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How do I create a Pledge-a-thon?

Before creating your first Pledge-a-thon, create the privacy policy that applies to all Pledge-a-thons. Also ensure that a profile exists for the coordinator you want to assign to the Pledge-a-thon.

This Pledge-a-thon wizard helps you create a Pledge-a-thon by taking you step-by-step through the creation process. Navigating the wizard is easy. You will see a series of light blue tabs which are the main navigation sections, with subsections displayed as grey tabs. On any page of the setup wizard, click Update & Next to continue; and click Save as Draft/Active when finished to save your settings to the system.

You can preview your Pledge-a-thon form at any time.




Step 1 - Add Pledge-a-thon details Back to Top
  1. Click Pledge-a-thon to view the Main Menu of this service.
  2. From the Setup section, choose Manage Pledge-a-thons.
  3. Click the Add Pledge-a-thon button. This will take you to the Details page under the Logistics tab.
  4. Enter the Pledge-a-thon Name, which appears at the top of each public page, and is automatically displayed in your confirmation emails.
    • Do not use of HTML code, as this code will be displayed in the subject line of your confirmation emails.
  5. Choose the Language.
    • This will automatically change the default text displayed to registrants & donors.
    • Your Pledge-a-thon service must also be setup with a template for the selected language.
  6. Choose a Pledge-a-thon Coordinator from the drop-down list. A coordinator must be assigned to each Pledge-a-thon.
  7. Optionally, choose a Pledge-a-thon Category from the drop-down list. This will add the Pledge-a-thon to the list of all Pledge-a-thons associated with this Category.
  8. Choose the Template Design.
    • Your account has been automatically setup with a single template design for each language (such as version 1 = Athon.EN.v1.html)
    • If your events are hosted on web pages with different designs, you have the option of setting up multiple template versions for one or more languages.
  9. Choose the Currency for the Pledge-a-thon.  All donations, registration fees, and additional items sold will be displayed in that currency.
  10. Click Update & Next to continue; or Save as Draft/Active when finished to save your settings to the system.
Step 2 - Create a Description Back to Top

On the Description tab in the Logistics section:

  1. Enter a Descriptionin the text field.
    • You can use the HTML editor to add text attributes, paragraph formatting, images, links, embedded videos and colours to your description.
    • Create a table to position an image beside a block of text.
    • When pasting text from a Microsoft document, use the "Paste as Plain Text" icon and format your text with the HTML editor icons.
    • You can also add a thermometer image for your Pledge-a-thon that will be instantly updated as online and offline donations are processsed.
  2. Click Update & Next to continue; or Save as Draft/Active when finished to save your settings to the system.
Step 3 - Set the times and dates Back to Top

You can set up Pledge-a-thons for a single day or multiple days. You can close registration any time up to the last day of the Pledge-a-thon.

On the Dates tab in the Logistics section:

  1. Select a Time Zone. Click the region (Canada or USA) to narrow the list for your region.
  2. Click the calendar icon to select the Start Date and End Date. Or enter the date using the YYYY-MM-DD format.
    • If your event/campaign is for a single day, the start & end dates will be the same.
    • If your event/campaign is for multiple days, enter the start day & time of the first day of your event, and the end day & time of the last day.
  3. Enter the Start Time and End Time, specifying AM or PM.
  4. Enter a Registration Open Date, the date and time when participants can begin registering for the event on your Web site. Enter a date in the past to view the 'Register Now' button and test your form before launch.
  5. Enter a Registration Close Date, the last date that participants can register for the event. After this date, donors may still make donations to a participant's fundraising page until the Pledge-a-thon is Archived. When the Registration Close Date has past, donors can still donate to participants, and participants can still login to their fundraising account to solicit donations and view their reports. Instead, to stop the ability to fundraise, archive the Pledge-a-thon.
  6. Click Update & Next to continue; or Save as Draft/Active when finished to save your settings to the system.
Step 4 - Add a location Back to Top

Add the physical Pledge-a-thon location or, for virtual Pledge-a-thons, enter the properties that allow registrants to enter the Pledge-a-thon. You must provide a physical location (street, city, province or state, and country).

