GC Events – Setting Up Events (Including Full Complex Event Step by Step setup)

In this article, we walk you through setting up a complex event, which supports:

• Activity-level management for admins: The option to create activities within an overarching event, each with its own unique registration details.
• Activity-level registration for attendees: Ability for attendees to register themselves and guests for multiple activities and events within an overarching event.
• Event add-ons: Use add-ons for items, services, or packages associated with your event but not included with tickets. Examples: merchandise, parking, childcare, meal upgrades, golf sponsorships.

  Add‑Ons: availability rules and troubleshooting

  Add‑Ons let you sell items, services, or packages (for example, merchandise, parking, childcare, meal upgrades, golf sponsorships) alongside your tickets. Before building add‑Ons, confirm these two points:

  • Add‑Ons are available only for Complex events, not Simple events.
  • Your school must have access to complex events functionality.

  Why you might not see the Add‑Ons tab

  1. The event was created as a Simple event

  If the Add‑Ons tab is missing, check that the event type is Complex. For Simple events, clicking the Add‑Ons area shows an error: "Simple events don't have access to add‑Ons. Create a complex event to gain access." This redirect prevents the use of add‑Ons on that event.

  2. Your school subscription does not include Events Pro (complex events functionality)

  If your school doesn’t have access to complex event features, attempting to open Add‑Ons displays: "Add‑Ons are only available with the 'Events Pro' subscription." In this case, the add‑Ons feature is not available on your account.

  What to do in each situation

  I created the event as Simple by mistake:

  Since a Simple event cannot be converted to Complex, you must create a new event. Click + New Event, choose Complex Event at the Choose Event Type step, and then reconfigure the Details, Ticketing, Activities, and Add‑Ons sections.

  I selected Complex but still can’t access Add‑Ons:

  First, ensure you are viewing the event setup and searching for the Add‑Ons section. If clicking Add‑Ons shows the Events Pro message, your school does not have access to this feature. If no message appears yet the Add‑Ons area redirects, reopen the event setup to confirm the event type and review the Ticketing and Activities sections (some complex features require activities). If necessary, recreate the event as Complex.

  Quick checklist to resolve missing Add‑Ons

  1. Confirm the event type is Complex Event. If not, create a new Complex event.
  2. Note any on-screen message exactly:
     • "Simple events don't have access to add‑Ons. Create a complex event to gain access." → the event is Simple and must be recreated as Complex.
     • "Add‑Ons are only available with the 'Events Pro' subscription." → your school account does not support complex events.
  3. If you believe the event is Complex but the Add‑Ons section still misbehaves, reopen the event setup and verify the event type and activities.

  Notes and gotchas

  • New Complex events are required if the event was originally created as Simple; in‑place conversion is not supported.
  • The two messages above clearly indicate why Add‑Ons are unavailable: the first indicates a Simple event, and the second indicates that your school account lacks access to the feature.

Restricting add‑ons by ticket type and applying add‑ons from the admin

This section explains how to (A) limit add‑on visibility during self‑service checkout and (B) add an add‑on to an existing registration from the admin.

A. Limit add‑on visibility during checkout

• All active add‑ons appear in the self‑service registration flow by default; there is no hidden option like with ticket types.
• To restrict an add‑on, edit it and check the Restrict Add‑On box. A description explains that this setting limits the add‑on to registrants who purchase specific ticket types.
• When enabled, a multi‑select field appears to choose the ticket type(s) that can see and purchase the add‑on. Registrants with other ticket types won’t see it during checkout.

Important:

• Ticket‑type restrictions are enforced in the public checkout flow. Admins can still apply a restricted add‑on from the backend regardless of ticket type.
• To charge a registrant for a single extra unit (for example, one additional night of housing), create a dedicated add‑on (for example, Single Night – Housing) and set its Purchase Limit appropriately. Admins can then apply it manually when needed.

B. Add an add‑on to an existing registration (admin workflow)

Admins can add add‑ons to a registration using the following steps:

1. From the event in your admin, click the Registrations tab.
2. Click the registration ID to open the record.
3. Click Add to Registration on the registration record.
4. In the edit‑registration flow, scroll to the Add‑Ons section and click the Add button (with a plus icon).
5. In the Add Add‑On modal:
   • Choose the desired add‑on from the Select Add‑On dropdown. Add‑ons that are sold out appear as disabled until availability increases.
   • If the add‑on is restricted by ticket type, a Restricted by Ticket Type: notice will display. This is for information only.
   • Select the quantity (up to the remaining available units), complete any custom fields, and save your changes.

