Creating Campaigns

Once you have your account set up, creating a campaign is simple.

From your CommitChange Dashboard, click on the Campaign icon (the thermometer) in your Dashboard menu and then click on the New Campaign button.

• Enter your campaign's name, tagline, and description. (It helps to have these planned out in advance. Remember, people love to feel connected to your organization, so tell your campaign's story!)

• Set a goal amount and a campaign end date. (Make sure it's realistic, especially if you don't already have a network of online supporters. Also, your campaign should be long enough to allow supporters to help get the word out but not so long that the buzz and excitement over reaching goals starts to die down.)

• Upload a picture for your campaign and include a video introduction to your organization and what you're raising money for. Adding a video will boost your success and give donors another way to learn your story. 
• Technical note: We suggest image uploads under 2 MB; pictures optimized for the web work the best.

• Preview your campaign. It is now in draft mode.
• You can change any of the above information you added in your Campaign Settings; the button to manage your settings can be found in the top Manage Campaign menu.

• You can also customize how your activity feed, gift levels, supporters, and goals appear on your page and create new gift options from the Settings screen as well as manage the page's media.

• Add gift options (the button for Gift Options is in the same menu as the Campaign Settings button). These give donors a chance to see the levels of donations you're looking for and what they, or those who benefit from your services, will get for their donations. When you click on the Gift Options button, a box will pop up with a form to set up your giving options.
• You have a lot of freedom over how to create gift options. You can choose one-time or recurring donations and describe them as well as limit the amount of a specific option and require a shipping address be entered (this comes in handy if you're using physical goods or services as fundraising incentives). You can also limit the system so that donors can only choose from the gift options available with no custom amount options.

• Many nonprofits choose to describe the direct correlation between specific dollar amounts and what they mean for their organization as gift levels. 
• Others choose to give donors small gifts in thanks for their donations.
• You can change the order of your gift levels by clicking on Manage Gift Options and dragging and dropping the levels so that they are in the order you would like them to be.
• Write a more in-depth account of your organization's story. Make sure your donors know why they should support you. You can also add more photos of your organization and its impact.
• Press the Settings button to go to the Settings admin panel. To publish your campaign, click on the checkbox next to "Published?"
• Scroll down and press the Update Campaign button to save your changes. Publishing your campaign won't change your campaign link or any of the campaign's functionality, but it will ensure that your campaign comes up in internet searches. If you do not publish your campaign, your supporters will only be able to find your page through a direct link.