On the Location tab in the Logistics section:

  1. For an event with a physical location, choose "Add the event location" and add enter:
    • Location Name, such as the name of the Hotel or Park.
    • Building Name, if the event needs a building identifier.
    • Room name or number, if the event needs a room identifier.
    • Street address
    • City
    • State or Province
    • Country
    • Postal or Zip Code, using spaces or hyphens as appropriate.
  2. For a fundraising campaign without a physical address, select "Campaign with NO fixed location".
  3. Click Update & Next to continue; or Save as Draft/Active when finished to save your settings to the system.
Step 5 - Customize the form options Back to Top

Determine what should be displayed on your Description page by customizing these options.

On the Form Options tab in the Logistics section:

  1. Check to display the Event Details section, which includes the date, time, location, coordinator contact information. You can also choose to include one or more of the following:
    • Top Participants
      A dynamicallly generated list of Top Participants, based on fundraising success to date.
    • Top Teams
      A dynamicallly generated list of Top Teams, based on fundraising success to date.
    • Add to calendar
      Clicking the Add to Calendar link adds the event to a registrant's Outlook calendar.
    • Driving directions
      Clicking the Driving directions link opens a new window, adds the event address into Google® maps, and provides driving directions.
  2. Check to display the Registration Options section, listing all the registration options and pricing.
  3. Customize the text to appear on the Register Now button at the bottom of the page.
  4. Click Update & Next to continue; or Save as Draft/Active when finished to save your settings to the system.
Step 6 - Configure tax receipting Back to Top

Choose a tax receipting method. GiftTool automatically calculates the tax receiptable value and issue receipts based on this amount. If a tax receipting method is selected then registration options and additional items can be configure to have part or all of their value as tax deductible. Note, the offline payment methods by cash or cheque will not be displayed on the payment page if a portion of their total is tax deductible, so that the tax receipt can be issued immediately.

On the Receipts tab in the Logistics section:

  1. Determine if donations tax deductible.
  2. For registered Canadian charities:
    • Check the box for "Registered Canadian charities ONLY: Yes, issue etax receipts" to have an encrypted PDF copy of the eTax receipt sent along with the confirmation email.
    • [Optional] Specify the minimum tax receiptable donation amount required to issue an eTax receipt.
    • Click Default to populate the text for the email that accompanies the eTax receipt. Modify the message to your needs.
  3. For United States 501(c)3 charities:
    • The following tax receipt message will be displayed the confirmation email.
      Tax deductible portion of total amount: $XXX.XX USD

      Please print this receipt for your records. We are a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. The tax-deductible amount is fully tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law.
    • Specify the minimum tax receiptable donation amount required to issue a receipt.
  4. For registered United Kingdom (UK) charities, check the box to show the Gift Aid declaration.
  5. Click Update & Next to continue; or Save as Draft/Active when finished, to save your settings to the system.
Step 7 - Set up Pledge-a-thon participant team options Back to Top

You can allow participants - the volunteer fundraisers - to create and join teams. Each team will have their own fundraising page, allowing visitors to view the total amount of pledges collected by the team. Visitors will be able to pledge to a specific member by clicking on the personal web pages of the team members.

On the Teams tab in the Logistics section:

  1. Check one or more participant options.
  2. For each active option, enter text that encourages potential participants to sign up.
    • If allowing participants to form teams, make sure that "Allow Participants to Start a Team" is checked off. If you have a maximum number of teams, you can turn off the team option once the maximum has been reached.
    • If your Pledge-a-thon registers individuals only, both team options can be unchecked during setup.
    • If you are offering a family registration option, where a family pays for a single Fundraising page using a single email address, you can modify the text to be shown as:
      Join as an Individual
      Join as a Family
      Yes, I/we want to support the cause by participating and collecting pledges with our own donation page.
      Just enter the following HTML formatted text in the Join as an Individual section:
      <b>Join as a Family</b><br>
      Yes, I/we want to support the cause by participating and collecting pledges with our own donation page.
  3. Alternatively, if you wish to expand the offering to include both couple and family registration option, where a couple or family pays for a single Fundraising page using a single email address, you can modify the text to be shown as:
    Join as an Individual
    Join as a Family
    Join as a Couple

    Yes, I/we want to support the cause by participating and collecting pledges with our own donation page.
    Just enter the following HTML formatted text in the Join as an Individual section:
    <b>Join as a Family<br>
    Join as a Couple</b></br>
    Yes, I/we want to support the cause by participating and collecting pledges with our own donation page.
  4. Click Update & Next to continue; or Save as Draft/Active when finished to save your settings to the system.
Step 8 - Optional: Set up Pledge-a-thon participant group options Back to Top

You can organize teams into groups - for example, a company want to be a group when they have multiple teams participating in a Pledge-a-thon. This allows all team members & leaders of a group to login to their account to see both the Group Report (a listing of the total amount raised by each team), along with the Team Reports (a listing of the total amount raised by each team member). There is a hierarchy such that individuals can only join a team, and teams can only join a group.

