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How to Set Up an Online Fund-a-Need

In this article, we will guide you through organizing an in-person Fund-a-Need (FAN) where your donors can easily use their mobile phones to donate or pledge!

With the Fund-a-Need (FAN) builder, you'll be able to create pre-set giving amounts that your donors can select during the FAN, allowing them to quickly make donations without going through the entire checkout process.

You can then ask donors to participate via their mobile devices, which allows you to watch donations and totals in real time. 

Alternatively, if you are using physical paddles, you can use our FAN Quick Entry Tool to capture those donations after the paddle raise.

How to Set Up a Fund-a-Need

  1. From your fundraiser builder, go to your sidebar settings and select Donation Options

  2. Toggle on Enable Fund a Need

  3. Select Edit Fund a Need from the menu options

  4. Set up your Preset Giving Levels. 

     

  5. Hit Save and Publish Changes.

  6. Click the View Page to open the FAN flow for your donors.
    1. Note: Donors cannot navigate to this page from your fundraiser. 

How to Set Up the FAN Live Event View

The FAN Live Event View should be used when donors are participating from their mobile devices. The view shows a QR code to the FAN flow, as well as an activity roll displaying donations as they come in.

  1. From the fundraiser builder, go to the sidebar and choose Live Event Views
  2. It will open up a new browser tab to show your different production views. Select Simple Fund-a-Need View


  3. Click Configure Settings in the top left corner of your Simple Fund-a-Need View builder


  4. Under "Which fundraising drivers would you like to include?" ensure you select custom donations, donation options, pre-loaded donations, and pledges.

  5. Complete your settings with your Thermometer Goal and Appearance
    1. To set a background image, you must first host the image online (such as on your website) then copy the URL to that image into the settings.
  6. Click Generate Production View
  7. Once you click Generate Production View, a new browser tab will open. Be sure to copy the entire URL from this tab and use it for projecting the display

Please Note:

Once a view is generated, you cannot edit that existing view. If you need to make changes, you would need to generate a new view, which creates a new URL.

Best practice is to have one organizer create a view and share the URL. 

 

How to Ask Donors to Participate Using Mobile Devices

  1. Project your Fund-a-Need view on the screen or where your donors can easily see it
  2. Ask donors to scan the QR code or type the short URL into their browser on their own devices
  3. After accessing the page, donors will be able to view the Preset Giving Levels. They can easily pledge or make a donation even if they are not logged in.
  4. As donations and pledges are made, you'll see your thermometer updated in real time. 

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Can donors choose to cover the fees during the Fund-a-Need flow?

A: Yes, if they are completing their purchase during the flow, and you have your fee coverage option set to Optional for Donations.

When a donor is making a pledge during the Fund-a-Need, our system does not give them the option to cover fees, as fees cannot be calculated until a payment method is saved. When the donor is later completing their checkout, or when a member of your team completes the purchase from the Check-In Tool, they will be presented with the option of covering those fees.

Q: Is the Fund-a-Need flow accessible via a menu item or navigation on the fundraiser page?

A: No, the Fund-a-Need flow is only accessible if you share the link directly with your supporters, either by sending them the URL, creating QR codes, or by using the Simple Fund-a-Need view. This allows you to control who has access and when, rather than allowing anyone on the internet to access the flow.

Q: What if we are doing a physical paddle raise?

A: If you are asking donors to raise paddles instead of participate on their mobile devices, you should have volunteer spotters that are recording donations on paper around the room. After the Fund-a-Need, you can enter the donations into Trellis using our FAN Quick Entry Tool. 

Q: Can we remove fees from the Simple Fund-a-Need View?

A: Unfortunately not at this time.

 

Did this answer your question? If not, please reach out to the Trellis Support team via the blue chat icon or email support@trellis.or