To the customers
What is “SIPstarter”?
SIPstarter is a social crowdfunding resource platform. This is a national service for attracting and administering international and domestic extra-budgetary resources, which contributes to the implementation of the full project cycle and provides transparent financial reporting. The platform allows project initiators to demonstrate their ideas to society and receive the necessary funding from various donors, philanthropists and sponsors to become involved in something significant and receive unique bonuses.
Here, initiators can raise funds for any socially significant project, from creating a center for helping children to holding an inclusive event. We provide an opportunity for users to support unique social projects and help authors to realize their potential.
What is “crowdfunding”?
Crowdfunding is a collective financing mechanism. Projects are supported by people who, from various motives are interested in their implementation. We call these people Donors, Benefactors, Sponsors, and Patrons. Crowdfunding is a contribution from many people, more often from end users of the product that the project will bring. Crowdfunding gives a chance to explore the audience well, to find out its needs and evaluate the vital activity of the idea. In addition, this is a great way to tell about your project to those who do not yet know about it.
Why do users need a “SIPstarter”?
- • SIPstarter is a platform for establishing a dialogue between those “who demand” and those “who can help” — three approaches to attracting resources: caritative (charity), crowdfunding, and investment;
- • SIPstarter — is two types of assistance: humanitarian aid and financing of social projects;
- • SIPstarter — is a database of interesting social projects that you can become a part of;
- • You can become the owner of the unique tangible and intangible things that the project authors offer for your contribution.
Why do you need to register at “SIPstarter”?
Registration is needed to get the user access to all services and functions of the platform. Each registered user has a virtual "personal account". In the "personal account", the user can set up his profile, indicate information about himself, support, develop and create projects. All information on the creation, support of projects and the progress of fundraising is displayed in your personal account.
Why do you need email confirmation?
The platform administrator must make sure that the specified address exists and belongs to you. After the first authorization, a confirmation email will be sent to the specified email address. Information about updates to projects that you supported will be sent to the specified email address. You can unsubscribe from this newsletter in the "Settings" section in your account. Also, in case of loss of access to your account, you can always restore it using e-mail.
Can I log in through a social network?
Not at the moment. This is due to the specifics of the platform. We are considering a scenario in which such an opportunity appears in the future.
To Project Sponsors
How to find an interesting project for me?
On the main page of the platform, some popular and new projects are displayed. To access the full list of projects, go to the “Projects” tab at the top of the main page. Then, select an interesting category and / or city for you. You can also use the search bar at the top of the main page, and find the project by name or topic.
How to support the project?
- 1. Select the project / need of the united territorial community that interests you.
- 2. Press the “HELP” action button on the project / needs page of the united territorial community.
- 3. A window will open in which you can select the support option: “Anonymous donation” - you indicate the email address; “Registered User” - a donation is made by an authorized user.
- 4. Click the “Continue” button - in the next window select the payment option, specify the amount and select “Add”.
- 5. After that, you will be taken to the online payment window. Cards of any bank are accepted. If you want to remain an anonymous sponsor, you can enter any text in the field and click "continue as a guest". But in this case, if the guest has not indicated his valid E-mail, the author of the project will not be able to contact him in order to send the award.
How secure is the payment system on SIPstarter?
We accept payments through pay.concord.ua service. Currently, it is a developed payment service. Our platform does not have access to information about your cards. You specify the data in the Concord Pay service. This service is licensed by the National Bank of Ukraine No. 230 of 07.11.2011., International Certificates of Conformity, has OTP, CVV, 3D-Secure protection, and Deepmemo intelligent transaction monitoring system.
Reliability of “Concord Pay” is Verified by Visa, Mastercard SecureCode and GoDaddy Secure Web Site.
How can I be sure of the integrity of the author of the project?
Trust in projects on the Platform — is trust in the Platform. Before the project gets into the public domain, it undergoes strict pre-moderation. Each author of the project is checked individually. The Platform Administrator enters into an Agreement with each Platform user on the “procedure and conditions for using the services and functions of the “SIPstarter” platform of the Internet resource www.sip-starter.com. You can independently study the information provided by the author of the project: watch a video in which the author talks about himself and his work. Pay attention to the portfolio, accounts on social networks, links and other projects. If you notice a violation of copyright or the Public Agreement, please let us know via the feedback form. Your consent to participate in the financing of the Project is confirmed by registering on the Platform, accepting consent to join the project terms, and depositing funds to the project account.
The project on the Platform is completed, how will I get a reward?