On the Groups tab in the Logistics section:

  1. Click Add Group.
  2. Enter a Group Name.
  3. If participant teams are allowed to join a group, check the Allow more teams to join this group when registering option. Deselecting this option removes the group from the list on the site, and stops teams from joining the group.
  4. Enter the fundraising and recruitment goals for the group.
    The amounts entered are independent of any amounts entered by the teams, and should be updated manually.
  5. Complete the Key Contact Information section.
    This information is used internally, and not shown to the public.
  6. NOTE: The group's fundraising webpage does not currently exist (planned for the future), therefore enter the group's name & message simply to allow you to save the Group.
  7. Click Update & Next to continue; or Save as Draft/Active when finished to save your settings to the system.
  8. Notify the group that each team leader should select the group from the drop down menu when creating their team. Team leaders can also modify the group from their account profile, if the group was not originally selected during registration.
Step 9 - Add personal information to be gathered during registration Back to Top

Include the personal information fields that you want your participants to fill out during the registration process.

  1. On the Participants light blue tab, click Participant Information.
  2. Click Default, to fill in the text in the Text Shown column.
    • This populates all the Text Shown fields.
    • Customize the text in the rows that you want shown on your registration form.
  3. To choose which information fields to show on the registration form:
    • Check Include beside all the information fields you wish to include in your form.
    • Check Required beside the included fields that must be completed by the registrant. (Otherwise, the field is considered optional.)
  4. Click Update & Next to continue; or Save as Draft/Active when finished to save your settings to the system.
Step 10 - Optional: Add a waiver Back to Top

The Pledge-a-thon Waiver is shown as a link on your registration page. Choose a waiver from the drop-down list, or create a new waiver. You choose whether registrants must accept the terms of your waiver before registering for the event.

STEP 1 - Create your Event Waiver

  1. Click Save as Draft/Active to save your Pledge-a-thon created in the earlier steps.
  2. Create your Pledge-a-thon Waiver.

STEP 2 - Attach this waiver to your Pledge-a-thon registration form:

  1. From the Setup section of the Pledge-a-thon menu, choose Manage and click Change beside the name of the Pledge-a-thon.
  2. Click the light blue Participants tab.
  3. Click the grey Waivers tab.
  4. Choose the Event Waiver from the drop-down list.
  5. Enter the Link Name that you want registrants to see when they visit this page, such as "View Waiver".
  6. If you Require registrants to accept waiver before proceeding with registration, choose this option.
    • Click the Default button to enter the Waiver Section Heading in the text field.
    • Click the Default button to enter the Instructions that are shown above the event waiver.
  7. Click Update & Next to continue; or Save as Draft/Active when finished, to save your settings to the system.
Step 11 - Add registration options Back to Top

You must create at least one registration option for participants to be able to register for your Pledge-a-thon. You can build flexible pricing structures that include regular and early pricing, or set the price to $0 for free registration. Once you've added your registration options, you can customize the section heading, and add registration instructions.

  1. On the Participants light blue tab, click Registration Options.
  2. Click the Manage Options tab
  3. Click Add Option.
  4. Enter the name of the Registration Option to be shown on the online registration form. For example:

    For a Walk/Run:
    • 10K Runner Registration
    • 10K Walker Registration
    • 1K Family Fun Run
    • Volunteer Registration
    • I will collect donations but will NOT participate

    For a Virtual Fundraising Campaing:
    • Yes, I want to get my own fundraising page

    For a Bike-a-thon:
    • Individual Registration
    • Family Registration (Max 2 adults + 4 children)

