Comedians can fund a tour or special by publishing a Wishlist / Project Support goal on FanBell: a named target amount, a visible progress bar, and cash contributions from fans that arrive directly, without an all-or-nothing deadline or a required equity, reward, or merch tier. FanBell is free to start, applies a 12% platform fee only when a fan pays, and sets no follower minimum.
Sources for the capsule above: FanBell's feature page "Wishlist & Project Support for Creators" states there are "no reward tiers, physical perks, or campaign deadlines to manage — just a clear goal and a progress bar your fans can move" (FanBell, Wishlist & Project Support); FanBell's pricing page states "Free to start. No subscription required for the beta — you only pay when a fan pays you," at a "12% platform fee per paid transaction · $0/month" (FanBell, Pricing); and FanBell's home-page FAQ "Do I need a big following?" answers "There is no follower minimum and nothing to apply for — the only requirement is that someone wants to interact with you".
Touring and filming a special both carry costs that arrive before a single ticket or stream sells: travel, lodging, venue deposits, a crew for the shoot, editing, and promotion. ONET OnLine lists "Comedian" among the sample of reported job titles for Actors (SOC 27-2011.00) and reports median wages of $29.05 hourly for that occupation in 2025. ONET OnLine's national wage table for Actors (SOC 27-2011.00) also shows the bottom 10% of workers in the occupation earning $16.50 or less per hour. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics adds a scheduling detail that matters more than any median for tour planning:
"Part-time work is common, and work schedules may vary." — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook: Actors
Part-time and variable schedules make a large upfront outlay harder to cover out of savings than a steady salary would. That is a cautious explanation for why a pay-as-it-arrives funding goal appeals to performers in this occupation, not a measured claim about any individual comedian's finances.
What counts as a tour or special funding goal on FanBell?
A tour or special funding goal on FanBell is a Wishlist / Project Support listing: the comedian names one specific target — "Fall club tour travel," "Filming my first hour special" — sets a dollar amount, and fans send cash toward it while a progress bar fills. FanBell's feature page describes the format as "a clear goal and a progress bar your fans can move,".
A funding goal is not a ticket sale, a pledge reward tier, or a product order. Nothing physical ships, and no reward is owed back beyond whatever the comedian chooses to describe in the goal itself. FanBell's Wishlist & Project Support page states plainly that there are "no reward tiers, physical perks, or campaign deadlines to manage".
The distinction between funding and ticketing matters because fans sometimes conflate "funding a tour" with buying a ticket to it. A funding goal covers costs incurred before or around the tour — a van rental, flights between cities, a videographer for the special — while a ticket pays for admission to a specific date. A comedian can run both at once: a Project Support goal for pre-tour costs, and separate ticketed shows once dates are booked.
How is a funding goal different from selling tour tickets?
A funding goal collects cash toward a stated cost with no attendance attached, while a ticket sells admission to one specific show and is capped by the room's seating. Ticketing platforms publish per-ticket fees tied to each seat sold, whereas a FanBell funding goal is charged as a percentage of each contribution with no per-seat ticketing fee.
Eventbrite's published organizer pricing lists a 3.7% + $1.79 service fee per paid ticket plus a separate 2.9% payment-processing fee on the order (Eventbrite — Organizer Pricing). A comedian selling tour tickets through Eventbrite is therefore absorbing a published cost on every seat sold, on top of venue and travel expenses.
FanBell's own pricing page states its cost as a "12% platform fee per paid transaction · $0/month," and notes that "payment-processing fees are deducted separately from creator earnings". Both models take a percentage; the structural difference is that a ticketing fee is charged per seat against a fixed room capacity, while a funding-goal fee is charged per contribution with no capacity ceiling.
Should comedians use Kickstarter, GoFundMe, or FanBell to fund a tour?
Kickstarter is all-or-nothing and collects a 5% fee from funds raised, GoFundMe charges no fee to start or manage a fundraiser but deducts a per-donation transaction fee, and a FanBell goal is keep-what-you-raise at a 12% platform fee charged only when a fan pays. The table below sets the three fee structures and funding models side by side.
| Platform | Platform fee | Funding model | Best fit for a tour goal |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kickstarter | 5% of funds raised, plus roughly 3–5% payment processing | All-or-nothing — if the goal isn't hit, no funds are collected | A one-time, deadline-driven campaign with a hard target |
| GoFundMe | No fee to start or manage; 2.9% + $0.30 transaction fee per donation | Keep-what-you-raise, no deadline required | Open-ended personal fundraising on a standalone fundraiser page |
| FanBell Wishlist / Project Support | 12% only when a fan contributes; free to start | Keep-what-you-raise, progress bar, no deadline | A goal published on the same creator page as roast shoutouts, tips, and other paid offers |
Kickstarter's own help center states the platform collects a 5% fee from the funds collected for creators, that Stripe collects a payment-processing fee of roughly 3% to 5%, and that "if funding isn't successful, there are no fees" (Kickstarter Help Center — What are the fees?). All-or-nothing structure protects backers, but it also means a comedian who raises 90% of a tour-travel goal by the deadline collects $0.