Example: To add one extra night of housing, create an add‑on called Single Night – Housing with a purchase limit matching your available slots. When needed, open the registration record, click Add to Registration, select the add‑on, set quantity to 1, and save. This method avoids refunding and repurchasing a multi‑night package when only one extra night is required.

C. Product boundaries

• Add‑ons are available only on Complex events; Simple events do not support add‑ons.
• There is no admin toggle to hide an add‑on in self‑service while keeping it available to admins. To charge only on the backend, restrict the add‑on to a ticket type that no self‑service registrant holds, then apply it manually.

D. Where to set up and apply add‑ons

• Setup: Open the event, click Edit Event, and select the Add‑Ons tab in the event setup sidebar.
• Apply: From the event’s Registrations tab, click the registration ID, then click Add to Registration and locate the Add‑Ons section.

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

• Note:
  • If you aren't yet an Events admin, anyone who is already an Events superadmin can give you the permissions you need from your GiveCampus admin dashboard by clicking into the Events tab and into the Administrators section.
  • If you are an Events admin, but NOT an admin on the platform, you won't be able to find GC Events from the main dashboard! Please have a teammate who is a Events  superadmin to share a direct link to GC Events within the platform with you. Be sure to bookmark that direct link so that you can navigate directly to the GC Events solution with ease. 
    • It can also be found using this URL and inputting your school name - https://givecampus.com/schools/[YourSchoolName]/admin/events

🎟 The Set Up: Basic Details and Ticketing

CHOOSE EVENT TYPE

To begin, use the “+ New Event” button in the upper right hand corner of the page, and a prompt to "Choose Event Type" will appear.  The "Simple Event" type is best suited for single-day events like happy hours or alumni dinners. The "Complex Event" type is your best choice for events featuring multiple days, multiple activities, add-on products, etc. 

• Note: Once you have started a simple event, you cannot move it to a complex event, so be sure to make a thoughtful decision on this step! In most cases, we recommend proceeding with a Complex Event, so that you can always leverage the complex-only features later if you need to incorporate them.

THE DETAILS

Click Next, and you will be sent along to the Details tab, where you'll enter the Who/What/When/Where/Why details of the event, in addition to customizing the following details:

Location FAQ — international and virtual events

Q: I'm running an event outside the United States. Do I need to fill in the State and Zip Code fields? How should I enter an international venue so the event displays correctly?

A: For international addresses, enter the venue name (Location Name) along with available street and city details, and leave the State and Zip Code fields blank. The event will publish and display correctly.

Details:

• The location form includes: Location Name, Address Line 1, Address Line 2, City, State, and Zip Code. None of these fields (except Location Name) are required.
• As long as Location Name is provided (or the event is set to virtual) and standard publish conditions are met (such as an event image and required contact fields), the event will publish.

Recommended steps for international in‑person events:

1. In the Details tab, enter the venue name in Location Name (this field is required).
2. Enter the street address in Address Line 1 and add extra details in Address Line 2 if needed.
3. Enter the city in City.
4. Leave State and Zip Code blank if the country does not use U.S. state/ZIP conventions.

State field and address display:

• The State dropdown is optional; leave it unselected if it does not apply.
• On event displays, the City/State/Zip line omits the state if it is unselected, ensuring a clean address format.

Virtual events:

• For virtual events, you can leave all physical location fields empty and instead use the event’s Virtual Link setting. This satisfies the publishing requirements.

Examples:

• International in‑person event:

  • Location Name: "Teatro Comunale"
  • Address Line 1: "Via Verdi 12"
  • City: "Bologna"
  • State: (unselected)
  • Zip Code: (blank)

• Virtual event:

  • Leave location fields empty and set the Virtual Link.

If you encounter a publishing error:

• Verify that Location Name is entered (or that the event is defined as virtual).
• Ensure that your event has an image and that the contact name and email are provided, as these are also required for publishing.

Event time zone

GiveCampus allows you to set an event-specific time zone on the Details tab so that event times display correctly for your audience.

How to set the event time zone

1. Open the event and navigate to the Details tab.
2. Locate the Time zone field and select the appropriate option from the dropdown.
3. Save your changes.

What this affects

• Event times on the landing page and in the schedule (including activity times) display using the selected time zone.
• If no time zone is set, the event uses your school's default time zone.
• Changing the event time zone updates all displayed times to match the local schedule of the chosen zone.

Practical tips

• For regional events, set the time zone to match the local area so registrants see local start and end times.
• After updating the time zone, review activity times and ticket sale windows to ensure they reflect the intended schedule.
• Leaving the time zone blank retains the school-level default, which is ideal for events held at your campus.

