When will my rewards be sent out?

So you’ve just pledged on a campaign. Awesome. Now you’re itchy to get your mitts on the reward that was promised you. Woah, buddy! There are a few things you’ve got to take into account when you’re trying to figure out when you’re going to get your reward.

For pledgers

Have a looksie over on the right hand side of the campaign page. If there is still time running on the campaign you’re not going to be getting your reward until after that date. Because PledgeMe runs an ‘all or nothing’ model, the person you pledged to doesn’t get the money until after the campaign closes. It’d be hard for them to start sending stuff out when they a) don’t have the money yet and b) might not get the money at all.

The next factor to take into account is whether the campaign has set a timeline for rewards. Sometimes they will need a while to make their rewards, especially if they’ve put an emphasis on providing something unique or they were looking for the money to manufacture the product in the first place. It’s not uncommon for campaigners to say in the body of their pitch or in an update when they expect to send out rewards.

Also, sometimes campaigns get super swamped with demand, like the Eat My Lunch crew who had over 2500 people pledge on their campaign! Super for them, but it does mean that sending rewards out to everyone is going to take time.

So, if the campaign has finished and you’re wondering where your reward is you’ll need to get in touch with the campaign creator. They’re the ones who have promised you the reward. If you know the person then flick them an email or if they’ve got a Twitter or Facebook then give that a shot. If you’re having difficulty tracking them down, then get in touch with us.

In summary: be patient. The campaigner is probably celebrating their success or busy getting on with doing the thing it is they wanted your pledged to do! There haven’t been many, if any, cases of campaigners taking the cash and heading to Vegas, but there have been a few times where due to external factors they haven’t been able to provide them as fast as they thought they would. Best practice from their side is to keep you informed.

For campaigners

A couple of quick points to make sure you get your rewards out on time and keep your crowd happy.

• When you’re planning your campaign remember to budget some time to send out rewards.
• Mention your timeline for sending out rewards in your pitch. Especially if there is going to be a significant delay between the end of the campaign and delivery.
• Use the update feature to keep your pledgers up-to-date with what is happening.
• If you are having problems following through or you’ve had a setback, then let your pledgers know with an update. Keep them informed so they know when to expect their rewards or see if there is a way they can help
• It’s really important you deliver on the rewards you promised or at least figure out some way to ensure your pledgers get value for their pledge.

In summary: It’s more than likely the people who pledged are your friends, family, workmates, or people just as passionate about your project as you are. So treat ‘em nice.

This is the first of an ongoing series of posts on How to PledgeMe. They’ll provide tips, hints, and tricks for campaigners, pledgers, prospective projects, and enthusiastic equity-sellers. Want a specific topic covered? Email Chief Media Wrangler Jackson and he’ll put it on the list.