How can I refund a backer for any additional funds received if I’m using PledgeManager?
If you need to refund any additional funds a backer has paid for your project through PledgeManager, such as shipping costs or to upgrade their pledge, you can issue a full or partial refund for this by following the steps below:
- Head to the ‘Backer List’ page for your project on PledgeManager. This can be accessed via the ‘Backers’ section (the people icon) of the menu, located on the left hand side of the page.
- Find the backer you wish to process a refund for. You can search for them by backer number, email address, or by searching for any portion of their name using the Quicksearch bar located to the upper left of the list. Click on their email address to open their order.
- Next, expand the ‘Payments / Charges’ section of their order located on the lower right by clicking the blue “change” link.
- In this section you’ll see their pledge payment total*, which reflects funds accepted through Kickstarter, as well as any additional transactions recorded in PledgeManager. After a refund has been processed you will be able to see that information here too.
- To issue a refund for funds collected within PledgeManager, simply click the green circular back arrow symbol to the right of the relevant Stripe payment.
- In the modal that opens up, you can enter how much of the additional funds you wish to refund to the backer up to the amount collected, and enter any details you would like to record about the transaction. After clicking the “Refund Amount” button, the amount you have entered will be refunded to the backer through Stripe with no further action required on your part.
- As a best practice, we recommend adding a note to the backer’s order in the ‘Notes > Internal Notes’ section, to include any additional information about the refund that may be helpful, such as why it was issued and by whom. These notes will not be seen by backers.
- We also recommend alerting the backer to the changes you’ve made. Once the refund has been processed, click the pencil icon next to their Order Status (located on the upper left of the page, below their order reference and name). From the dropdown menu choose ‘Modified Notice’, then click the blue “Change” button to submit. This will send the backer an email to let them know that edits have been made to their order and that they will need to go back in to their order details and reconfirm.
*The pledge payment amount will be locked in PledgeManager. If you wish to issue a refund for their original Kickstarter pledge this will need to be processed through Kickstarter. You can find the instructions for how to do that here.
How do I edit my PledgeManager project page or add restrictions?
You can edit the text on the initial landing page and/or order confirmation page seen by your backers by heading to the ‘Intro / Thanks’ page of the ‘Project Experience’ section (the eye icon). We recommend that you leave anything in brackets (such as the project name or FAQs) as those portions of the text are pulling unique aspects about your project directly from the database to make sure they’re always accurate.
To edit your project page, head to the ‘Project’ page of the ‘Configuration’ section (the cog icon), and here you’ll be able to edit your project’s name, description and cover image.
On this page you will also have access to various locks. These locks allow you to add restrictions to your project. For example, if you want to turn off your pre-order page, the option for backers to add additional items to their pledge, or their ability to upgrade their reward level or purchase add-ons, you can toggle those options from “Available” to “Locked”. We recommend not locking the entire project nor backers’ ability to change their address until you are ready to stop supporting the project. Address locks will happen automatically at the order level as you begin to report for fulfillment. Leaving those two project locks open will allow your backers to continue to complete their surveys with accurate information for as long as you are willing to hold their items for delivery.
How do I edit my rewards in PledgeManager?
PledgeManager is a “white glove” service that performs the complete set-up of your campaign for you based on the specific needs and promises for your project. The PledgeManager team will set up your rewards as part of their service at no additional charge and will assist with making any edits as needed after your onboarding call to walk through the configuration until you are satisfied.
To review your rewards or the products within them, visit the ‘Order Tools’ section (the cart icon) in your PledgeManager project and choose either ‘Rewards’ or ‘Products’. Here you’ll see an admin view of all the rewards you have set up and will be able to edit details such as names and descriptions by clicking on it directly or on the pencil icons. You can even drag and drop additional images.
Please note: Any changes to the price, SKU, quantities, restrictions, tax, or shipping, will need to be communicated to PledgeManager so they can update the configuration for you.
Does PledgeManager offer any reporting abilities?
Currently PledgeManager handles all fulfillment reporting for creators. By doing this they are able to ensure complete accuracy in the reporting to best meet your project’s fulfillment needs. If there is a specific report that you require, you can get in touch with the PledgeManager team and they will be able to configure and export any reports to your exact specifications.
For manufacturing estimates, you will find a host of reporting options under the ‘Reporting’ section of the menu (the graph icon) in your PledgeManager project, such as ‘Order Totals’, ‘SKU Counts By Country’, and ‘Backer Counts By Country’. On each of these pages you will be able to see the total number of orders for your project, based on your selection. For example, the SKU Counts By Country page will group orders by country. You can also switch between tabs to filter the view by complete, incomplete, canceled, or fulfilled orders, and come up with even more specialized views by clicking on the filters button on the right.