Terms and conditions of reward delivery are indicated by the author of the project during the design process. Any changes in the terms and conditions of reward delivery are indicated in the updates of the project information. The relationship between the author and those who supported the project is carried out using the email specified during registration. The responsibility for the delivery of rewards is assumed by the author of the project.
Having supported the project, can I return the money?
Users are not given the opportunity to return the funds provided to the project account of the administrator of the “Platform”.
To the Authors of the Projects
How to start a project?
On the main page there is a “Login” button, after pressing it, a window for entering your personal account will appear and below there will be a link to register a new account. After registration, confirmation will be sent to the indicated email. You must follow the link in the letter and enter your email and password on the page, for authorization on the site. Further, the project author needs to read the information and agree to the Terms and Conditions of Use. In the user’s personal account there is a section “My projects”, in which the function “Create project”.
You can prepare the presentation of the project as much time as you need. This is a long process, so you can save your project at any stage of completion. You can continue its design in the virtual "personal account" in the tab "MY PROJECTS". If you are sure that the project is ready for launch, send it to the platform administrator for pre-moderation. Pre-moderation lasts from 1 (one) to 3 (three) weeks. If the project needs to be finalized, we will contact you and will work on your project together. If the project does not contradict the conditions of the Platform administrator, it will appear on the Platform in the public domain, and the collection of funds will begin.
Who can create projects?
Initiative group of citizens, legal entity and public association registered in Ukraine.
What are the project financing systems?
“SIPstarter” offers the following types of projects and fundraising options:
- The social projects presented on the Platform are divided into the above categories in four directions, respectively:
- 1. Projects of municipalities that take part in the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) Initiative "Children and Youth Friendly Community";
- 2. Projects in line with the 2030 Global Sustainable Development Goals;
- 3. Projects aimed at overcoming the consequences of armed conflict;
- 4. Projects aimed at building a full inclusive society.
- Projects that:
- • Contradict the current legislation of Ukraine;
- • Not related to socially useful activities;
- • Related to political activities;
- • Do not comply with the moral and ethical standards of society;
- • Promote the use of tobacco, alcohol or drugs;
- • Created with exceptional benefit for the author of the project;
- • Violate the rights of third parties;
- • Obtaining exclusively commercial profit by the project author, they suggest opening a common business (for example: selling shares, interest, receiving dividends) etc..;
- • Placed on a similar Platform, which uses the principle of crowdfunding and allows for parallel fundraising;
- • Do not meet the goals and objectives defined by the conditions of our Platform specified in the Public Agreement “On the procedure and conditions for using all the services and functions of the social crowdfunding resource platform “SIPstarter: Social Investment Projects” of the Internet resource www.sip-starter.com.
- The main components of the budget:
- • Reasonable amount required for the implementation of the project;
- • Unified commission fee of the Platform — 7%;
- • Commission of payment systems;
- • Taxes;
- • Costs of making and sending remuneration.
- 1. Material rewards may be:
- • Certificate of project participant, etc.
- 2. Intangible rewards may include:
- • Written thanks on the pages of social networks;
- • Personal video gratitude posted on the pages of social networks or on the official website;
- • The participation of a donor, sponsor, benefactor, philanthropist in a presentation film about the project, or the mention of the Sponsor in the caption of this film.
1. The project "Universal".
You, as the author of the project, have a limited time for collecting funds, but not a limited amount of funding. If the required amount was not collected at the time you set, then the funds are distributed between other projects that are at that time on the Platform in public access. Time limit for fundraising — no more than 100 days. The author of the project has the ability to continue the project once for a period that does not exceed the initial one.
2. The project "Perpetual"
Raise funds without restrictions in 100 days. If the amount of collected funds does not exceed 5% of the total project amount for every 30 days of staying on the Platform, the project may be deemed unsuccessful and the collected funds are distributed among other projects that were publicly available on the Platform at that time. The project ends immediately after achieving the financial goal.
What projects are accepted?
At the moment, only socially significant projects aimed at improving the social sphere, expanding and modernizing social infrastructure are accepted for consideration.
We distinguish the following categories of projects on the Platform: social infrastructure; inclusion; family, childhood, youth and sports; healthcare education; ecology; human rights; people with disabilities people without permanent residence; elderly people.
What projects are not allowed to participate?
How much does it cost to place a project on the SIPstarter Platform?