• Event Title: This is the external-facing title of your event, which must be a unique title across all your GC Events.
• Unique identifier: An optional field that allows you to assign a unique identifier for each event. 
• Registration Button: Use this field to customize the primary Call to Action button (up to 60 characters) on the event landing page for donors to register. By default, the button will read "Register" for free events or "Purchase Tickets" for paid events. 
• Countdown Timer: Choose to show or hide the countdown clock on your event landing page.
• Ticket Price on Landing Page: Choose to show or hide the ticket price on your event landing page.
• Header: Choose to show or hide the header on your event landing page and/or the registration flow. The header includes your school logo in the upper left and GiveCampus sign up / login calls to action in the upper right. 
• Background Image: We recommend using an image size of 1920 × 800px or an image with a similar aspect ratio. You can also set the overlay color, and text color used in front of the background image on your event landing page. 
• Event Image: The uploaded image will be resized to 800x600px so we recommend uploading an image with a similar aspect ratio.
• Require Activity for Registration: Check this box if you want to require registrants to sign up for at least one activity per person.
• Schedule Tab Custom Section: This section will display on the schedule tab of the landing page alongside the event’s schedule of activities. You can use this section to display details that you want your attendees to know, eg: travel, transportation, parking, health policies. 
  • Note: This section will only display if there are one or more activities added to this complex event.

SETTING UP EVENT-LEVEL TICKETS

Move on to the Ticketing tab to set up event-level ticketing. Two common approaches here are to either charge a general fee for registration for the event and provide activity-level options (see "Adding Activities" section below) at no cost, or vice versa: offering free tickets at the event level but charging for specific activities on the activity level.

FAQ — What if I don't know an activity price before publishing?

Q: We need to go live before one activity's price is confirmed. What is the safest approach?

A: Create the activity with a ticket price of $0.00. This displays as “Free” on the registration flow. Use the ticket type name and activity description to indicate that the final price will be announced later (for example, "Price TBD – payment collected on-site"). Setting the price to $0.00 does not charge registrants; it only makes the activity free until you update the price.

• To update the activity ticket price later, open the event, click Edit Event, and go to the Activities tab. Select the activity and then the Ticketing tab. You may change the price only if no ticket (including reservations during checkout) has been issued. Once a ticket is issued, the price is locked, as described in the "GC Events - Changing a Ticket Price" article.

• Note: The system automatically labels a $0.00 ticket as "Free." Any additional pricing details or instructions should be included in the ticket type name or description.

• If you plan to collect payment later (for example, at the door), add instructions such as "Payment collected at check‑in" along with accepted payment methods and timing in the ticket description.

FAQ — How do I remove an unnecessary activity?

Q: I added an activity while setting up the event but now want to remove it before anyone registers. How can I delete it?

A: To delete an activity that has no registrants, follow these steps:

1. Open the event in admin and click Edit Event.
2. In the setup sidebar, click the Activities tab.
3. Click the trash can icon next to the activity you want to remove. This deletes the activity from the event and the public registration flow.

• Important: You can only delete an activity if it has zero issued tickets. If any ticket has been issued or reserved during checkout, the trash can icon is disabled.

• If there are existing registrants, use the Cancel Activity workflow instead. This preserves historical data and allows you to process refunds as necessary. Refer to the "GC Events – Admin Tools for Event & Registration Management" article for full instructions.

Quick reminders and gotchas

• Use $0.00 as a placeholder price to reserve capacity without charging. The ticket will display as "Free."
• The "Free" label is system-controlled and cannot be modified. Use ticket names and descriptions to communicate any caveats or instructions regarding pricing and payment.
• You can update an activity's ticket price after publishing only if no ticket for that activity has been issued. Once a ticket is issued (including reserved tickets), the price is locked.
• Deleting an activity via the trash can icon requires that the activity has zero issued tickets. Otherwise, use the Cancel Activity process and handle refunds as needed.

If events are launched before all activity prices are finalized, consider creating a short internal checklist: set the activity price to $0.00, clearly describe how and when payment will be collected, and schedule a review to update the price or remove the activity as needed.

