How to Create a Goal as a Creator

Creating a Goal on Brillay takes four steps: enable Goals in your dashboard, enter a goal name and short description, set a target dollar amount, then preview and publish. Followers then see the goal and its progress bar on your Brillay page and contribute cash through Stripe. A Goal is one named goal with a progress bar: followers make one-time contributions and every contribution is yours whether or not the goal is reached — no deadline unless you set one, and nothing to ship.

Brillay is free for creators to start a goal, and it charges 5% only when a follower 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). Your goal lives on the same Brillay link already in your bio, not a separate campaign site you'd have to send followers to and ask them to trust.

This walkthrough focuses on setup. If you are still deciding whether direct follower funding suits your project, fund your next creative project with follower 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 Goals?

Know the main constraints before you pick a number: Brillay Goals are one-time contributions, not memberships or subscriptions, and Brillay charges 5% only when a follower pays. The table below lists the setup rules that affect how you word and size the goal.

Goals lets followers send cash toward one goal you define, with contributions tracked against a target on a progress bar. It is not an Amazon-style wishlist or tiered-reward campaign. There are no reward tiers, no shipping addresses, and no required campaign deadline to configure. If asking for donations feels like begging, say exactly what followers can help fund: “Help fund studio time for my next EP” is clearer than “support me.” Support is optional, starts at $1, and does not require an account or membership. If you worry that followers will ignore the ask, start with a concrete target and a low-friction card contribution rather than waiting until you can promise tiers, shipping, or a full campaign. Followers send money rather than buying a preselected item, so you decide what the project actually needs when you spend it.

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

With Goals, each contribution is paid right away; compare that with each crowdfunding platform’s current funding rule before choosing a tool. 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 Brillay takes 5% with no monthly fee.

On Brillay 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 goal for your Kickstarter campaign, help.kickstarter.com/hc/en-us/articles/115005134293). For the wider trade-offs, see how to set a realistic goal.

Step 1: How do you turn on Goals?

In the Brillay dashboard, enable Goals, open its goal list, and create a new Goal to enter your title, story, funding target, and progress settings.

1. Sign in to Brillay and open Customize Creator Page in the dashboard sidebar.
2. Under “Choose one or more ways followers can support you,” enable the Goals block.
3. Select Open Project followers to reach your goal list.
4. Select Create new support goal to open the New support goal editor.

Enable Goals when you have a specific project, purchase, or production cost you want followers to help fund; your other Brillay offers can remain on the same creator link. The setup keeps your Goal and your other enabled offers on one Brillay link that you can place 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 for the fuller context. Brillay’s own placeholder text models the pattern — Title “Help upgrade my microphone,” Short description “I want to improve stream audio quality.”

A 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 their 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”

Instead of a vague “support me” request, say what the money will make possible: “Help fund studio time for the next EP” or “Help replace my streaming microphone.” 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 goal page.

The goal name and description remain editable after publishing.

Step 3: How do you set the target amount?

Type the amount you want to raise into the Goal target field; that amount becomes the endpoint of the public progress bar. Set it to what the project actually costs and then account for the fees below so the net still covers your budget. Followers can contribute from $1 to $10,000, currency-converted, so choose a target that fits realistic contribution sizes for your audience.

Stripe processing fees are deducted separately from your earnings and vary by transaction; Brillay shows the actual processing fee in your earnings breakdown. On a $50 contribution, Brillay’s 5% platform fee is $2.50. The itemized earnings breakdown inside your Brillay dashboard, not this estimate, is the accurate source for what a specific contribution nets you.

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 goal for your Kickstarter campaign, help.kickstarter.com/hc/en-us/articles/115005134293). That pressure exists because Kickstarter pays out nothing below goal.

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). Even a small audience or low contribution count can make a goal worth publishing because followers can contribute a one-time amount without creating an account.

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

For a fuller method that considers project costs, fees, and the size of your audience, see how to set a realistic 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 follower 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 followers to focus on a single ask.

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

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

After publication, followers see the goal on your Brillay page, including its description, target, contribution option, and funding progress. Followers make a one-time contribution by card as guests, and it counts toward the goal right away.

Publishing a goal creates no monthly charge: 5% only when a follower pays.

Before promoting the goal, complete these two tasks:

• Connect Stripe. Brillay 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. Payout timing varies by country and account, so connect your bank through Stripe and check inside Brillay to see when Stripe pays you out. Complete Stripe onboarding and check the payout status shown inside Brillay before asking followers to contribute.
• Place the page link where followers can find it. Goals lives on the same Brillay page as your other offers. You make the ask on the platform where your audience follows you and direct followers to your Brillay page.

What happens after followers start contributing?

Each contribution charges the follower immediately, counts toward the displayed total, and moves the progress bar, with no waiting for the target. Once Stripe onboarding is complete, payout timing varies by country and account; check the schedule shown inside Brillay.

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

A goal keeps collecting for as long as it stays published. A Goal contribution is an immediate payment rather than a request, and the creator can issue a refund if needed. 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 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 followers have already contributed, communicate any material target or scope change rather than editing it quietly.

Must I complete Stripe onboarding before publishing?

Connect your bank through Stripe before sharing your goal, then check inside Brillay to see when Stripe will pay you.

Why should I crowdfund one specific project instead of making a general support ask?

A named project tells followers exactly what their contribution buys, which a general ask cannot. You can run several goals, since each enabled goal shows as its own project card, but one live goal concentrates attention. A clear Title helps followers understand exactly which project they are funding.

Do I need to set a campaign deadline?

Followers can contribute for as long as the Brillay 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?

Each contribution comes to you minus two separate deductions: Brillay's platform fee on Goals (the rate in the setup table near the top of this guide, worked through on a $50 contribution) and Stripe's card processing, which varies by transaction. Your earnings breakdown itemizes both for every contribution.

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

Yes. Brillay has no all-or-nothing cutoff, so a $180 total against a $600 target still pays out that $180 less fees.

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 supporter-facing page, and publish. Publishing costs nothing: there is no monthly fee, Brillay charges 5% only when a follower pays by card without creating an account, and creator payouts are available in 41 supported countries.

Turn on Goals on your Brillay page, name your goal, and publish it so contributions can start counting toward the total.