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Your funding goal is a promise you have to deliver.
What's the lowest number that doesn't lose money?

All or nothing cuts both ways: fund at a goal set too low and you're committed to delivering at a loss. Put in your real costs and get the minimum goal that survives its own success, at 100%, 200% and 500% funded.

01 Your numbers
€
art, graphic design, prototypes, review copies: what you pay before the first pledge
€
based on your reward prices
€
manufacturing only, shipping excluded
€
pick & pack + weighted average shipping · most campaigns charge shipping post-campaign, in the pledge manager: if that's you, it doesn't weigh on the goal
ads %
buf %
ads: campaigns that advertise typically spend 10-20% of the raise · buffer: misquotes, damaged copies, currency swings
100%
EU
US
RoW
VAT applies only to the EU share
%
every country has its own rate · some campaigns collect VAT from backers in the pledge manager, together with shipping: if that's your plan, it doesn't eat the goal
02 The verdict
You need at least
€ 39,500
that's roughly 494 backers · of every €100 you raise, €80 is already spoken for
Kickstarter fee 5%− € 1,975
Payment processing 3% + €0.30/pledge− € 1,333
VAT on EU share 22%− € 3,205
Production 494 units− € 7,410
Fulfillment charged post-campaign− € 0
Advertising 12% of the raise− € 4,740
Safety buffer 10% of the raise− € 3,950
Fixed costs− € 8,000
Left at goal€ 0
And if it goes well?
Funded 100%
raise € 39,500 · 494 backers
€ 0
you keep · margin 0%
Funded 200%
raise € 79,000 · 988 backers
€ 8,003
you keep · margin 10%
Funded 500%
raise € 197,500 · 2,469 backers
€ 32,014
you keep · margin 16%
Fixed costs are the only line that doesn't grow with the raise: € 16.19 per backer at goal, € 3.24 per backer at 500%. Everything else scales with you, which is why overfunding improves the margin less than it feels like it should. Print runs do get cheaper per copy at volume: re-run the numbers with your 2,500-unit quote before celebrating.

Already know your goal? See what you actually keep with the fee calculator →

Setting a Kickstarter funding goal:
the questions we get asked most

How do I set my Kickstarter funding goal?

Add up what you've already committed (art, graphic design, prototypes, review copies), then look at what's left of each pledge after the variable costs: platform and payment fees, VAT on your EU share, production, ads, and shipping if you don't charge it post-campaign. Your minimum goal is the fixed costs divided by that leftover share. With €8,000 of fixed costs, an €80 pledge and shipping charged in the pledge manager, each pledge keeps about 43% and the floor lands at €19,000. The calculator runs this with your numbers.

Why not just set a low goal to make sure I fund?

Because funding is binding. If you fund at a number that doesn't cover your costs, Kickstarter charges the backers, takes its 5%, and you now owe everyone a game you're producing at a loss. The goal is the floor under your obligations, and it deserves better than being treated as a marketing number.

What happens if I raise 500% of my goal?

Most costs scale right along with the raise: more backers means more fees, more units, more shipping, more ads. What improves is the weight of your fixed costs, now spread over five times the backers, and usually your unit price, since print runs get cheaper per copy at volume. What also grows is fulfillment complexity: five times the shipments is where overfunded campaigns typically bleed.

Should advertising be part of the funding goal?

Yes. Campaigns that advertise typically spend 10-20% of what they raise. If that spend isn't inside the goal, it comes straight out of your margin, and the margin is thinner than most creators expect once fees and VAT are counted. The fee calculator shows the full picture on your numbers.

Doesn't Kickstarter have its own goal calculator?

It does, inside the project editor's Funding tab, so you need a draft project to reach it. It also leaves out VAT and advertising, the two lines that surprise EU creators most. This one runs in the open with both included.

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100+ campaigns launched since 2017 · MG Solutions