• Ticket Types: Start by adjusting the default ticket type, or adding additional types for your event. Within the ticket type, you can set the following details:
  • Set the "Ticket Price" for each ticket type. If it’s a free event, set the price to $0.00. You can add multiple ticket types for either free or paid ticket types for the event, and importantly, a registrant can buy multiple ticket types in a single transaction. 
  • Set the “Guest Limit” to be the maximum number of that ticket type that can be sold.
  • Set a “Fair Market Value” (FMV) for your ticket - by default, this is set to $0.00, meaning that the entire ticket purchase is tax deductible. You can adjust this value to account for any portion of the ticket cost that is not tax-deductible, e.g. exchange for goods or services."
    • The Why: Splitting out the portion of a ticket that is "fair market value" (exchange for services) and what part is “gift,” or tax deductible, will come through in your reporting with a detailed breakdown for each amount. It will also be broken down for your donors in the tax receipt they receive, so they are aware which part of their gift is tax deductible. 
  • Restrict Ticket Type if this ticket type should only display to registrants or guests of a particular affiliation. If restricting all ticket types, please ensure at least one ticket type is available for each affiliation to prevent registrants from hitting a "dead end" where no ticket types are available based on the affiliation selected. 
    • In order to restrict ticket types, "Collect Affiliation Data" must be selected on the Details tab of your event settings.
    • Ticket types can be restricted based on affiliation (i.e. "Alumni") or affiliation + value(s) (i.e. "Alumni 2014")
    • Restrict tickets "Based solely on the registrant's affiliation" if ticket type availability is based on the primary registrant’s affiliation only. Registrant must have at least one of the affiliations selected in order to see this ticket type and register for it for themselves and/or their guests. Note: When this option is selected, Affiliation will be automatically marked as required on the Registrant form.
      • For example: If a ticket type is restricted based solely on the registrant's affiliation and the affiliation required is "Alumni", any primary registrant who selects "Alumni" as their affiliation will be able to select this ticket type for themselves and their guests; even if their guests do not have the "Alumni" affiliation. 
    • Restrict tickets "Based on the individual’s affiliation" if ticket type availability is based on the individual’s affiliation, not the primary registrant. The primary registrant and each guest must have at least one of the affiliations selected in order to see this ticket type and register for it. Note: When this option is selected, Affiliation will be automatically marked as required on the Guest form. Be sure Affiliation is also required on the Registrant form.
      • For example: If a ticket type is restricted based on the individual's affiliation and the affiliation required is "Faculty/Staff", the primary registrant and each guest must have the affiliation "Faculty/Staff" to select this ticket type. If the primary registrant's affiliation is "Faculty/Staff" and their guest's affiliation is "Friend", the primary registrant can select this ticket type for themselves but must choose another ticket type for their guest.
  • Make it a "Hidden Ticket Type" - check this box if you need to hide a ticket type that should no longer available to registrants or is no longer relevant  (ex: VIP tickets, early bird tickets, sold out tickets, etc.)
  • As you add ticket types, note that you can click and drag to reorder the types. 
• Ticket Gift Designation: Select the designation for ticket sales. The designation will not be shown to registrants.
  • Need to add a new designation? Any designations with backend IDs already added at the account level will be available in this list as options to tie to the ticket purchases. If you need to add a new designation, head to your admin dashboard > School-Level Settings> to add a new designation.
  • Need to set a different designation for the Fair Market Value portion of the ticket? Email us in Support (support@givecampus.com). 
• Registration Limits: 
  • Max guests per registration: the total number of tickets that can be sold for this event per transaction
  • Overall guest limit: the maximum number of guests who can be registered for this event, across all ticket types and registrations.
  • 🚨 Note: As guests go through the registration system, their tickets will be held for them for a limited time as they complete the process, so that their tickets don't sell out before they can check out. For more about how we manage that flow, see our FAQs below.
• Registration Edits: The option to allow registrants to make adjustments to their own registrations. Click here to dive into the adjustments registrations can make themselves. 
  • Note that registrants will not be given any options to adjust their registration that would trigger a refund to their registration. For any activities or add-ons that have a price associated with them, registrants will see the "Refunds" language that you set in this text field. 
• Registration Terms: Use this section, which will appear on the landing page and on all subsequent pages throughout the registration process, to clarify event policies (e.g.: Attendee restrictions for affiliation or age, Covid-19 health regulations, refund policy, etc.)
• Affiliation Data: Check the boxes to enable the option to collect and/or require affiliation information from your attendee who is registering. Any attendee affiliation details collected during registration will be available to you in your reporting.

  Sharing step: what happens when you click Save & Next

  After configuring Sharing for your event, clicking Save & Next advances the setup flow as follows:

  • If Sequences is not enabled for the event, you proceed directly to Email Settings.
  • If your school uses Sequences and you have enabled Sequences for the event, you will go to the Sequences step.

  This step prevents any unexpected redirection to the Details page with a Sequences prompt. Clicking Save & Next reliably takes you to the correct next screen.

