Campaigns vs. Designations

What's the difference between a campaign and a designation, and how can they help you organize your donations?

Updated over a week ago

As you may have noticed, “campaigns” and “designations” are two tools that can help manage your donation records and overall fundraising within Donor Management.

These two features have a lot in common, but are actually two separate ways to assign a donation or contribution.

Campaigns” can help you track where your donations and other contributions are coming from; this can include things like year-end giving campaigns, an annual gala, a 5K event, or an ongoing donation page.

Designations” can help you track what those donations and contributions will go towards; this could include “supplies for the shelter,” “a new van,” or “where needed the most.”

Adding a Campaign from the Giving Page

The first way to add a new campaign is through the “Giving” tab. You can select the “Giving” tab from the navigation menu on the left side of your screen, and then select “Campaigns” from the options that appear below “Giving,” once that page reloads.

Once there, you’ll want to click on the green “Add Campaign” button in the top right corner of your screen.

You should see a drop-down menu appear with several campaign options – most of which will create a corresponding giving page in Fundraising Pages.

  • Offline Campaign: This campaign type should be used for any campaign you are creating that will not have any corresponding Fundraising page.

  • Everyday Giving Campaign: This campaign type should be used for any campaign you are creating that will have a corresponding Everyday Giving page.

  • Peer-to-Peer Campaign: This campaign type should be used for any campaign you are creating that will have a corresponding Peer-to-Peer Campaign page.

  • Event Campaign: This campaign type should be used for any campaign you are creating that will have a corresponding Events Lite or Essential Events page.

Adding a Campaign from the Dashboard

The second way to add a campaign is directly from the Dashboard itself.

If you are viewing Donor Management on a laptop or desktop, you should be able to use the blue “Quick Add” button at the top left corner of your screen (above the “Dashboard” tab).

If you are viewing Donor Management on a mobile device, such as a phone or tablet, you should be able to click on an “Add” button at the bottom of your screen.

There will be a pop-up that appears with several options – you'll want to click on “Campaign.”

Please be aware that creating a campaign directly from the Dashboard will automatically create an “offline” campaign. If you need to create a campaign that corresponds to a Fundraising Page, you should either create the campaign directly from the “Campaigns” tab (under “Giving) or by first creating the corresponding Fundraising Page.

Adding Campaign Details

The next step in creating a campaign is to provide some additional details, which we’ll explain below:

  • Campaign Name: This is where you’ll want to enter a clear and distinguishable name for your campaign, like “Spring Fundraiser” or “Year-End Engagement Campaign.”

  • Campaign Goal: This optional field is where you can enter a potential financial goal for this campaign. You always have the option to update a campaign goal if (fingers crossed!) you meet your initial goal before the campaign ends.

  • Campaign End Date: This is where you can enter an “end date” for when your campaign formally ends. You can change the end date if you wish to extend or shorten a campaign – or you can leave this field blank if you’d like that campaign to remain open and ongoing.

  • Campaign Webpage: If you are running your campaign online through a platform other than Fundraising Pages, you can enter the corresponding URL here. If you’re using Fundraising Pages to run your campaign, you can leave this field blank.

Once you’ve entered those details, you can click on the green “Save & Exit” button.

You should then see your new campaign listed among the other campaigns your organization has created.

Adding a Designation from the Giving Page

The first way to add a new designation is through the “Giving” tab. You can select the “Giving” tab from the navigation menu on the left side of your screen, and then select “Designation” from the options that appear below “Giving,” once that page reloads.

Once there, you’ll want to click on the green “Add Designation” button in the top right corner of your screen.

Adding a Designation from the Dashboard

The second way to add a designation is directly from the Dashboard itself.

If you are viewing Donor Management on a laptop or desktop, you should be able to use the blue “Quick Add” button at the top left corner of your screen (above the “Dashboard” tab).

If you are viewing Donor Management on a mobile device, such as a phone or tablet, you should be able to click on an “Add” button at the bottom of your screen.

There will be a pop-up that appears with several options – you'll want to click on “Designation.”

You’ll then be prompted to name this designation – we recommend naming it something that clearly states its purpose and will be easy for you to remember later on.

Once you’ve decided on a name, you can click on the green “Save & Exit” button.

You should then be able to see your new designation listed among any other designations that your organization has created!



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