Placement of the project on the Platform is free. After the project is completed, the Platform administrator holds only a commission fee of 7% of the total project amount. More information about the commission fee for the Platform administrator can be found in the Public Agreement “On the procedure and conditions for the use of all services and functions of the social crowdfunding resource platform “SIPstarter: Social Investment Projects”.
What happens to unsuccessful projects?
If the project is recognized by the administrator of the Platform as unsuccessful, all the funds raised for the implementation of the project are distributed among other projects that are currently in the public domain on the Platform. Of the total amount of funds raised, the Platform administrator holds a commission fee of 7%. The project remains in the archive of the Platform and cannot be deleted.
Who is responsible for fulfilling responsibilities for the project?
All responsibility for the implementation of the project lies with the author of the project.
How does the author of the project receive the funds raised?
In case of successful completion of the project, the author receives a package of documents to the specified email address that he independently prints, signs, puts a seal (if necessary), and sends it using the postal service to the address of the Platform administrator. After receiving the documents, within 1 (one) - 2 (two) weeks, the first tranche of the collected funds is transferred to the bank account submitted by the author of the project for calculating the commission fee of the Platform administrator and the payment system commission.
If, for any reason, the process of transferring funds has exceeded the specified time, the author of the project is obliged to inform the administrator of the Platform by contacting the email address sipstarterplatform@gmail.com.
Can the author of one of the projects submit another project for consideration?
Yes, but you need to take into account the fact that you need to constantly work on the project, develop, adjust, answer the questions of those who want to support the project, etc. It’s takes a lot of time and effort. Leading more than one project is possible only by the forces of the team, given the human factor; this does not always work out correctly.
The project was unsuccessful. Can the author resubmit it for review?
Yes it is possible. Analyze your mistakes, change and supplement the Project, work more on popularization and distribution channels. Perhaps the last time the audience was not ready for your project, but now it is more than relevant.
The project was successful; can the author submit another project?
Yes. In addition, if the first project was implemented, final reporting and presentation was carried out — the author’s rating is growing in the eyes of those who support projects on the Platform. Each next project can become more successful than the previous one.
How to develop a successful project?
The success of the project depends only on you and your team. A competent video presentation, the correct text description, and a well-thought-out reward system are the first components of a successful result. In addition, while holding a crowdfunding company on the Platform, the project author needs to think through his own project fundraising company, which will help to attract even more resources for its implementation.
Do you have to make a video presentation?
Yes, definitely. A decent video presentation lasting 1-2 minutes will be better than a thousand words. This is one of the components of a successful project. Based on the experience of such crowdfunding resources, we can confidently say that Ukrainian authors do not always understand the power of visual communication, while foreign project initiators build on this whole story. Even if you turn the page without reading through, thanks to the photos and videos, there will be a holistic understanding of what this project is. The text should be informative. And this is the right decision.
How to describe the project?
Description of the project begins with the name. The name should be clear, concise, reflect the essence of the project and attract the attention of the audience. Briefly tell about yourself, your team. Tell us about what you are doing, about your achievements, what you have already done for your project. If you have ready-made scientific material (layout, concept, prototype, demo version) demonstrate it. Correctly formulate the goal of your project. Tell us about how the idea of the project came about, what its main social component is and why it is important. Make a description using images, photos and infographics. Visual communication is very powerful. A few photos, one or two diagrams, a timeline — will tell more than 10,000 words about the project. At the same time, it is necessary to avoid photos and images that are not related to the project, photos of poor quality are also not recommended for presentation. It is absolutely necessary to describe the project budget and explain in detail what the raised funds will go to. It is possible that in addition to financial support, donors, sponsors, philanthropists, patrons can give you other help — consulting, equipment, logistics, etc.
How to calculate the financial goal of the project?
First of all, you need to make up the budget necessary for the implementation of the project. The most important tip is to optimize your budget and minimize the final amount.
What rewards do sponsors offer?
Rewards are the foundation of crowdfunding. A well-designed reward scheme will increase the interest of the target audience in your project. Having compiled a reward scheme, go out of what it would be nice to get a donor, sponsor, benefactor, philanthropist for a certain contribution to the project. Some rewards can be made exclusive, in one copy. Expensive rewards are best made limited so as not to exceed the cost of their production. Rewards are divided into two types, tangible and intangible.
- • Souvenirs (keychain, magnet, poster, mug, cap, t-shirt, etc.);
This section will be supplemented by questions and answers as they arise. If you did not find the answer to your question, write to us at sipstarterplatform@gmail.com.
Yours faithfully,
social crowdfunding resource platform team «SIPstarter: Social Investment Projects»