  How to proceed:

  1. Open your event and navigate to Sharing.
  2. Configure your Sharing options.
  3. Click Save & Next.
  4. You will land on Email Settings, or on Sequences if both school-level and event-specific Sequences are enabled.
   Class year and affiliation will also be visible on the public guest list (if enabled) alongside your guests’ names.
  • Need to add a new affiliation type? Any affiliations already added at the account level will be available in this list as options to present your donors. If you need to add a new affiliation type, head to your admin dashboard > School-Level Settings > Affiliations to add a new custom affiliation.

FAQ — How do I run an early‑bird ticket that appears only for a set time?

Q: Can I set a start and end date so a ticket type automatically appears and then disappears (for example, an early‑bird price that switches to a regular price on a scheduled date)?

A: GiveCampus does not support scheduling on individual ticket types. There is no built-in date field to automatically show or hide a ticket type. Instead, use this self‑serve workaround:

1. Create two ticket types up front—one at the early‑bird price and one at the regular price. Configure both ticket names, prices, guest limits, Fair Market Value, and any affiliation restrictions as desired.
2. Arrange the ticket types on the Ticketing tab so that the early‑bird option appears first during checkout.
3. When the early‑bird window closes, manually hide the early‑bird ticket by editing it on the Ticketing tab and checking the Hidden Ticket Type box.

Notes and gotchas:

• Once tickets have been issued for a ticket type (including reserved tickets), its price cannot be changed. Therefore, create early‑bird and regular tiers as separate ticket types from the start.
• Hiding the early‑bird ticket is a manual admin action. There is no system notification or automation to remind you to do this.
• Consider adding a calendar reminder or project task to ensure the early‑bird ticket is hidden at the intended cutoff time.
• You can reorder ticket types by clicking and dragging; use this to control which options appear first to registrants.

📝 Collecting Registrant & Guest Information 

With your ticket types set, you can move on to the "Guest Information" tab - your opportunity to set up custom fields to collect additional information from your registrants and each attendee. 

Use the Custom Fields section on the left to design additional fields (choose from text, number, checkbox, dropdown or multi-select field types) for your registrants to complete. You can configure the question copy (Label), Report Column name, and add Placeholder and Help Text to guide registrants' answers.

Placing custom fields: Registration Questions vs Attendee Questions

When creating custom fields on the Guest Information tab, you have two options for placement:

• Registration Questions: These fields appear in the main registration section and are answered once per registration (one response for the primary registrant/transaction). Use these for questions that apply to the entire order.

• Attendee Questions: These fields appear under the "Will You Be Attending" section for each attendee and are answered individually. Use these when you need a separate response per person—for example, a T‑shirt size dropdown for each guest.

How to choose and create the right field

1. Open your event and go to the Guest Information tab.
2. In the Custom Fields area, decide if the field should be per registration or per attendee:
   • For registration-wide questions, click Add to Registration Questions.
   • For individual attendee questions, click Add to Attendee Questions.
3. Build the field by selecting the desired type (e.g., Dropdown for sizes), enter the Label, Report Column name, Placeholder, and Help Text as needed, then save your changes.

Example

If you want to collect a T‑shirt size for each attendee, click Add to Attendee Questions and create a dropdown field called "T‑shirt size." If you only need to confirm that the group wants a complimentary T‑shirt, use Add to Registration Questions.

Reporting

Fields added as Registration Questions and Attendee Questions appear as separate columns in event exports and reports.

• Use the Add to Registrant Form button to add the field to the Registrant Form for all registrants to complete. The registrant form is the first set of questions the registrants will see, before they indicate if they plan on attending or are registering on behalf of someone else. If you need to collect custom data points for the registrant only, add questions just to the Registrant form.

• Use the Add to Attendee Form button to add the question to the Attendee Form. These are the fields that will be collected from everyone who will be attending the event.  

You can create Reusable Fields if you have custom fields you would like to add to multiple events created on GiveCampus. This will allow you to collect the same custom field data across multiple events using the same column header in reporting. Navigate to Events > Settings to create reusable fields. 

Once the fields are added, choose which (if any) fields should be required for registrants and attendees. Click the Star ⭐️ next to the field to make a field required. Any responses submitted will be available for admins to see in the reporting.

