In this article, we’ll cover:
- What is a custom pledge?
- Why patrons can give less than your tier prices
- Post access for custom pledge patrons
- How to see who your “no reward” or custom pledge patrons are
- Frequently Asked Questions
What is a custom pledge?
Every Patreon creator page has a default “custom pledge” option that patrons can choose. While the custom pledge suggestion defaults to $5 USD / €5 Euro / £5 British Pounds, the minimum amount a patron can give to a creator is $1 USD / €1 Euro / £1 British Pound.
Why patrons can give less than your tier prices
Some patrons may want to support a creator, but can’t afford to join a tier. That said, you set the price of your tiers, and we respect that. The custom pledge, or “No reward” option exists, so patrons can still support you with whatever they can give.
As the name suggests there are no benefits, or “rewards” associated with custom pledges — regardless of the amount given.
If patrons are paying $5 USD a month, but aren’t in your $5 tier, whether or not you honor the dollar amount given by patrons is entirely up to you. Many creators require patrons to be within a tier to receive benefits. It might be worth setting up guidelines for how benefits work in your benefits section.
Why is $1 the minimum?
Some patrons may want to support a creator, but tier minimum might be outside of their budget. The custom pledge, or “No tier” status exists, so patrons can still support creators even if they can’t join a tier. As the name suggests, there are no benefits, or “tiers” associated with custom pledges — regardless of the amount given. Lastly, $1 is the minimum to ensure that we cover processing fees.
Post access for custom pledge patrons
- For example, a patron with a custom pledge of $2, that is not in a $2 tier, will not have access to the $2 tier post content. The patron will only have access to posts you publish for “All patrons”.
If a patron would like to edit their pledge and move to the correct tier, they can follow the steps in this help guide: I’m locked out of posts I should see
Note: If you'd like your posts to be locked to patrons who are paying you outside of your tiers, you'll want to publish your posts for "Select tiers." Learn more about posting for "All patrons," here.
How to see who your “no reward” or custom pledge patrons are
Patrons who pay you with a custom pledge are not tied to a specific tier (if you’ve created tiers). These patrons can be found with the status “No tier” in your Relationship Manager because their payment is not tied to benefits offered within a tier. Because they’re not part of a tier, they aren’t tracked for benefits and won’t have access to certain benefits, like Discord roles.
How to filter no reward pledges
Using your Relationship Manager filters you can generate a list of all of your active no reward patrons.
To get your list of patrons, set the following filters:
- Active membership type
- No reward
- Paid status
FAQ
Q: Can creators change the custom pledge amount above the minimum $1?
A: At this time there’s no ability to increase, decrease, or remove the $1 minimum. The $1 minimum allows patrons to still support a creator even if they cannot join a higher priced tier or they’re OK with not receiving a reward.
Q: Can I move a patron (who has not selected a reward) to the appropriate tier for their pledge?
A: A creator cannot move patrons into tiers.There’s a few reasons for this, but primarily because it can affect a patron’s billing.
If you have a patron that is not within the tier, and they’d like to be, please feel free to share this helpful guide we created to walk patrons through editing to the correct Tier: I’m locked out of posts I should see