How to Create a Project Support Goal as a Creator

Creating a Project Support goal on FanBell takes four steps: enable Project Support in your dashboard, enter a goal name and short description, set a target dollar amount, then preview and publish. Fans then see the goal and its progress bar on your FanBell page and contribute cash through Stripe.

FanBell requires no follower minimum, no application, and no monthly fee to publish a Project Support goal, and charges a 12% platform fee only when a fan actually pays (pricing). Kickstarter, by contrast, "collects a 5% fee from the funds collected" plus a Stripe processing fee of roughly 3-5%, and collects nothing at all unless the campaign reaches its goal (Kickstarter Help Center, "What are the fees?", help.kickstarter.com/hc/en-us/articles/115005028634).

This walkthrough focuses on setup. If you are still deciding whether direct fan funding suits your project, fund your next creative project with fan support explains the cash-toward-a-goal model and how the steps below fit into a broader funding plan.

What should you know before setting up Project Support?

Know four constraints before you pick a number: FanBell's Project Support has no follower minimum, no monthly fee, no required deadline, and no all-or-nothing cutoff, and it charges a 12% platform fee only on paid contributions. The table below lists every setup rule that affects how you word and size the goal.

Project Support lets fans send cash toward one goal you define, with contributions tracked against a target on a progress bar. It is not an Amazon-style wishlist, tiered-reward campaign, or all-or-nothing fundraiser. There are no reward tiers, no shipping addresses, and no required campaign deadline to configure. Publishing a goal is worth the five minutes: Ko-fi reports that creator pages with a Goal "earn on average 2x more" than pages without one (Ko-fi Help Centre, "Getting started on Ko-fi," help.ko-fi.com/hc/en-us/articles/360014098514).

How does a FanBell goal compare with Kickstarter, GoFundMe, and Indiegogo?

FanBell and GoFundMe release funds whether or not the target is reached; Kickstarter and Indiegogo Fixed Funding release nothing below goal. Fees differ just as sharply: Kickstarter and Indiegogo each take a 5% platform fee before processing, GoFundMe takes 2.9% + $0.30 per donation, and FanBell takes 12% with no monthly fee.

On FanBell a $600 target that reaches only $180 still pays out that $180 less fees, whereas the same shortfall on Kickstarter charges no backer and pays the creator $0 (Kickstarter Help Center, "How to set the right funding goal for your Kickstarter campaign," help.kickstarter.com/hc/en-us/articles/115005134293). For the wider trade-offs, see how to set a realistic funding goal.

Step 1: How do you turn on Project Support?

Open Customize Creator Page in the FanBell dashboard, enable the Project Support block, then choose Open Project supporters and select Create new support goal to reach the goal editor. There is no application and no approval wait: FanBell is free to start with no monthly fee.

1. Sign in to FanBell and open Customize Creator Page in the dashboard sidebar.
2. Under "Choose one or more ways fans can support you," enable the Project Support block.
3. Select Open Project supporters to reach your goal list.
4. Select Create new support goal to open the New support goal editor.

Project Support is one of several blocks you can switch on independently; FanBell states you should "turn on only the offers that fit you" rather than enabling everything. The whole setup is quick by design — FanBell puts it at "a few minutes" from claiming your link to pasting it in your bio.

Step 2: How do you name your goal and describe it?

The editor gives you three text fields: Title for the specific thing the money buys, Short description for the one line shown on the project card, and Project story, which accepts up to 800 characters. FanBell's own placeholder text models the pattern — Title "Help upgrade my microphone," Short description "I want to improve stream audio quality."

An optional fourth field, How funds will be used, takes a short list such as "Camera upgrade, microphone, lighting." GoFundMe gives organizers the same instruction for the goal itself, advising them to set "a realistic goal for your cause" to encourage donations (GoFundMe Help Center, "Choosing your goal amount," support.gofundme.com/hc/en-us/articles/4405145410331).

Good Title values name an identifiable project or purchase:

• “New camera for better video quality”
• “Studio time for the next EP”
• “Upgrading my streaming setup”

A specific purpose is clearer than a general “support me” request. Keep this initial description concise. Questions such as whether to include a cost breakdown, how much of the project story to tell, and what call to action to use are covered in what to put on a project support page.

The goal name and description remain editable after publishing.

Step 3: How do you set the target amount?

Type the amount into the editor's Goal target ($) field, which FanBell marks optional and pre-fills with the placeholder 300. That number becomes the endpoint of the public progress bar, so set it to what the project actually costs and then add the two fee layers below so the net still covers your budget.

FanBell charges a 12% platform fee on each paid contribution. Stripe separately deducts a standard rate of 2.9% + $0.30 per successful U.S. card transaction (Stripe, stripe.com/pricing). At those two published rates a $50 contribution nets $42.25 — FanBell takes $6.00 and Stripe takes $1.75 — so 24 contributions of $50 raise $1,200 gross and $1,014 net.

Kickstarter's own guidance is to set "the amount you need to complete your project," and some creators there "need to raise at least $100,000" to make a project happen (Kickstarter Help Center, "How to set the right funding goal for your Kickstarter campaign," help.kickstarter.com/hc/en-us/articles/115005134293). That pressure exists because Kickstarter pays out nothing below goal; FanBell has no such threshold, so a target below your true costs still releases every dollar contributed.

Setting a small first target is a normal choice across the category, not a weak one: Indiegogo's minimum Fixed Funding goal is $1 (Indiegogo Help Center, "Indiegogo's Acquisition by Gamefound & Platform Upgrade FAQs," support.indiegogo.com/hc/en-us/articles/39600950083988), and Kickstarter states "there is no limit on how much a campaign can raise" beyond the goal (Kickstarter Help Center, "Why is funding all-or-nothing?", help.kickstarter.com/hc/en-us/articles/115005047893).