    Pet & People Walk:
    • Yes, I want to participate in the Pet and People Walk
    • I will collect donations but will NOT participate in the Walk
  5. Enter one or more prices. Because the registration option is shown to registrants during the registration process, the option should let registrants confirm what they're registering for.
    • Enter a Regular Price. This is the main price shown on the registration form, and the only price shown when no early prices apply. For free Pledge-a-thons, set the price to $0.
    • If you offer a discount for early registration or purchase, enter an Early Price. The price is shown in an adjacent column.
    • If you entered an Early Price, enter the last date that the price applies, using the YYYY-MM-DD format. The date is shown as the column heading for the corresponding price.
    • You can add an Even Earlier Price following steps above.
  6. If you have enabled tax receipting, you will have the option to determine whether the full or partial amount of the option is tax deductible. Note, the offline payment methods by cash or cheque will not be displayed on the payment page if a portion of their total is tax deductible, so that the tax receipt can be issued immediately.
  7. Click Update & Next to customize the page listing the registration options.
  8. Click Default to populate the Registration Option Instructions, and customize the text to your needs.
  9. Enter the Registration Section Heading text, such as "Registration Options"
  10. Click Update & Next to continue; or Save as Draft/Active when finished to save your settings to the system.
TIPS:
  • To allow registrants types to choose a registration option, make sure that the box beside the registrant type is checked and a price is entered. Set price to $0.00 if the Pledge-a-thon is free.
Step 12 - Set up participant donation options Back to Top

Boost donations by asking your participants to kick start their fundraising efforts with their own personal contributions. This optional section will be displayed to participants - volunteer fundraisers - when they register for your Pledge-a-thon. You can customize the introductory message, set donation levels (optional), and encourage participants to join your monthly giving program.

  1. On the Participant Donation tab in the Participants section, click the Default button to populate the One-Time Donation Section Name and Section Message that participants will see during the registration process. You can then customize the message to your needs at any time.
  2. [Optional] In the Donation Levels for One-time Donations section, you can set up suggested donation levels with corresponding amounts.
  3. Click the Default button to populate the Monthly Donation Section Name and Section Message. You can then customize the message to your needs at any time.
  4. Click Update & Next to continue; or Save as Draft/Active when finished to save your settings to the system.
Step 13 - Optional: Sell additional items Back to Top

You can offer one or more additional items - such as meals, merchandise, or additional tickets for a Family registration - during registration, and organize your additional items into categories for ease of navigation. Create the category, then add the additional items. Registrants can choose an item and quantity, and pay for the items at the same time they register for the Pledge-a-thon.

If you have setup a Family Registration Option, such as Family Registration (Max 2 adults + 2 children), you can allow families to purchase additional tickets if they have more than 2 children. Just setup a Category called "Additional Tickets" and create an Additional Item called "Additional Children's Tickets". 

On the Additional Items tab in the Participants section:

  1. First, create a category by clicking Add Category.
    • Enter the Category Name.
    • Optionally, enter the Category Description that registrants see when they visit the registration page.
    • Click Save.
    • Repeat above steps to create additional categories.
  2. After you have added a category, click Add Item beside the category name.
  3. Enter the Additional Item Name.
  4. Enter an optional Additional Item Description. Registrants will see this description on the registration form.
  5. When the quantity is limited, enter the Available quantity. Leave the field blank when a quantity limit does not apply.
  6. When the quantity per registrant is limited, enter the Maximum per registrant. Leave the field blank when a quantity limit does not apply.
  7. Enter one or more prices:
    • Enter a Regular Price. This is the main price shown on the registration form, and the only price shown when no early prices apply.
    • Set price to $0.00 for free items.
    • If you offer a discount for early registration or purchase, enter an Early Price. The price is shown in an adjacent column.
    • If you entered an Early Price, enter the last date that the price applies, using the YYYY-MM-DD format. The date is shown as the column heading for the corresponding price.
    • You can add an Even Earlier Price following the directions as above.
  8. If you have enabled tax receipting, you will have the option to determine whether the full or partial amount of the option is tax deductible. Note, the offline payment methods by cash or cheque will not be displayed on the payment page if a portion of their total is tax deductible, so that the tax receipt can be issued immediately.
  9. Click Save Additional Item.
  10. To sort the list by item category, click the arrow next to the category you have chosen.

    Items will be listed in alphabetical order. To control the order of the items within a category, you should type a number before the name of each item of the items.
  11. Click Save Additional Item.
  12. Repeat steps above for each additional item.
  13. Click Update & Next to continue; or Save as Draft/Active when finished to save your settings to the system.
Step 14 - Optional: Ask additional questions Back to Top

Many types of information you may want to gather from registrants don't fall neatly into a registration form. GiftTool gives you a way to gather that information as part of the registration process, automatically tabulates the answers, and allows you to put the results to use immediately.

