Event-a-Thon Quick Start

We're excited for your event! Fundraisers like yours not only raise funds and awareness, they also bring the community together in a special way. Please refer to our Zendesk Event-a-Thon product guide for detailed instructions.

Event Setup

We offer a free online training for Event-a-Thon. Contact [e-mail] to schedule. You can also get started right away using the steps below. Once you are logged in all editable areas have a dotted line either around or under the area to be edited. 

1. LOGIN - Using the link provided in your Welcome email and the username and password you created, login to your CharityWeb Dashboard.
2. CREATE the EVENT - Go to "PFP/Event-a-Thon" then "Add Event." Do not put the year in the URL so you can use it for subsequent years.
3. CUSTOMIZE THE SUMMARY PAGE - Our system will generate an event site with a blue background. To change the color email [e-mail]. You can upload a new logo, change the name, date and add a description. If you have a web developer or designer working on the site please contact us.  
4. CUSTOMIZE DEFAULT TEAM PAGE - The "Default Team Page" is essentially a setup page. Update with fundraising appeal text and 3-4 photos. You will find the link under "Find/Edit Events." These images and the text will be the default on all team and individual pages. 
5. ADD REGISTRATION FEE - Only needed if you are charging a registration fee or collecting t-shirt information. Go to "PFP/Event-a-Thon" - and "Add ticket" link. 
6. UPDATE EMAILS - There are 4 emails for the event - Donation, Start a Team, Join a Team and Individual signup. Go to "Emails" then "Find/Edit Emails" select your event specific email and update text. Do not change text in ALL CAPS. These are merge fields to customize your emails. Note: Event-a-Thon for Schools you only need to update the Donation and Join a Team emails if using our upload feature to create your fundraiser pages.
7. COVER THE FEE - We can turn this feature on upon request. 
8. TEST THE PLATFORM - Your event is in test mode. You can add a team or individual and then delete by selecting the entry in Participant or Team tab. You can also make a test donation to see the donor experience. When ready to start your event, go to "PFP/Event-a-Thon" and click the "Make Live" button for your event. This will hide the Default Team from the team list. DO NOT DELETE the default team. You can change the name to General Donations and use as a catch all for donations or sponsorships not tied to a team or individual. Think of the Default Team as the template for all your fundraising pages.
9. FOR SCHOOLS - Most schools utilize our Upload Participant List to create class and student fundraiser pages. If you include the parent email we can send the student's fundraiser page link in an email to the parent. Upload instructions are here. Some schools want to create class teams and then invite parents to join and create their own fundraiser page. If you decide on this option then go to "PFP/Event-a-Thon" and "Offline Entry" and select the event you want. Then click on the "Add Team" button. The teacher will be the team captain but the email address needs to be unique for each class. You can solve to this by using [[e-mail], [e-mail], etc.] Replace "schoolname" with your school.  

Event Management

1. View transaction data in the "Reports" tab. Be sure to select type (registration or donation).
2. View participant fundraising reports under the "Participant" tab.
3. To move participants between teams go to "Teams" and click "Edit" next to the individual you want to move.
4. Once your event is up and running you might get some checks or cash donations. You can enter these in the "Offline Donations" tab.

A Few Fundraising Tips

Over one third of all online donations come from social fundraising so a successful fundraiser will utilize social media for signups and encourage participants to share, share, share! 

1. Message to participants the importance of personalizing their fundraising page with their own message and even images. This will help them raise more as people feel more connected. 
2. Encourage participants to share on social media! We can't stress enough how effective and essential this is for your event's success. Provide them with text suggestions for posts and appeals.
3. Check in regularly with participants via email or phone (weekly or bi-weekly). Developing a relationship with team captains is especially important for ongoing success.