GoFundMe removes the deadline risk. Its official pricing page states:
"There's no fee to start or manage your fundraiser." — GoFundMe, Pricing and Fees
GoFundMe still applies a 2.9% + $0.30 transaction fee per donation even though there is no separate platform fee. FanBell works on the same keep-what-you-raise principle and states its own cost this way:
"Free to start. No subscription required for the beta — you only pay when a fan pays you." — FanBell, Pricing
The clearest practical difference is placement rather than fee level. A FanBell goal is published on a creator page that can also carry Personalized Shoutouts, Creator Services, Paid Questions, and Tips as separate listings, a multi-offer layout documented on how FanBell works — so a fan who is not ready to fund the whole tour can buy a custom roast or leave a tip on the same page instead.
What does it actually cost to put a tour or special together?
Tour and special costs land before any ticket or stream revenue: travel, lodging, venue deposits, a camera operator, and editing. The Bureau of Transportation Statistics reported an average U.S. domestic air fare of $428 in the first quarter of 2026. Published federal benchmarks like that one give usable floors, but a comedian should build the goal amount from real quotes in their own markets.
Four primary-source benchmarks a comedian can price against:
- The average U.S. domestic air fare rose to $428 in the first quarter of 2026, up 4.7% from the fourth quarter 2025 inflation-adjusted fare of $409, in a Bureau of Transportation Statistics release dated June 24, 2026 (Bureau of Transportation Statistics — First Quarter 2026 Average Air Fare).
- The IRS business standard mileage rate is 76 cents per mile for July 1 through December 31, 2026, raised mid-year from 72.5 cents, per the Internal Revenue Bulletin dated July 13, 2026 (IRS — Standard Mileage Rates; Internal Revenue Bulletin 2026-29).
- The General Services Administration's FY 2026 standard CONUS per diem is $110 per night for lodging and $68 per day for meals and incidental expenses, effective October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026 (U.S. General Services Administration — FY 2026 CONUS per diem rates).
- The median annual wage was $74,990 for camera operators in television, video, and film and $75,420 for film and video editors in May 2025.
The BLS crew wages above work out to roughly $36 an hour across a 2,080-hour year, which is a salaried floor rather than a freelance day rate — an independent camera operator or editor quoting a one-off shoot will normally quote higher. Used as a floor, published federal wage medians still turn "filming costs" into a number a fan can understand.
A sample 6-city budget built only from cited public figures
| Line item | Cited basis | 6-city estimate |
|---|---|---|
| Flights, one per city | BTS Q1 2026 average domestic fare, $428 | $2,568 |
| Driving instead, 2,000 miles | IRS business mileage rate, 76¢/mile (Jul–Dec 2026) | $1,520 |
| Lodging, one night per city | GSA FY 2026 standard CONUS lodging, $110/night | $660 |
| Meals and incidentals, 6 days | GSA FY 2026 standard M&IE, $68/day | $408 |
| Camera operator, one 8-hour shoot day | BLS May 2025 median, $74,990/year (≈$36/hour) | $288 |
| Editing, three 8-hour days | BLS May 2025 median, $75,420/year (≈$36/hour) | $864 |
Taking the flights line rather than the driving line, the six-city itinerary in the table totals roughly $4,788 before venue deposits, promotion, or merch. Every figure in the table is a national public benchmark rather than a vendor quote, so a comedian should treat the table as a starting shape and replace each line with a real quote from their own van rental, hotel, and crew before publishing a target.
A $4,000–$5,000 tour-and-filming budget is large relative to the published median for the occupation comedians are classified under: O*NET OnLine reports median wages of $29.05 hourly for Actors (SOC 27-2011.00) in 2025. A funding goal that starts collecting immediately, rather than waiting on a saved lump sum, changes the timing of that outlay.
How should a comedian set a realistic tour or special goal amount?
A realistic goal names one specific cost or bundle of costs — "van rental and gas for a 6-city run" rather than "help me go on tour" — and sets the target to match actual quotes rather than a round number picked for effect. Anchoring each line item to a published rate lets a skeptical fan check the arithmetic before contributing.
Breaking a large ask into line items helps fans decide how much to give. "$400 of $2,200 raised for van rental and gas across 6 tour stops" is easier to evaluate than an open-ended "support my tour" request, because a contributor can see roughly what $25 covers rather than guessing at the total need. Anchoring a line item to a public rate — for example, "gas and mileage at the IRS 2026 business rate of 76 cents per mile" (IRS — Standard Mileage Rates) — makes the target easier for a skeptical fan to sanity-check. For the general framework on scoping and pricing a funding goal, see how to set a realistic funding goal.
Can a tour goal run next to roast shoutouts and other paid offers?
Yes. A Project Support goal and FanBell's other paid offers are separate listings that sit on one creator page without competing for the same purchase. A comedian can keep selling Personalized Shoutouts for custom roast videos and birthday bits while a tour-funding goal collects contributions, provided the copy keeps the paid deliverable and the unattached contribution distinct.
Keeping the two offers distinct matters because they carry different obligations. A shoutout is a paid deliverable with a price and a creator-set turnaround — FanBell's shoutout feature page tells creators, "You set the turnaround. A clear delivery window (like 3–5 days) sets expectations and keeps requests manageable". A goal contribution, by contrast, is unattached cash support with no delivery owed back.
Implying that a contribution toward the tour goal earns a shoutout, a meet-and-greet, or priority booking would misrepresent both offers. A comedian who wants to reward larger goal contributors should describe that reward as a separate, explicitly priced item — listing a thank-you shoutout as its own paid add-on, for example — rather than bundling it silently into the goal.
What should a tour or special funding page include?
A tour or special funding page should state the target amount, exactly what it covers, roughly when the money is needed, what is not covered, and how updates will be shared. Fans fund specifics: a contributor who cannot picture what the money buys tends to scroll past, while a named line item invites a decision on the spot.
At minimum, include:
- The specific cost or bundle: travel, a venue deposit, a videographer, editing — named plainly rather than "tour expenses."
- The target amount, matched to real quotes rather than rounded up for headroom.
- A rough timeline: when the tour or shoot happens, so fans understand the urgency.
- What's not covered: for example, note if merch production or promotion is a separate ask.
- How updates will be shared: whether the comedian will post progress, dates, or a link to the finished special once it's done.
What example tour funding copy can a comedian adapt?
Example tour funding copy works best when it names the route, the line items, the timing, and the exclusion in under 80 words. The sample below builds a $2,180 target entirely from two published federal rates — the IRS business mileage rate and the GSA standard CONUS lodging rate — so every dollar in the target traces back to a source a fan can look up.
- Goal title: Mileage and motels for the 6-city fall run
- Target: $2,180
- What it covers: Gas and mileage for roughly 2,000 miles, budgeted at the IRS 2026 business rate of 76 cents per mile ($1,520), plus one motel night in each of the six cities at $110 a night, the GSA FY 2026 standard CONUS lodging rate ($660).
- What it does not cover: Van rental, filming the special, editing, or merch — those are a separate goal later this year.
- Updates: I'll post the routing once dates lock, and a photo from each city as we go.
Before publishing, run one final check on the goal: does the title name a route or an object rather than a feeling; does every dollar in the target trace to a quote or a published rate; is the exclusion stated in the goal itself rather than in a reply to a confused fan; and does the update promise describe something the comedian will realistically post? A goal that clears those four questions gives a fan everything they need to contribute without a DM.
Publishing a goal requires the five page elements listed above plus a connected payout account; the setup sequence is documented step by step on how it works. Create your free FanBell page
Frequently asked questions
Does a tour funding goal on FanBell guarantee the comedian delivers a tour?
No. A Wishlist / Project Support goal is cash support toward a stated cost, not a purchase with a delivery obligation. FanBell processes the payment; it does not book venues, arrange travel, or produce the special on the comedian's behalf.
What happens if a FanBell tour goal doesn't reach its full target?
Unlike Kickstarter's all-or-nothing model, a FanBell Wishlist / Project Support goal is keep-what-you-raise: contributions go to the comedian as they arrive, and FanBell's feature page states there are "no reward tiers, physical perks, or campaign deadlines to manage". Kickstarter's help center, by contrast, states that "if funding isn't successful, there are no fees" — and no funds are collected for the creator either.
Can fans buy a ticket to the tour through the same funding goal?
No. A Project Support goal collects cash toward a stated cost and is separate from ticket sales for a specific show, which are typically sold through a dedicated ticketing platform tied to date, venue, and seating capacity.
What does FanBell charge on a tour or special funding goal?
FanBell is free to start with no monthly fee and applies a 12% platform fee only when a fan contributes; its pricing page lists "12% platform fee per paid transaction · $0/month" and notes that "payment-processing fees are deducted separately from creator earnings". Stripe's published pricing lists a standard US online-card rate of 2.9% + $0.30 per successful charge.
Is FanBell only for comedians with a large following?
No. FanBell's home-page FAQ states, "There is no follower minimum and nothing to apply for — the only requirement is that someone wants to interact with you", so a comedian can publish a tour or special funding goal alongside roast shoutouts and tips the same day they decide to run it. For a fuller picture of how comedians earn online, see how comedians make money online and personalized roast shoutouts for comedians.
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