As someone who has backed hundreds of campaigns, BackerClub member Lara Santos knows a thing or two about crowdfunding. She makes up just 0.25% of Kickstarter members who are classified as “superbackers”.
What exactly is a superbacker? Kickstarter defines it as someone who has backed at least 25 projects in the past year with pledges of $10 or more.
As you’ll learn below, Lara has far exceeded that quota. We asked her to share some of her experiences as a superbacker and what her advice would be to both creators and fellow backers.
BackerClub:
How many campaigns have you backed in total?
Lara Abulawi:
In total… around 900.
BackerClub:
How did you first hear about crowdfunding?
Lara Abulawi:
I think maybe around 10 years ago while I was still living in Portugal.
BC:
Do you remember the first project you ever backed?
L.A.
There are actually two types of crowdfunding for me. The first I backed was actually a humanitarian campaign to help women that suffered from female genital mutilation, and I backed many projects to help people. However the first project I backed for a company to actually accomplish production and perk delivery was Brushean Makeup Brush Sanitizer.
BC:
What’s been your favorite crowdfunding campaign?
L.A.
This is the hardest question to answer because almost every campaign I’ve backed is in my reach or part of my day to day life, but as of this moment the one that actually changed my life was Viori shampoo soap bars.
BC:
What was the most disappointing and why?
L.A.
Definitely ROBOQI 2.0 With Alexa. The reason is besides disappointing me it made me so angry up to this day because the creator only lies… I took actions and actually asked Amazon about the certification which was promised with the product and they answered that they had no idea of this project. This was already after the creator stated that they were just waiting for certification. I asked for my money back but received no product or refund after almost one year.
BC:
Do you ever cancel pledges and how do you identify projects that seem too risky to back?
L.A.
Yes, I cancel pledges based on financial issues because there is a limit I can actually pay with my credit card in Mozambique. However, I also do my own search even after backing the campaign to see if the product already exists elsewhere. Even though some projects get funded by a small margin I usually keep my pledge because I backed it due to its innovation and uniqueness.
“However, I also do my own search even after backing the campaign to see if the product already exists elsewhere. “
Superbacker Lara Abulawi
BC:
You’ve backed campaigns in nearly every category – how do you usually discover new projects?
L.A.
I do a search if not every day every 2 days of projects just launched in all categories, but there is one type of campaign I don’t back, enamel pins and their bags (except for 1 where the reward was all planets of our solar system including Pluto).
BC:
Based on the number of projects you’ve supported, what are some things that every crowdfunding creator should do?
L.A.
Never withhold information regarding the manufacturing, like some say environmentally friendly and the creator is in the US or even Europe, then they decide to manufacture in China which increases the carbon footprint, making it not very friendly. I ask a lot of questions nowadays and always try to keep track of ways to find the creator even when the campaign ends or doesn’t get funded and I really like the perk and still want it. Also, communication is very important. Creators must do updates on a regular basis and when they calculate the campaign funds needed, they should take into account a percentage for people wanting a refund.
“I ask a lot of questions nowadays and always try to keep track of ways to find the creator even when the campaign ends…”
Superbacker Lara Abulawi
BC:
Do you have any advice for other backers, or maybe someone about to make their first pledge?
L.A.
Any new backer should always back immediately when they see the project because super early or early prices are limited. Then research what they backed, see if the creator has previous campaigns that went well and read the comments of backers on the previous campaigns to see what or if something went wrong. Also, always research if what you backed exists elsewhere and if it does do a public comment on the project page with proof, cancel the pledge and report the project. We all suffer when we get scammed.
We’d like to thank Lara for taking the time to share her experiences crowdfunding with us.
Are you a superbacker interested in being interviewed? Send us a message at blog @ backerclub.co.
