For Parents & Guardians
We know the college cost conversation is stressful. BackThis gives your family a safe, transparent way to let your community help close the financial gap.
BackThis is an education-focused fundraising platform. Your child creates a page that tells their story and lists exactly what they need funded — tuition, housing, books. They share it with family, friends, and community. Contributors can see where every dollar goes and contribute directly.
It's not a loan, not a scholarship application, and not a charity. It's a simple way for the people who care about your child to back their future.
If your child is between 13 and 17, they can create a page but you play a central role. During page creation, your child provides your name and email address. You'll receive an email notification that the page has been created.
You are responsible for setting up and managing the Stripe payment account. This means you complete the identity verification, connect your bank account, and are the legal account holder. All funds go to your bank account, and you're responsible for ensuring the money is used for education expenses.
You'll also receive email notifications whenever a contribution is made to your child's page.
Yes. Here's what we do to keep things safe:
Your child's date of birth, email, and your contact information are never displayed publicly. Only their name and school appear on the page. Payments are processed by Stripe, a PCI Level 1 certified payment processor — the same system used by companies like Amazon and Shopify. Card numbers never touch our servers.
We use encrypted, HTTP-only session cookies for authentication. All data is transmitted over TLS encryption. Every contribution is logged in an immutable audit trail with timestamps.
For more details, see our Security page and Privacy Policy.
You do. As the Stripe account holder, all funds go directly to your bank account. BackThis never holds, delays, or has access to the money. You can view all transactions through the Stripe Express dashboard, and you can issue refunds directly if needed.
BackThis charges a 5% platform fee per contribution (deducted automatically), and Stripe charges approximately 2.9% + 30¢ for payment processing. There are no setup fees, monthly fees, or hidden charges.
All contributions must be used for education-related expenses as described on the student's page. This includes tuition, housing, books, supplies, and transportation. When your child creates their page, they agree to these terms, and so do you through the guardian consent process.
Misuse of funds is a violation of our Terms of Service and may result in account suspension.
We take your child's privacy seriously. We comply with COPPA (Children's Online Privacy Protection Act) requirements. Your child's date of birth and guardian contact information are never displayed publicly. We don't sell personal data. We don't use advertising trackers.
You have the right to review, request deletion of, or refuse further collection of your child's information at any time. Contact privacy@backth.is to exercise these rights.
Generally no. Contributions made through BackThis are personal gifts, not charitable donations. BackThis is not a registered charity or 501(c)(3) organization. We recommend consulting a tax professional for advice about your specific situation.
Your child creates the page — they sign in, answer the story prompts, and set their funding goal. During the process, they'll enter your name and email. You'll receive a notification email.
When it's time to set up payments, you'll complete the Stripe onboarding process (identity verification, bank account). Once Stripe verifies your account, the page goes live and contributions can start flowing in.