➕Adding Activities 

From the Activities tab, you can add the individual activities that are included in your event, and attendees can pick and choose from available activities as they move through the registration process. Each activity can have its own unique registration details, including:

• Basic Details: Activity start and end time, title, and description
• Audience Tags: Adding a tag to an activity will add a visual indicator to the activity drawing attention to the intended audience. Tags appear on the activity schedule and in the registration flow.
  • Note: Adding Audience Tags will not restrict a registrant from registering for an activity based on their affiliation but will inform them of the audience for which the activity is intended. See below for restriction capabilities.
• Activity Restrictions: Activities may be restricted by the ticket type selected by the primary registrant and each guest in the Ticketing section of the registration flow. Select this box if you would like to limit visibility and registration for this activity to only those registrants who have purchased one or more specific ticket types. 
  • Note: Ticket types within an activity cannot be restricted. All registrants who are eligible to register for each activity will see every activity ticket type. 
• Custom Fields: Ask questions of registrants and guests specific to this activity.
  • Note: This is where you could ask dietary restrictions for a dinner event, song requests for a DJ playlist, etc.
• Location
• Registration limits: Set a guest limit for this activity or leave blank if the activity has no limit.
• Ticket Type + Guest Limit for that Ticket Type
  • Note: Ticket types within an activity cannot be restricted. All registrants who are eligible to register for each activity will see every activity ticket type. 

Deleting Activities: An activity can be deleted so long as it has no registrations attached to it. Once an activity has a registration tied to it, it must be "cancelled" in the system, and attendees will need to be notified separately of the cancellation, as there is no automated alert from the registration system. If the activity is a paid activity, you will have an opportunity to issue a partial refund for the cancelled activity. See our Behind the Scenes article for more information about cancelling or refunding activities. 

➕Adding Event Add-ons 

Use add-ons for any items, services, or packages associated with your event but not included with tickets. For example: merchandise, parking, childcare, meal upgrades, golf sponsorships, etc. Each add-on can have its town unique details, including:

• Add-on Name
• Description
• Price + Fair Market Value: Set the price to 0.0 if the add-on is free
• Purchase Limit: the maximum number of this add-on available for the event, not per registration.
• Add-On Custom Fields: Ask questions of registrants and guests specific to this add-on.
  • Note: This is where you could ask for license plate information for a parking pass or a t-shirt size.
• Restrict Add-On: Add-Ons may be restricted by the ticket type selected by the primary registrant and each guest in the Ticketing section of the registration flow. Select this box if you would like to limit visibility and purchase of this add-on to only those registrants who have purchased one or more specific ticket types. 

Deleting Add-Ons: An add-on can be deleted so long as it has no registrations attached to it. Once an add-on has a registration tied to it, it must be "cancelled" in the system, and attendees will need to be notified separately of the cancellation, as there is no automated alert from the registration system. If the add-on is a paid add-on, you will have an opportunity to issue a partial refund for the cancelled add-on. See our Behind the Scenes article for more information about cancelling or refunding add-ons. 

💰Soliciting Additional Gifts from Donors

In the next tab labeled "Gifts", you can turn on the feature to solicit donations as part of the registration flow for your event. If you do not want to solicit donations, simply click the "Save & Next" button at the bottom of the page.

To enable this option, follow these steps:

Step 1: Select the GC Giving Form or GC Social Fundraising campaign to which gifts from this event should be attributed.

• If you choose to attribute donations to a Social Fundraising campaign, any gifts coming in from your event to that campaign will be treated like any other gift to that campaign. The donor’s gift will count toward campaign goals, the donor’s name will show up on the donor roll and in leaderboards, and the donation will count toward your GC Social Fundraising subscription. 
• If you choose to attribute donations to a Giving Form, the gift will count toward your GC Giving Form subscription. If you have a prepaid payment processing bundle, the donation will count toward that bundle.

Step 2: Choose where in the registration experience you’d like the solicitation to occur:

• Gift Solicitation in Registration Flow: Enable this option to allow registrants to add a gift to their ticket purchase. The registrant will only have to enter their payment information once in a single check out experience.
  • Note: While the registrant will only pay once, there will be two separate transactions occurring in the background if the transaction includes a paid ticket: one for the ticket purchase, one for the gift, and your registrant will receive two separate charges and two separate confirmation emails.
• Designation Settings: 
  • Select a single designation for this event: All gifts made during the registration flow will be assigned the same designation selected in this field. Donors cannot view the designation selected, change the designation selected, or add additional designations.
  • Allow donors to designate gifts themselves: Donors will see the designations available within this event’s associated social fundraising campaign or giving form and can split their gift as many ways as the associated campaign or giving form allows. 
  • Do not designate gifts made in the registration flow: Donors will not be shown the option to designate their gift and no designation will be assigned to gifts made during the registration flow.
• Additional Gifts: To highlight the option to make a donation from the event landing page and the post-purchase confirmation page, check the "Additional Gifts" box. Checking this box will reveal two customizable fields to help you market the option to make a donation in addition to registering for the event, and is available for events where only free tickets are offered.