Gather additional information from participants by asking questions. You can ask questions to:

  • All participants
  • Only those participants who select a specific Registration Option
  • Only those participants who select a specific Additional Item
  1. On the Ask Questions tab in the Participants section, select your Question Type from the drop down menu and click Add Question.
    • Multiple Choice: Allows you to collect a multiple choice answer using radio buttons or a drop-down list; or collect all answers that apply with Multi-select check boxes.
    • Text / Numeric: Allows you to collect a Text answer, a Number answer, a Dollar amount answer or a Percentage answer.
  2. Enter the question and options for a multiple choice. If you have run out of spaces for the multiple choice options, click Save Question; re-enter the question by clicking Change; a series of new blank spaces will automatically appear below your existing multiple choice options.
  3. For each question type, you should determine if this question should be displayed to all participants; or only when a participant selects a specific Registration Option or Additional Item.
  4. Click Save Question.
  5. You can modify the order in which your questions will be displayed by clicking on the up or down arrows.
  6. If the same question should be asked for multiple options/items, click Copy beside the question and change the associated option before saving the copied question.
  7. Click Update & Next to continue; or Save as Draft/Active when finished to save your settings to the system.
Step 15 - Add additional payment options and confirmation messages Back to Top

Allow participants to select from additional offline payments methods when registering. Note, the offline payment methods by cash or cheque will not be displayed on the payment page if a portion of their total is tax deductible, so that the tax receipt can be issued immediately.

Determine which taxes to be charged. GiftTool automatically calculates the appropriate taxes and adds them to the total. Customize the confirmation messages shown when online registration has been completed.

  1. On the Payment Options tab in the Participants section, there are two additional offline payments methods you can offer to participants when paying for their registration fees and additional items.
  2. Allow other prepayment methods:
    Registrants are given the option to pay other than by credit card—for example, by cheque or money order. When choosing this option:
    • Enter the payment options in the text field.
    • Confirm the payee. Your organization's name and address registered with GiftTool is shown as the default recipient.
  3. Allow payment on site:
    Registrants are given the option to pay at the door.
  4. Choose the applicable Taxes to be charged and the event location for tax calculations.
  5. Click the Default button to populate the Thank You Message displayed on-screen and in the confirmation email after the online registration has been completed. You can then customize the message to your needs at any time.
  6. Click the Default button to populate the Payment Instructions & Cancellation Policy displayed on-screen and in the confirmation email. You can then customize the message to your needs at any time.
  7. Click Update & Next to continue; or Save as Draft/Active when finished, to save your settings to the system.

Step 16 - Customize the donation page shown to online sponsors Back to Top

Sponsors are those who the participants approach to pledge to donate to your Pledge-a-thon. Customizing the donation message from participants to sponsors ensures that the procedures for receiving pledges is consistent and correct.

When an online donor/sponsor clicks "Sponsor Me" on a personal fundraising page, they are taken to a donation page that you can customize. Modify the section titles and introductory messages, as well as, including optional donation levels. If you do not wish to display instructions, delete the default text from the text fields.

  1. If you aren't arleady in the Pledge-a-thon setup wizard:
    • Click Pledge-a-thon to view the Main Menu of this service.
    • From the Setup section, click Manage.
    • Click Change next to the Pledge-a-thon you would like to modify.
  2. Click the Sponsors light blue tab
  3. On the Request to Sponsors grey tab, click the Default link to populate the Donation Instructions that sponsors will see when making an online donation. You can then customize the message to your needs at any time.
    • You can use the HTML editor to add text attributes, paragraph formatting, links and colours to your description.
    • When pasting text from a Microsoft document, use the "Paste as Plain Text" icon and format your text with the HTML editor icons.
    • IMPORTANT: To add an image to a section of your secure Donation page, you must first host the image in the Secure Image Hosting section of your account (learn how). Otherwise your donation page will display error messages to donors indicating that an unsecure image exists on the secure page. Once you have uploaded the image in the Secure Image Hosting section of your account, you are ready to add this secure image to this section.
  4. Select at least one Contribution Frequency (One-time donation; recurring monthly donation, or recurring quarterly donation).
  5. [Optional] In the Donation Levels section, you can set up suggested donation levels with corresponding amounts.
  6. Click Update & Next to continue; or Save as Draft/Active when finished, to save your settings to the system.
Step 17 - Create confirmation message for online sponsors Back to Top

Create a confirmation message that will be sent to spoonsors when they make their online donation. This thank you message will be:

  • Displayed to donors on-screen once their donation has been successfully processed, and
  • Sent as their email confirmation shortly after the online donation has been made.


