When using Kickstarter’s Survey tool to collect your backers’ information, you will have the option to export the backer data as a CSV file that can then be opened in any spreadsheet program. The backer export allows you to organize and sort the information to meet your needs, you can:
- Sort and reorder by backer number, reward, pledge amount, shipping country, etc. This makes it easy to count different rewards, such as how many signed copies of your book you'll need, and so on
- Make changes to backer information. Whether it be updating the shipping address, reward preference, or something else. Just make a note of it in the spreadsheet so that all the information is kept together
- Add additional fields for any other data you may want to store. For example, you could create fields to note when you have packed and shipped rewards
These are just a few examples of what you can do with the backer export, but you can organize and edit it to work for you. The exported CSV file can be opened in Excel, Numbers, or any spreadsheet program. If you don't have one yet, Google Drive is available to all, and has a free, compatible spreadsheet program. Check out their help section to get started.
How will my backers’ information be displayed in the backer export?
The backer export will list each backer alongside their pledge information, with one backer per row. Column A will show you their backer number, and in column E you’ll see their shipping country.
Column G is the base reward tier the backer pledged for, with column O onwards indicating any add-ons that may have been offered, followed by the itemization associated with each reward tier and add-on. An item could appear within multiple reward tiers, as well as in an add-on, so this is essentially checking off each item, and what quantity, need to be included with each pledge.
For example, a backer may have selected a base reward tier that included the item “Vinyl album”, and then also opted to add an extra two of this item as an add-on. As this backer’s pledge now includes three of the item “Vinyl album”, that number will be listed in the relevant item’s column on the backer export.
Below is an example of how column O onwards will appear for a project that included add-ons:
