{
  "slug": "kickstarter-goal",
  "title": "Kickstarter Funding Goal Calculator",
  "heading": "Kickstarter Funding Goal Calculator",
  "category": "financial",
  "url": "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/kickstarter-goal",
  "summary": "The goal you need after fees, taxes, and fulfillment.",
  "description": "Crowdfunding goals set at production cost lose money. This adds platform fees, payment processing, failed pledges, taxes, and shipping.",
  "formula": null,
  "dateModified": "2026-09-30",
  "run_url": "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/api/public/calc?tool=kickstarter-goal",
  "inputs": [
    {
      "id": "production",
      "label": "Production cost",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 40000,
      "unit": "$",
      "min": null,
      "max": null
    },
    {
      "id": "shipping",
      "label": "Fulfillment & shipping",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 18000,
      "unit": "$",
      "min": null,
      "max": null
    },
    {
      "id": "platform",
      "label": "Platform fee",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 5,
      "unit": "%",
      "min": null,
      "max": null
    },
    {
      "id": "processing",
      "label": "Payment processing",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 3.5,
      "unit": "%",
      "min": null,
      "max": null
    },
    {
      "id": "failed",
      "label": "Failed pledges",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 4,
      "unit": "%",
      "min": null,
      "max": null
    },
    {
      "id": "tax",
      "label": "Tax set-aside",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 20,
      "unit": "%",
      "min": null,
      "max": null
    },
    {
      "id": "buffer",
      "label": "Contingency buffer",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 15,
      "unit": "%",
      "min": null,
      "max": null
    }
  ],
  "outputs": [
    {
      "id": "goal",
      "label": "Funding goal to set",
      "format": "currency",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": true
    },
    {
      "id": "need",
      "label": "Cash actually needed",
      "format": "currency",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": false
    },
    {
      "id": "fees",
      "label": "Fees, tax & losses",
      "format": "currency",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": false
    },
    {
      "id": "leakage",
      "label": "Total leakage rate",
      "format": "percent",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": false
    }
  ],
  "worked_example": {
    "inputs": [
      "Production cost: 40000 $",
      "Fulfillment & shipping: 18000 $",
      "Platform fee: 5 %",
      "Payment processing: 3.5 %",
      "Failed pledges: 4 %",
      "Tax set-aside: 20 %",
      "Contingency buffer: 15 %"
    ],
    "outputs": [
      "Funding goal to set: $98,815",
      "Cash actually needed: $66,700",
      "Fees, tax & losses: $32,115",
      "Total leakage rate: 32.5%"
    ]
  },
  "how_to": {
    "title": "How to use this",
    "steps": [
      "Enter production cost ($).",
      "Enter fulfillment & shipping ($).",
      "Enter platform fee (%).",
      "Enter payment processing (%).",
      "Enter failed pledges (%).",
      "Enter tax set-aside (%).",
      "Enter contingency buffer (%).",
      "Read your funding goal to set on the right — it updates as you type.",
      "Hit Share to keep the scenario or send it to someone."
    ]
  },
  "scenarios": [
    {
      "name": "Conservative",
      "description": "Lower-end numbers — what if things land soft?",
      "values": {
        "production": 24000,
        "shipping": 11000,
        "platform": 3,
        "processing": 2.1,
        "failed": 2.4,
        "tax": 12,
        "buffer": 10
      }
    },
    {
      "name": "Typical",
      "description": "Defaults — the most common real-world setup.",
      "values": {
        "production": 40000,
        "shipping": 18000,
        "platform": 5,
        "processing": 3.5,
        "failed": 4,
        "tax": 20,
        "buffer": 15
      }
    },
    {
      "name": "Ambitious",
      "description": "Higher-end numbers — what if things really pop?",
      "values": {
        "production": 64000,
        "shipping": 29000,
        "platform": 8,
        "processing": 5.6000000000000005,
        "failed": 6.4,
        "tax": 32,
        "buffer": 25
      }
    }
  ],
  "limitations": [
    "Results are estimates before tax, fees, and inflation unless an input explicitly covers them.",
    "Rates are treated as fixed for the whole period — variable-rate products will drift from this projection.",
    "This is educational maths, not financial advice. Check anything contractual with the lender or your accountant."
  ],
  "faq": [
    {
      "q": "How does the kickstarter funding goal calculator work?",
      "a": "Crowdfunding goals set at production cost lose money. This adds platform fees, payment processing, failed pledges, taxes, and shipping."
    },
    {
      "q": "What do I need to enter?",
      "a": "7 values: production cost, fulfillment & shipping, platform fee, payment processing, failed pledges, tax set-aside, and contingency buffer. Each field starts with a sensible default, so you can change one number at a time and watch the result move."
    },
    {
      "q": "What does the funding goal to set result mean?",
      "a": "It is returned as a money amount in US dollars and updates live as you edit the inputs, so you can compare two or three versions of a scenario in a few seconds."
    },
    {
      "q": "Is this calculator free, and do I need an account?",
      "a": "Yes, it's free, and no account is required. Nothing you type is stored on our servers — the maths runs entirely in your browser."
    },
    {
      "q": "How accurate is the result?",
      "a": "It applies the standard formula exactly, so the arithmetic is precise. Results are estimates before tax, fees, and inflation unless an input explicitly covers them."
    },
    {
      "q": "Who is this tool for?",
      "a": "It's built for anyone comparing money scenarios before committing — budgeting a payment, sanity-checking a quote, or seeing what a change in rate or term actually costs."
    }
  ],
  "related": [
    "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/board-game-print-run"
  ],
  "license": "CC-BY-4.0",
  "citation": "RevenueLab — Kickstarter Funding Goal Calculator (https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/kickstarter-goal)"
}