What emails can I send to my supporters?

A data privacy guide for US-based Crowdfunder project owners

As a Crowdfunder project creator, it's important to understand what types of emails you can send to your supporters – and how to handle their personal information responsibly. U.S. privacy laws like the CAN-SPAM Act and CCPA (for California residents) provide guidance on how to communicate lawfully and ethically with backers.

Here’s a breakdown of what’s allowed, what’s not, and how to stay compliant while keeping your supporters informed.

Marketing emails

When can I send marketing emails to supporters?

If a supporter opts in to receive updates about your future ideas or projects, you may send them promotional or marketing emails.

When supporters pledge, they’ll see a checkbox asking if they’d like to receive marketing from the project creator. You’ll be able to see who opted in by downloading your Marketing Permissions Report from your project dashboard.

Only email those who’ve explicitly opted in to receive marketing emails.

Allowed:

  • Updates about your next crowdfunding campaign
  • News about a related product launch or event

Not allowed:

  • Sending marketing emails to backers who did not opt in
  • Adding supporters to third-party mailing lists without permission

Best Practice

If you're using an email marketing tool (like Mailchimp or Constant Contact), regularly update your contact list to remove people who’ve unsubscribed or opted out.

Project updates via Crowdfunder

While your project is live (and after it closes), you can send project updates using Crowdfunder’s built-in "Updates" feature. These updates are:

  • Posted to your project’s Updates tab
  • Emailed to all supporters unless they’ve opted out

Important:Updates must be project-related only. Do not use them for marketing purposes or to promote other projects.

Example of acceptable updates:

  • “We’ve reached 50% of our goal – thank you!”
  • "We've got 2 days to go, help us reach our target!"

Supporters who have unsubscribed will automatically be excluded from future updates.

Where Can I See Supporter Preferences?

Your dashboard contains two downloadable reports:

  1. Marketing Permissions Report – Shows who opted in to receive marketing.
  2. Marketing Opt-Outs Report – Lists supporters who unsubscribed or opted out.

Always refer to your most recent reports before sending out a campaign.

Respecting supporter privacy

Here are a few simple rules to follow:

  • Always provide a clear unsubscribe option in marketing emails.
  • Never share or sell personal data to third parties without consent.
  • Only collect and use data you genuinely need to fulfil rewards or communicate updates.

Read Crowdfunder’s full Privacy Policy

Need help?

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