Frequently Asked Questions


About Funded By Me


Backing a project


Submitting a project


Managing your project


Rewards


About Funded By Me

What is Funded By Me?

Funded By Me is a platform for crowdfunding your projects and dreams. It is born out of the frustration that all entrepreneurs, creative people and enthusiasts experience while they struggle to bring to life a vision; the difficulty of reaching out and raising funds.

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How does it work?

You submit your project to us in very few steps. We advise you to use a video, to be precise and to view your presentation as a pitch for creating interest and trust in yourself, your idea or your project.

We will review your project and in some cases give advice or provide feedback. The purpose of this is to ensure that our inside knowledge gets passed over to you. We believe that a project that is well presented has better chances of succeeding.

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Why will people support projects?

We are called Funded By Me because everybody wants to be part of something bigger. We all love the feeling of being part of a movement, a purpose, a project or the making of a dream. Fans want to help their idols, people love to be part of creativity and a lot carry the dream of being part of the next big thing.

So people will support you; either because they believe in you or want to see you succeed, because they love your idea or product or because they see that later on they might get an exclusive gift, tickets or another reward.

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So is this about investing?

In some cases the rewards might be shares of an idea or company, but in most cases we will show you how you can see different ways to reward your backers. And remember that if you offer an item like a CD, a t-shirt, tickets or something affordable and tangible you might even receive a lot more than what you thought you would. In a way, you sell stuff in advance and create a buzz and a community around your project.

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Who can submit a project on Funded By Me?

Anybody can submit a project. We will go through every project and decide if we think that it's ready to go live. In some cases we will suggest improvements to your presentation. In any case you will always receive a reply. Although we welcome most projects we are committed to see you succeed.

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How do I submit a project?

Just go to http://www.fundedbyme.com/submit-project/ and start from there. Read the Tips & Tricks and visit and engage with the community.

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Backing a project

How do I back a project?

This is very easy. Just select the project you want to support and select a reward or amount. Click on it and you will have a second chance to review your order. After that you will be taken care by PayPal, one of the most secure ways of online payment. You don't need a PayPal account - any credit card will do just fine.

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If funding does not succeed do backers pay anything?

Every project has set its' own minimum goal it has to reach. If it doesn't, all the money collected so far from backers will be refunded.

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What information will PayPal collect?

PayPal will show the information you have given them. Only the project owner sees your contact information (name, address, etc).

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Is my amount publicly displayed?

No.

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How do I know if a project creator is trustworthy?

As in every online transaction or real life interaction you have to carefully examine the person or project, do your due diligence or trust your instincts. We also recommend to carefully view the links provided and Google. These methods might give you a good idea of the project creator. Although have in mind that stuff can go wrong along the way, so even if you back someone who is for real, projects might fail sometimes.

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Can I pledge to a project from somewhere else in the world?

Anybody, anywhere can back projects. Anybody anywhere can also submit a project. Thanks to PayPal and the major credit card companies you have no technical problems backing projects.

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Submitting a project

Are a funding goal and deadline required?

Of course. You need a clear timeline. A start and an end. You also need to be specific. Don't raise funds to build a brand, rather raise money to produce a show or an item. The deadline can be between 10 and 90 days and is set by you.

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Are rewards required?

Yes. Even if some people will back you and never claim anything for it, even your Mom and Dad want something in return. It might be a hug, a CD, tickets or a concert at their birthday. You decide what you can offer.

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Is a PayPal account required to launch a project?

No. But you might need one if you need the cash fast. We can make other kind of transactions but it takes days.

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Can I change my funding goal?

Not at this point. Once you start you are in till the end. Otherwise, it would be unfair to those first ones that backed you.

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Can I change my deadline?

Not at this point. Once you start you are in till the end. Otherwise, it would be unfair to those first ones that backed you.

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Can a project be edited after launching?

Not at this point. Once you start you are in till the end. Otherwise, it would be unfair to those first ones that backed you.

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Can I run more than one project at once?

Yes. We encourage that, but make sure that you have the time and energy to actually deliver.

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Can I submit more than one project for review?

Yes. Of course.

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Can a project be deleted?

We reserve the right to delete projects when we discover abuse of our terms or conditions, or at the request of a project creator.

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Can I retry my project if funding is unsuccessful?

Yes. You set your own minimum goal. It might be 1 or 99 percent, you decide, and if you aren't able to reach it indicates that you are unfinished, unclear or uninteresting.

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How do I know someone won't steal my idea?

Well, you don't. But ideas without execution are nothing. You are the heart of your idea. You will most likely inspire people and most likely others inspire you.

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Any tips for shooting great videos?

Keep a lookout for our partners or tips on our Tips & Tricks pages.

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What fees do you charge?

Paypal applies its' fees ( 1,9 % - 3,4 % + 3,25 SEK) and these can vary depending on how backers give funds, and on how much they give (read more about this on Paypal.com). Funded By Me charges 6% in administration fees. We will sometimes have campaigns where we charge less - keep your eyes open for these.

Note that any funds you receive for your project through Funded By Me may be subject to taxes. As a project creator, it is your responsibility to find out if they are so in your country, and if/how that income should be declared.

For project creators in Sweden, some of the total funding amount you receive for a project might have to be declared as VAT. Also note that projects run by a private citizen in Sweden (i.e. not a registered organization or business, and not registered for VAT) cannot ask for more than SEK 10000 as their project goal for tax reasons.

Project creators outside of Sweden may also be liable to declare part of the funds received through Funded By Me as VAT ("reverse charge"), depending on the tax laws in their country of residence.

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Does it cost money to submit a project?

No, it's completely free.

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How do I receive the funds?

After your funding deadline, we will summarize your funding totals and contact you. The fastest and easiest way to receive funds is by creating your own PayPal account. Transfers to other bank accounts might take a few days.

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If my project is successfully funded how do I receive my money?

See above.

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Managing your project

What happens if a project reaches its' funding goal before time expires?

You continue raising money. A lot of projects that reward something interesting, like an upcoming CD, a gadget or something affordable might get a lot of backers or pre-buyers.

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Can projects raise more money than their goal?

Sure.

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How does a project get recommended?

We will highlight certain projects, and also boost some of the projects through our social networks and newsletters.

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If I am unable to complete my project as listed, what should I do?

Contact us and we will unlist or deactivate it.

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I'm collaborating on my project with others. Can we all be listed as the project creator?

No. Only one person is the creator. But you can list all the members in the project description.

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How do I get in touch with my backers?

When logged in, select "You" from the top menu and click on your project. There, you will see a list of everyone who has backed your project. Clicking on someone's name opens up a contact form that allows you to send an email to that person.

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Do you have any tips on how best to crowdfund a project?

We regularly write on the subject on Funded By Me's blog, as well as in our Community.

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Rewards

Are projects required to offer rewards?

Yes. We suggest that you read our Tips & Tricks on this. If you give good rewards you most likely will get more backers and funds than if you don't.

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Who creates the rewards for each project?

You do! Only you know what you can offer. It might be stuff, your time, hugs, or anything else.

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What can be offered as a reward?

Be creative. Think about your recipients. What would they like to get?

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Who is responsible for making sure project creators deliver what they promise?

Stuff happens. Sometimes projects can't be realized. That's life. But make sure that you do your due diligence, trust your instincts and carefully examine the person or project you choose to back.

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As a backer, how will project creators get my info (address, size, etc) to deliver rewards?

We will provide them with your contact info, but we suggest that you guys get in touch. Project creators might also need your support and feedback along the way.

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