What is LaunchPad?

LaunchPad is a new way to raise funds and other support for just about anything- business, organization, personal, community or small group. This is a new model called crowdfunding, which in the past 5 years has seen thousands of crowdfunding campaigns launched worldwide, with over half of those in North America.

Funding by Contributors are not loans or securities of any kinds, but instead amount to donations or gifts. Project Creators can return the gift with a gift of their own, called a Reward. It’s part of a new sharing economy where people help people.

Who can use the site?

Anyone can view the site, and anyone can contribute using Paypal, with or without a Paypal account. Funds can also be mailed in directly to us to avoid Paypal fees.

A user account is required prior to making a contribution.

New business ideas (products or services)
Existing business needs (equipment, renovations, expansion, inventory, crisis financing, bridge money, partnership buy outs)
Existing needs of non-profit, charitable and community organizations, whether incorporated or not incorporated.
New projects or inventions.
Personal financial needs such as medical, housing, travel or other financial emergencies.
Wedding and honeymoon funding.
TV, Film or Music projects
Submissions will not be accepted that advocate violence, hatred, racism or discrimination of any kind, that include pornography, that violate any criminal laws of any province, or otherwise are deemed by us to be harmful to the LaunchPad brand.

If you are a youth between the ages of 13 and 18 years of age, you will need to have a legal guardian accept full responsibility and sign a written waiver on your behalf, and will need to disclose that you are a minor on your Campaign page.Contact us to request a youth project waiver.

Is there a limit to how much I can raise?

No, but be realistic!. If you ask for $1 Million on your first campaign you may end up being sorely disappointed! The average crowdfunding campaign in North America raises $4000, but a well organized campaign can raise far more.

Do I need a Video?

No, you can also add an image, but you should if you want to have the best chances of success. Industry statistics indicate that projects with videos have a substantially higher success rate than projects without. Videos should be between 30 seconds and 3 minutes and should be compelling, informative and well put together.

Do I need to offer Rewards?

No, rewards are entirely up to you. However remember to consider shipping cost if you are offering rewards and also understand you may not complete your project or task in order to produce the reward (example: you are going to send a Music CD... but you don't complete the project).

What does it cost to post a project?

There is no upfront cost to post a project. LaunchPad charges 10% of all funds successfully raised. Our fee does not include Paypal and bank transactions fees (about 3%)
When budgeting the total costs for your project you should also take into count the cost of any Rewards offered including shipping.

Why do people support projects?

Many reasons. Here are some:

Emotional Connection: Your plan and video story touches somebody enough to move them to support it.
Benefits: Your campaign offers attractive enough Rewards to contributors that will want to back you to receive the reward.
Social Connection: Typically 20% to 30% of funding total is contributed by the Project Creator’s own social network. Friends and associates jump into action, and then their friends jump on board as well. Everyone wants to be part of something that they see their friends getting interested in.

How do I Start a Project?

Signup as a user, with email, Facebook, or Google. It’s easy!
Click on the Create Your Campaign link.
You will be contacted by email to confirm that you and your project are legitimate.
Once your campaign details are filled out, you can post the project and start promoting it through your social networks. If you have any questions or need help, just contact us.

I don't have a Paypal account. Do you accept credit cards?

You do not need to have a Paypal account to make contributions. We still use Paypal to process payments of all major credit cards. Just follow the payment process and you will be provided with an option on the Paypal checkout page to make a payment without a Paypal account. If you like you can sign up for Paypal account at checkout also for future convenience.

Is my credit card information secure?

Yes, we use a secure Paypal gateway, which provides the highest e-commerce security. Your credit card information is not made available to the campaign creator, nor to anyone at LaunchPad.

Can I contribute anonymously?

Yes, just select the check box "Make my contribution anonymous" underneath the contribution amount on the check out page. Your contact details (but not the amount of your contribution) will still be visible to the campaign creator, and not to the public.

ACCOUNT QUESTIONS

How can I change my profile name, or email?

Make sure you’re logged in to LaunchPad and go to your Profile page.

Can I change the email address associated with my account?

Make sure you’re logged in to LaunchPad and go to your account page.

I forgot my password, how do I log in?

You can request a password reset at the bottom of the login page. Note if you've signed up through Google or Facebook you'll have to sign in again through the same method.

How can I log in using my Facebook account?

You can sign in with Facebook using the Facebook login button on the login page.

How do I disconnect my Facebook account?

Log in to LaunchPad through Facebook, then go to your account settings to disconnect from Facebook and set a password on your account page.

How come my Facebook account is showing up as somebody else?

If you are using a computer that is logged in to someone else's Facebook account, connecting your LaunchPad account to Facebook will create a link to that other person's account. Make sure that whichever computer you're working on is either logged out of Facebook or already logged in as yourself.

Can I connect my company's Facebook page to my project?

No, Facebook Connect works for personal Facebook profiles only. If your project is a team collaboration, have one of your team members Facebook Connect to the project.

How do I delete my account?

Your account can be deleted from your account page. Warning: this is not reversible!

Can I edit my project details once I post it?

Yes, but only until your project is Submitted, after that you will be able to post Updates only. If you need to make a change please contact us and let us know, and we can make the change for you or give you temporary access. When changes are being made, they will no longer be available to be viewed or receive contributions.

How can I change my profile picture?

Our system will search for your email on facebook to find your photo, and then if it doesn't find one, will search Gravatar. To change your profile pic, sign in on Gravatar and add a profile picture using the same email that you signed up with on LaumchPad.Your picture should then appear on LaunchPad after you reload.

The amount of my contribution is visible, how do I remove it?

Your contribution amount is only visible to yourself, the campaign creator and LaunchPad administrators and not to the public. You will notice that you are not able to see the contribution amounts from other contributors. If you would like your entire identity to be remain invisible to the public then please select the anonymous checkbox underneath the contribution amount on the check out page.

Why isn't the site working with my browser?

There are so many different browsers and versions that we are only able to support the most popular browser releases. Internet Explorer version 8 is now longer supported. Please update to a newer browser, or try installing the latest version of Google Chrome or Firefox

How can I contact you?

Please use our email contact form or call 888-573-5885.