FanBell lets you edit the target after publishing. However, materially increasing it after fans have contributed can feel like moving the goalposts, so explain any change to existing supporters.

For a fuller method that considers project costs, fees, and the size of your audience, see how to set a realistic funding goal.

Step 4: How do you preview, publish, and share the goal?

Save the settings, open the page preview, confirm the goal name, description, target, and progress state are correct, publish, then open the live page once as a fan would see it and put the link in your bio. Every enabled goal appears on your page as its own project card, so keep one live at a time if you want fans to focus on a single ask.

After completing the goal name, description, and target amount:

1. Save the Project Support settings.
2. Open the page preview and confirm that the correct goal, description, target, and progress state appear.
3. Check that Project Support is enabled rather than left off.
4. Publish the updated page.
5. Open the public page once to verify what fans can see.
6. Share that FanBell page link in your social bio, posts, videos, or messages.

After publication, fans see the Project Support goal on your FanBell page, including its description, target, contribution option, and funding progress. Fans need no FanBell account: they "check out as a guest and pay by card through Stripe".

Publishing a goal creates no monthly charge: FanBell is "free to start with no monthly fee" and its 12% platform fee "applies only when a fan actually pays you".

Before promoting the goal, complete these two tasks:

• Connect Stripe. FanBell "pays out to your bank account through Stripe" and has you connect that account once during setup, so contributions will not reach your bank until onboarding is complete. Stripe documents that for standard payouts to a connected account, arrival "typically occurs 1-2 business days after submission," and notes that payout timing varies by country and account (Stripe, "Payouts to connected accounts," docs.stripe.com/connect/payouts-connected-accounts). You can publish first, but you should complete onboarding before expecting a payout.
• Place the page link where fans can find it. Project Support lives on the same FanBell page as your other offers. FanBell does not read or automatically charge inside your direct messages; you make the ask on the platform where your audience follows you and direct fans to your page.

As fans contribute, their payments count toward the displayed total and move the progress bar.

What happens after fans start contributing?

Each contribution charges the fan upfront, counts toward the displayed total, and moves the progress bar, with no waiting for the target: fans "pay the full price upfront when they order". Once Stripe onboarding is done, Stripe says a standard payout to a connected account "typically occurs 1-2 business days after submission," subject to your country and account settings (Stripe, "Payouts to connected accounts," docs.stripe.com/connect/payouts-connected-accounts).

Publishing completes the setup, but you should continue communicating with supporters as the project progresses. How to keep supporters updated on a creator project covers update cadence, milestone posts, and changes in project scope.

Project Support has no required deadline and no all-or-nothing funding cutoff, so a goal keeps collecting for as long as it stays published. Missing the target therefore does not automatically trigger refunds; a creator "can decline and refund" a request, but FanBell does not automatically return every contribution merely because the goal falls short. Kickstarter treats a shortfall the same way once a campaign has already funded, stating that "creators will still receive the balance of collected funds, less fees, even if the final amount falls below your project's funding goal due to dropped pledges" (Kickstarter Help Center, "What happens if the final funding amount is lower than the goal after a campaign has ended?", help.kickstarter.com/hc/en-us/articles/360034693434).

Choose a target you are confident you can use responsibly, and explain what will happen if the project changes or receives less funding than expected.

Frequently asked questions

Can I edit the goal after publishing?

Yes. Reopen the goal in the editor and change Title, Short description, Project story, or Goal target ($) at any time after publication. If fans have already contributed, communicate any material target or scope change rather than editing it quietly.

Must I complete Stripe onboarding before publishing?

No. You can publish first, but FanBell "pays out to your bank account through Stripe" and you "connect your account once during setup," so nothing settles to your bank until onboarding is done.

Can I run more than one Project Support goal at a time?

You can, because each enabled goal shows as its own project card, but one live goal concentrates attention. A clear Title helps fans understand exactly which project they are funding.

Do I need to set a campaign deadline?

No. The goal editor's Deadline field is marked optional and there is no all-or-nothing cutoff, so fans can contribute for as long as the goal remains published. Kickstarter, by comparison, caps a campaign at 60 days and recommends 30 days or less (Kickstarter Help Center, "What is the maximum project duration?", help.kickstarter.com/hc/en-us/articles/115005128434).

What do I keep from each contribution?

FanBell deducts a 12% platform fee and Stripe deducts 2.9% + $0.30 per successful U.S. card transaction (Stripe, stripe.com/pricing), so a $50 contribution nets $42.25 and a $20 contribution nets $16.72.

Do I keep the money if I never reach the target?

Yes. FanBell has no all-or-nothing cutoff, so a $180 total against a $600 target still pays out that $180 less fees. Kickstarter is the opposite: unless a campaign reaches its funding goal, backers are not charged and creators receive no funds (Kickstarter Help Center, "How to set the right funding goal for your Kickstarter campaign," help.kickstarter.com/hc/en-us/articles/115005134293).

How can you set up your goal now?

Decide what you are raising for, describe it in one sentence, enter a target that covers costs plus fees, preview the fan-facing page, and publish. Publishing costs nothing: FanBell has no monthly fee and takes its 12% only when a fan pays, and fans "check out as a guest and pay by card through Stripe" with no account to create.

Turn on Project Support on your FanBell page, name your goal, and publish it so contributions can start counting toward the total.