In addition to your message, the on-screen display and email message will show the pledge-a-thon name and the name of the team and group, if applicable, the total donation amount and donation date, and the donor's name and address. A unique donation number, assigned by GiftTool, will also be shown.

On the Donation Confirmation tab in the Sponsors section:

  1. In the Greeting field, enter a greeting prefix (Hi, Hello, Dear) and choose how the greeting should address the donor (first name vs. full first & last name).
  2. Enter your message text into the white On-Screen & Email Confirmation Message field. This text box accepts HTML code to format the text. For example:
    Thank you for your generosity. Your contribution is greatly appreciated!

    Your donation has been successfully processed. Please print this receipt for your records.
    The text below in the grey section will be automatically appended to your message.
  3. Click Update & Next to continue; or Save as Draft/Active when finished, to save your settings to the system.
Step 18 - Configure return address for pledge form Back to Top

You can specify the mailing address that appears on the pledge form. This is the address where participants should mail the pledge forms and money or cheques when they are completed.

On the Pledge Form tab in the Sponsors section:

  1. Modify the mailing address that appears on the pledge form:
    • Street address
    • City
    • State or Province
    • Country
    • Postal or Zip Code, using spaces or hyphens as appropriate.
  2. Click Update & Next to continue; or Save as Draft/Active when finished, to save your settings to the system.
Step 19 - Create default messages for individual pages Back to Top

Create the default settings for the personal web pages for participants and teams. Participants and leaders will be able to customize these pages while retaining the overall Pledge-a-thon look.

  1. On the Web Pages tab, click Individuals.
  2. Enter a default Web Page Title suitable for the Web pages of individual participants.
  3. Enter a default Web Page Message that individual participants can change to suit their needs.
  4. You can upload an image, such as a logo, that will be shown on all participants' Web pages.
    • If you have a narrow template, that does not allow for a wide photo to be uploaded without pushing the thermometer off the page, you should restrict the width of the photo to a small size to fit. Any participant that has already registered will need to upload their photo once more.
  5. Click Default to populate a suggested Fundraising Goal, with instructions shown above this goal during the registration process. You can then customize the text to your needs at any time.
  6. Click Update & Next to continue; or Save as Draft/Active when finished, to save your settings to the system.
Step 20 - Create default messages for team pages Back to Top
  1. On the Teams tab in the Web Pages section, enter a default Web Page Title suitable for the Web pages of participant teams. Participants will be able to edit this from their account.
  2. Enter a default Web Page Message that participant teams can change to suit their needs.
  3. You can upload an image, such as a logo, that will be shown on all participants' Web pages. Participants will be able to edit this from their account.
    • If you have a narrow template, that does not allow for a wide photo to be uploaded without pushing the thermometer off the page, you should restrict the width of the photo to a small size to fit. Any teams that have already registered will need to upload their photo once more.
  4. Click Default to populate a suggested Fundraising Goal and Recruitment Goal, with instructions shown above these goals during the registration process. You can then customize the text to your needs at any time.
  5. Click Update & Next to continue; or Save as Draft/Active when finished, to save your settings to the system.
Step 21 - Setup automated notifications for participants Back to Top

Enable automated notifications for participants. Participants can further customize their notification settings from the Edit My Profile section of their fundraising accounts. Notifications are enabled by default for any new Pledge-a-thon created.

