GC Events - Getting Started

With GC Events, we make it easy for you to provide your community with a great user experience for event registration and ticketing - giving you a design that looks and feels cohesive with your other fundraising initiatives and helping you put donation opportunities at the front and center of each of your events.

Consider this article your quick start guide to getting to know GC Events! In this article, we cover:

• Setting up the basic details, ticket types, registration limits, etc.
• Collecting registrant & attendee information
• Soliciting additional gifts from donors
• Social sharing and guest list details
• Email settings for registration confirmations and pre-event reminders, email summaries, and RSVP No confirmations

Getting Started Requirements

To get started, confirm that you are listed as a GC Events-specific administrator, and head to the Events section from your admin dashboard.

Note: If you aren't yet an Events administrator at your institution, reach out to your primary GiveCampus admin or contact support@givecampus.com to be added.

Publishing Your Event

How to Publish an Event

Once your event is configured, you'll need to publish it to make it live for registrations:

Common Publishing Issues

Q: Why can't I see the publish button? A: You likely have incomplete required fields. The most commonly missed fields are in Email Settings - make sure you've entered the Event Contact's name and email address.

Q: Can I unpublish an event? A: Yes, but only if no users have registered yet. Use the "Unpublish Event" button to set it back to draft status.

Common Variations of Publishing Questions

• "How do I make my event live?"
• "Where is the publish button?"
• "My event won't publish"
• "How to activate event registration"
• "Event is stuck in draft mode"

Setting Up Event Basics

Event Details

Start by filling in your event's core information:

• Event name and description
• Date, time, and location details
• Event capacity and guest limits
• Registration deadline

Ticket Configuration

Set up your ticket types and pricing:

• Create ticket types with appropriate names and pricing
• Set ticket limits if needed
• Configure ticket designations for reporting purposes
• Remember: once a registration uses a ticket type, you cannot edit or delete it

Email Configuration Requirements

Before publishing, you must configure:

• Event Contact Name (required)
• Event Contact Email (required)
• Registration confirmation emails
• Optional reminder emails and RSVP settings

Registration Management Features

Once your event is live, you can:

• View and manage registrations
• Process refunds when needed
• Add offline registrants
• Generate reports and export data

Next Steps

After setting up the basics:

Review our [Pre-launch Checklist](link-to-checklist) to ensure everything is configured properlyTest the registration flow before promoting your eventSet up tracking links for marketing campaignsConfigure waitlist options if needed

For more detailed setup instructions, including complex events with activities and add-ons, see our [Complex Event Setup Guide](link-to-complex-events).

Adding Custom Guest Information Fields

Collecting Additional Information During Registration

You can collect custom information from event guests during the registration process by adding custom fields to your event.

To add custom guest information fields:

1. Navigate to your event settings

2. Click on the Guest Information section in the left navigation

3. Click Add Custom Field

4. Select the field type:

- Text: For free-form responses (questions, topics, special requests)

- Dropdown: For multiple choice options

- Checkbox: For yes/no questions

5. Enter your field label (e.g., "Questions or topics for discussion")

6. Configure whether the field is required or optional

7. Save your changes

Important notes:

• Text fields have a limit of 1,024 characters
• Custom field responses can be exported in your event reports
• Guest custom field data appears in Custom Reporting under the Guest report type

Common Use Cases for Custom Fields

• Dietary restrictions and allergies
• Questions or discussion topics
• Special accommodation requests
• Parking needs
• T-shirt sizes for events with merchandise