🥳 Sharing with Your Community

From the "Sharing" tab, there are two built-in options to inspire registrants to engage with other community members and to spread the word about your event:

• Display Social Sharing Buttons - If enabled, the social sharing buttons for Facebook, X, LinkedIn and Copy link to share will be available both on the event landing page as well as the post-registration confirmation page.
• Display Guest List for Event - If enabled, the Guest List will display on both the event landing page and the order summary page.
  • When enabled, the five most recent event registrants will display in the Guests Attending section of the Overview tab on the event landing page.
  • A separate Guest List tab will also display on the event landing page and will include the complete guest list.
  • If affiliations are collected in the event registration form, users will see the option to filter the guest list by affiliation and value.
  • Users can also use the search functionality to find the name of a registrant within the full guest list or a filtered version of the guest list.
  • Opting Out of the Guest List
    • When the Guest List is enabled for an event, the Guest Information step of the registration form will include a checkbox to "Exclude name(s) from the public Guest List".
    • Registrants who choose to exclude their names from the guest list will appear as "Anonymous Guest" on the list. 
    • Administrators can update a registrant's preference to be included or excluded from the guest list by navigating to the Registrations tab, clicking on the registration ID, editing the registration, and checking or unchecking the "Exclude name(s) from the public Guest List" box.
    • If an administrator enables the Guest List for an event that has already received registrations, the names of those registrants will be excluded from the Guest List and all future registrants will be shown the checkbox to include or exclude their names if they so choose.

📧 Email Settings

Learn all about how to configure your GC Events emails using this dedicated article: Email Settings in GC Events! 

• Registration Confirmation: Confirms event registration and is used to provide event details, tickets, guest information, activities schedule, and payment receipt.
• Registration Summary: Provides updated event details when an add-on or activity ticket is added or removed from a registration or after an offline registration is added. It can also be sent manually by an admin. 
• Registration Reminder: Reminds the registrant of event details before the event, such as location and check-in instructions. The registration reminder must be enabled in Email Settings to configure this email. Be sure to enable the confirmation email, set the number of days prior to the event you would like the email to send, and click save.
• RSVP No Confirmation: Confirms receipt of the ‘No’ RSVP submission. The ‘Collect RSVP Nos for this event’ checkbox in the Details settings must be enabled to configure this email.

👀 Previewing Event + Testing Registration Flow  

Use the "Preview Event" button to jump over to the donor-facing view to preview your Event from a donor's view.

When you're ready to run test registrations for your event, our strong recommendation is to clone your event and conduct your testing in that cloned version.

Testing in a clone of your actual event ensures that no real event registrations are created in your actual environment – this is important because:

• Once a registration is completed, we lock the ticket types (and activities and add-ons in complex events) used in that registration. A ticket type, activity or add-on cannot be edited or removed as it would affect the reporting and reconciliation.
  • Note: You can hide a ticket type using the "Hidden Ticket Type" checkbox within the individual ticket settings if you've tested a ticket type that should no longer available to registrants or is no longer relevant  (ex: VIP tickets, early bird tickets, sold out tickets, etc.)
• Completed registrations cannot be removed or deleted from an event for the same reason. Test guests will count toward ticket and registration limits. 

By testing in your cloned event, you will be able to continue to edit all aspects of the registration experience that your donors will have.

🚀 Launch!

If your event is ready for prime time, use the "Publish Event" button from the preview page to make your event live. Once the Event is published, any activities added to your event will be live as well.

Use the "Event Settings" button to head back into the event to continue to modify, if needed. Use the "Unpublish Event" button to set it back to draft mode, preventing constituents from being able to visit the landing page of the event. You can only unpublish an event if no users have registered yet. 

📈 Event & Registration Management + Reporting

For a behind-the-scenes look at event management, registration management and reporting options, head over to our Behind the Scenes article here. 

Additional Resources

Articles

• Behind the Scenes with GC Events
• Reporting in GC Events
• Creating and Applying Promo Codes to GC Events
• Registration Edits: Allowing Registrants to Modify Their Registrations
• Adding Offline Registrants to GC Events

🤨 FAQs:

Q: Can registrants use mobile wallets to pay for their tickets? 

     A: Yes! Apple Pay and Google Pay will be available to registrants. Venmo and PayPal are also be available options when purchasing tickets - however, these two options are not available to donors who choose to add a gift in addition to their ticket purchase in the integrated donation flow.

Q: Can we customize the confirmation email that registrants receive?

     A: Yes. Learn more about the Email Settings in GC Events. 

Q: Can we require that registrants provide their affiliation?

     A: Yes! You can set affiliation as required for registrants and for their guests as well. Enable the collection of affiliation data in the  Affiliation Data" section of the Ticketing tab, and then use the Star icon in the Guest Information forms to require that data point for registrants and/or guests.

