstarter, either automatically after checkout or manually when they’re ready.
• Multiple tracking numbers: Add more than one tracking number to a pledge when rewards need to ship separately.

Together, these updates give creators more freedom to build a fulfillment process around the needs of their project instead of waiting for every order to reach the same stage.

"I signed up for ShipStation so I could test out the Pledge Manager/ShipStation sync for my project fulfillment, and so far it’s been a dream... The interface is intuitive, the label purchase and printing functions are great, and the pricing is much better too. Thumbs up to ShipStation."

—Ellia Bisker, Charming Disaster

Make changes as your project evolves

A project doesn’t stop changing just because its campaign has ended. Production plans shift. Shipping costs move. Rewards sell out. Backers need to correct an address or update an answer.

Pledge Manager now gives creators more control to respond as those changes happen:

• Editable Pledge Manager settings: Update key settings, rewards, add-ons, availability, quantities, and shipping information after launch. Changes that affect pricing apply only to future checkouts.
• Editable survey responses: Give backers the option to update their answers after checkout, and choose when editing closes.
• Expanded Backer Report tools: Use additional filters, saved segments, and export options to organize backers and take action across large groups.
• Free items for selected backers: Add an item to specific orders or segments, whether you’re delivering a stretch goal, replacing an item, or recognizing early or returning supporters.

They might sound like small operational details, but when you’re managing hundreds or thousands of individual orders, small changes can make a big difference.

More flexibility for taxes and changing costs

Taxes and international costs can be some of the trickiest parts of planning fulfillment. We’ve added more options so creators can use Pledge Manager alongside the business and tax processes that already work for them.

We’ve introduced:

• Self-service tax reports available directly from the creator dashboard
• Support for multiple VAT IDs for EU creators operating across several member states
• GST/HST and applicable provincial tax collection in Canada
• Guided item categorization during tax setup
• A Tariff Manager for applying transparent additional charges when U.S. import costs change between campaign and fulfillment

There’s no single tax or fulfillment setup that works for every project. These updates give creators more room to choose the approach that works for theirs.

Need help navigating taxes in Pledge Manager? Read our guide to understand how taxes are calculated and collected.

Launch with confidence and keep the momentum going

We’ve also made it easier to prepare your Pledge Manager before opening it to backers and to keep welcoming new support after your campaign ends.

The Pledge Manager preview tool lets you see the backer experience based on location, entry point, or selected reward before going live. That means you can catch confusing questions, missing information, or other gaps before backers start checking out.

Creators using Pledge Over Time can also open their Pledge Manager while installment payments are still underway. Backers who have paid in full can enter right away, while those using Pledge Over Time get access after their final payment.

And an open Pledge Manager is now easier to discover across Kickstarter. While it’s accepting new backers, project pages direct visitors to the Pledge Manager, giving creators another way to keep building support after the campaign ends.

“We no longer have to drag our customers (many of whom are first time backers) to an entirely different system for pledge management, which has made the whole post-campaign process much smoother, increasing our total post-campaign sales through pledge upgrades and add-ons and dramatically decreasing the number of backers who we have to track down to complete their pledge manager survey.”

— Dusty Droz, Dux Somnium Games

Coming soon: Kickstarter for Shopify

Many Kickstarter creators already use Shopify as their ecommerce storefront. Soon, the Kickstarter Shopify app will make it possible to send finalized Pledge Manager orders directly to Shopify for fulfillment. Tracking information will automatically return to Kickstarter, so backers can follow their rewards along the way.

The app is currently in beta, with more to share very soon.

Built with creators, and still growing

Pledge Manager has grown a lot since May 2025, but we’re still building.

Creator feedback continues to shape what comes next. Support conversations, product requests, and the real-world experience of bringing Kickstarter projects to life all help us understand where better tools can make the biggest difference.

The Kickstarter Release Notes Hub is the best place to dig into every Pledge Manager update and follow along with what we build next.

Visit the Kickstarter Release Notes Hub and sign up for updates