  1. On the Notifications light blue tab, click Participants.
  2. Check the box for Send Notification – New Donation if you wish to automatically send a notification to participants when they have received a new online donation made from their personal fundraising page. Note: Emails will not be sent when an offline donation has been added to their account. Nor will an email be sent when a donation has been modified or cancelled by your staff.
    • To customize the email notification, click Default and modify the subject line and email message to your needs. You can always click Default again to return to the original default language. The text in the grey section will automatically be added to your message.
    • Or, uncheck the box, if you wish to disable this notification.
  3. Check the box for Send Notification – Fundraising Goal Reached if you wish to automatically send notifications to participants when they have reached their personal fundraising goal.
    • To customize the email notification, click Default and modify the subject line and email message to your needs. You can always click Default again to return to the original default language. The text in the grey section will automatically be added to your message.
    • Or, uncheck the box, if you wish to disable this notification.
  4. Click Update & Next to continue; or Save as Draft/Active when finished, to save your settings to the system.
Tip:

You can automatically populate specific information by using the following capitalized variables in your notification emails. Note that these variables are only relevant for Participant notification emails.

ATHON_ID
ATHON_NAME
PARTICIPANT_FUNDRAISING_GOAL
PARTICIPANT_FUNDRAISING_TOTAL
PARTICIPANT_FUNDRAISING_PERCENT
PARTICIPANT_ID
PARTICIPANT_NAME
PARTICIPANT_FIRSTNAME
PARTICIPANT_LASTNAME
SPONSOR_ID
SPONSOR_NAME
SPONSOR_FIRSTNAME
SPONSOR_LASTNAME
ORDER_AMOUNT
ORDER_DATE
COORDINATOR_NAME
COORDINATOR_FIRSTNAME
COORDINATOR_LASTNAME
COORDINATOR_EMAIL
ACCOUNT_ID
ACCOUNT_NAME
ACCOUNT_STREET
ACCOUNT_CITY
ACCOUNT_STATE
ACCOUNT_COUNTRY
ACCOUNT_ZIPCODE
Step 22 - Setup automated notifications for team leaders Back to Top

Enable automated notifications for team leaders. Team Leaders can further customize their notification settings from the Edit My Profile section of their fundraising accounts. Notifications are enabled by default for any new Pledge-a-thon created.

  1. On the Notifications light blue tab, click Teams.
  2. Check the box for Send Notification – New Team Member if you wish to automatically send a notification to team leaders when someone has joined their team.
    • To customize the email notification, click Default and modify the subject line and email message to your needs. You can always click Default again to return to the original default language. The text in the grey section will automatically be added to your message.
    • Or, uncheck the box, if you wish to disable this notification.
  3. Check the box for Send Notification – Team Fundraising Goal Reached if you wish to automatically send notifications to team leaders when their team fundraising goal has been reached.
    • To customize the email notification, click Default and modify the subject line and email message to your needs. You can always click Default again to return to the original default language. The text in the grey section will automatically be added to your message.
    • Or, uncheck the box, if you wish to disable this notification.
  4. Click Update & Next to continue; or Save as Draft/Active when finished, to save your settings to the system.
Tip:

You can automatically populate specific information by using the following capitalized variables in your notification emails. Note that these variables are only relevant for Team Leader notification emails.

ATHON_ID
ATHON_NAME
TEAM_ID
TEAM_NAME
TEAM_FUNDRAISING_GOAL
TEAM_FUNDRAISING_TOTAL
TEAM_FUNDRAISING_PERCENT
TEAM_RECRUITMENT_GOAL
TEAM_RECRUITMENT_TOTAL
TEAM_RECRUITMENT_PERCENT
TEAM_LEADER_ID
TEAM_LEADER_NAME
TEAM_LEADER_FIRSTNAME
TEAM_LEADER_LASTNAME
TEAM_MEMBER_ID
TEAM_MEMBER_NAME
TEAM_MEMBER_FIRSTNAME
TEAM_MEMBER_LASTNAME
ORDER_AMOUNT
ORDER_DATE
COORDINATOR_NAME
COORDINATOR_FIRSTNAME
COORDINATOR_LASTNAME
COORDINATOR_EMAIL
ACCOUNT_ID
ACCOUNT_NAME
ACCOUNT_STREET
ACCOUNT_CITY
ACCOUNT_STATE
ACCOUNT_COUNTRY
ACCOUNT_ZIPCODE
Step 23 - Set up a donation request email template Back to Top

Create an email template that particpants can customize and send to friends and family, asking them to "sponsor me". At the bottom of the message, clickable links will be shown that encourage visitors to view a participant's fundraising page. At the bottom of the message, clickable links will be shown that encourage visitors to view their personal Web page and/or team page.