Q:  Can we edit the RSVP status of guests?

     A: Yes! From the "Registrations" or "Guests" tab, click on the linked id number for the registration to that registrant's record. From there, click "Change RSVP Status" and update the status of any guests associated with that registration. Note: If any guests are marked "Not Attending," they will be removed from the public guest list and the guest count. However, the "Tickets sold" number doesn't change, since that ticket was still sold.

Q: Can we remove a guests' registration? 

     A: No, not at this time. You can change RSVP status (see Q above!) to address any changes in attendance.

Q: Can I reorder my ticket types to change the order in which they appear during registration? 

     A: Yes! From the ticketing tab, you can click and drag to reorder the ticket types.

Q: Do School Fields work in form builder for Events?

     A: You can create Events-specific Reusable Fields by going to Events Settings > Add Reusable Field!

Q: Our tickets sell out quickly sometimes! Are guests tickets saved for them as they complete the registration process?

     A: Yes. When a guest registers for an event, tickets will now be reserved for a set amount of time! The countdown timer starts when a ticket type is saved. For simple events, the timer will countdown from 15 minutes, and for complex events, the timer will countdown from 30 minutes. We added this proactively to prepare for your more popular events, so that guests won't arrive at check out only to find that their tickets are no longer available!

Q: Can I feature all of my events on a landing page?

     A: Yes! If you are using GiveCampus for both Online Giving (Giving Forms and/or Social Fundraising) and Events, you can highlight upcoming events through your School Pages. You could add this section to an existing page or create an event-specific one!

Learn more about School Pages here!

Have additional Qs? 

Have a question not covered here? Give us a shout in Support (support@givecampus.com)! 

Adding Custom Information Fields for Registrants

Collecting Additional Information During Registration

You can collect custom information from registrants (such as foursome details for golf tournaments, dietary restrictions, or special requests) by adding custom fields to your event registration form.

To add custom information fields:

1. Navigate to your event settings
2. Go to Guest Information or Registration Fields section
3. Click "Add Custom Field"
4. Choose your field type:
   • Text field - For free-form responses like "Who is in your foursome?"
   • Number field - For numeric responses
   • Dropdown - For predefined options
   • Checkbox - For yes/no selections
   • Multi-select - For multiple choice options

Setting up golf tournament foursome fields:

1. Add a text field with label "Foursome Members" or "Playing Partners"
2. Set character limit (recommend 250-500 characters)
3. Make field optional or required based on your needs
4. Add help text like "Please list the names of your playing partners"

Important considerations:

• Custom fields apply to the entire registration, not individual ticket types
• Information appears in your custom reports and registration management interface
• Required fields must be completed before registration can be submitted
• Guest-specific fields can be configured to collect information for each attendee separately

Alternative approaches for partial payments: If registrants want to register for a group ticket but only pay their portion:

1. Create individual ticket types (e.g., "Single Golfer - $150")
2. Use promo codes for partial discounts when groups coordinate payment
3. Set up activities that allow individual selection within a group framework

Reorder custom fields after you create them

You can reorder custom fields in both Registration Questions and Attendee Questions using inline up/down controls in the form editor—you don’t need to delete and recreate fields just to change their order.

How to reorder fields

1. Open the event in admin and go to the Guest Information tab.
2. Locate the custom field you want to move in either the Registration Questions or Attendee Questions panel. Two arrow controls appear inline next to each custom field:
   • Move field up (up arrow)
   • Move field down (down arrow)
3. Click the appropriate arrow to shift the field one position at a time. Each click saves the new order immediately, with no separate save step required.

What to know

• Both Registration Questions (answered once per registration by the primary registrant) and Attendee Questions (answered individually per attendee) support reordering with these controls.
• In the Attendee Questions panel, the Move field up arrow will not appear when the field is already positioned immediately after the built-in default fields (e.g., First Name, Last Name, and Email Address), which always stay at the top.
• In the Registration Questions panel, the up arrow is available for all custom fields.
• To move a field several positions, click the arrow repeatedly until it reaches the desired spot.
• Changes take effect immediately and will be visible in the public registration flow the next time the form is accessed.

Example scenario

• Moving a transportation question under each golfer: If you have an attendee-level transportation question, open the Guest Information tab, locate the field in the Attendee Questions panel, and use the arrow controls to reposition it as needed.

Troubleshooting

• If the up arrow is missing for a custom field in the Attendee Questions panel, that field is already positioned directly after the built-in defaults and cannot be moved higher.
• If a move does not appear to update immediately, refresh the Guest Information tab to see the updated order.