  1. Click the light blue Email Templates tab.
  2. On the Make a donation tab, enter a Subject Line that will become the subject line for the email. For example:
    Join me in supporting the XXXXXXX
  3. Enter the text of the Email Message. For example:
    On April XX 20XX, I will be participating in the XXXXXXX. This fundraiser benefits the XXXXXXX.

    Please consider donating to this important cause. Use the link at the bottom of this email, and go visit my site.

    Thank you in advance for your generosity!
  4. You can upload an image, such as a logo, that will be included at the top of the HTML email.
  5. To previewing the message, click the View HTML and View Text buttons.
  6. Click Update & Next to continue; or Save as Draft/Active when finished, to save your settings to the system.
Step 24 - Set up a thank you email template Back to Top

Create an email template that particpants can send to friends and family, thanking them for their support. At the bottom of the message, clickable links will be shown that encourage visitors to view a participant's fundraising page.At the bottom of the message, clickable links will be shown that encourage visitors to view their personal Web page and/or team page.

  1. On the Thank you for your support tab of the Email Templates section, enter a Subject Line that will become the subject line for the email. For example:
    Thank you for your support
  2. Enter the text of the Email Message. For example:
    Thanks for helping me achieve my fundraising goal!

    On April XX 20XX, I participated in the XXXXXXX, in support of the XXXXXXX.

    If you would like to see how successful my fundraising activities have been, or make an additional donation, use the link at the bottom of this email, and go visit my site.

    Once again, thank you so much for your generosity. It means a lot to me!
  3. You can upload an image, such as a logo, that will be included at the top of the HTML email.
  4. To previewing the message, click the View HTML and View Text buttons.
  5. Click Update & Next to continue; or Save as Draft/Active when finished, to save your settings to the system.
Step 25 - Set up a request to join a team Back to Top

Create an email template that team leaders can send to friends and family, asking them to join the team. At the bottom of the message, clickable links will be shown that encourage visitors to view a team's fundraising page. At the bottom of the message, clickable links will be shown that encourage visitors to view their personal Web page and/or team page.

  1. On the Join my Team tab of the Email Templates section, enter a Subject Line that will become the subject line for the email. For example:
    Join our group for the XXXXXXX
  2. Enter the text of the Email Message. For example:
    Join our team!

    On April XX 20XX, I will be leading a team in the XXXXXXX. This fundraiser benefits the XXXXXXX.

    Sign up as a participant, collect pledges online, and come out and participate with our team.

    It's easy and it's fun. Click the link below to join our team or sponsor us online.
  3. You can upload an image, such as a logo, that will be included at the top of the HTML email.
  4. To previewing the message, click the View HTML and View Text buttons.
  5. Click Update & Next to continue; or Save as Draft/Active when finished, to save your settings to the system.
Step 26 - Optional: Set up a Pledge-a-thon request to join a group Back to Top

If you will be allowing groups, create an email template that group leaders can send to friends and family, asking them to "become a team leader for the group." At the bottom of the message, clickable links will be shown that encourage visitors to view a group's Web page. At the bottom of the message, clickable links will be shown that encourage visitors to view their personal Web page and/or team page.

  1. On the Join my Group tab of the Email Templates section, enter a Subject Line that will become the subject line for the email. For example:
    Join our group for the XXXXXXX
  2. Enter the text of the Email Message. For example:
    Join our group!

    On April XX 20XX, our group will be sending teams to the XXXXXXX. This fundraiser benefits the XXXXXXX.

    Sign up as a team leader or join a team, collect pledges online, and come out and participate with our teams.

    It's easy and it's fun. Click the link below to start a team, join a team or sponsor us online.
  3. You can upload an image, such as a logo, that will be included at the top of the HTML email.
  4. To previewing the message, click the View HTML and View Text buttons.
  5. Click Save as Draft/Active when finished, to save your settings to the system.
Step 27 - Review Profile to ensure Pledge-a-thon is well formed. Back to Top

Review the Pledge-a-thon Profile to ensure that the setup is well formed:

  1. Click Pledge-a-thon to view the Main Menu of this service.
  2. From the Setup section, click Manage and select the folder (Active, Draft or Archived) listing the Pledge-a-thon to be reviewed.
  3. Click Profile next to the Pledge-a-thon you would like to review, and review the message displayed in the Well Formed section.
  4. If the message displayed is "Yes", this Pledge-a-thon is ready to be previewed, activated and launched.
  5. If there is a red message idenfying issues to address:



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