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Creating Pledge Forms

Updated

Overview

Online pledges allow your donors to commit to a future gift through your GiveCampus Giving Forms. Donors can choose to pay their pledge in full at a later date or set up installment payments over time. This feature helps secure future commitments while offering donors flexible payment options.

Key benefits of online pledges:

  • Flexibility for donors to commit now and pay later
  • Options for one-time future payments or installment plans
  • Automated payment processing for donors who provide credit card information
  • Robust reporting tools

We’re also working on features for pledge reminders and fulfillment,launching in the coming months. If you’re interested in joining our advisory group to provide feedback, please contact your Partner Success Manager!

Getting Started

Pledge Forms are a type of GiveCampus Giving Form, with many similarities to traditional Giving Forms. If you’re new to Giving Forms, we recommend reviewing these articles first:

Setting Up a Pledge Form

1. Initial Form Creation

  1. Go to your Giving Forms dashboard.
  2. Click Create New Form.
  3. In the pop-up, select Pledge Form.
  4. Enter a form name and (optional) category.

2. Pledge Settings

In the Forms tab, configure the following pledge options:

  • Pledge Payoff Structure Decide how donors can structure their payment schedules:
    • Monthly Payments: Split the pledge into monthly installments.
    • Annual Payments: Split the pledge into yearly installments.
    • Enable one, both, or neither option.
    • Note: One-time pledge payments are always available.
  • Payment Options Choose how donors provide payment information:
    • Allow donors to submit their payment details for automatic processing.
    • Allow donors to pledge without providing payment information upfront.
    • Enable one or both options.
  • Pledge Parameters (Optional) We recommend setting this strategically depending on different initiatives for pledges. For example, are you collecting pledges from Parents for the current fiscal year? Set your maximum payoff date to June 30. Or, are you looking for a 5 year reunion pledge commitment? Set the date to June 30, 2030.
    • Set a minimum pledge amount:
    • Define a maximum pledge payoff date.

3. Form Questions, Language, and Imagery

To customize your Pledge Form:

  • Go to the Forms tab > Form Builder to add pre- or post-payment form questions.
  • Edit language and images for the Pre-Payment, Payment, and Post-Payment stages under their respective tabs.

4. Email Confirmations and Notifications

Donors are notified after submitting their pledge. If they provide payment information, they’ll also get updates about charges or changes to their pledge.

  • Donors without payment information receive a confirmation of their pledge but no automated reminders at this time.

To manage email templates:

  1. Go to Pledge Form Settings > Email Templates.
  2. Review, edit, and activate the following notifications:

Email Notifications:

  1. Payment Provided: Confirmation Email Sent when donors submit a pledge with payment information.
  2. No Payment Provided: Confirmation Email Sent when donors submit a pledge without payment information.
  3. Payment Provided: First Installment Reminder Sent 3 days before a donor’s first installment is charged (if it’s at least 2 months after the pledge was established).
  4. Payment Provided: Annual Payment Reminder Sent 3 days before annual payments for multi-year pledges. Note: In the first year, donors receive the “First Installment Reminder” instead.
  5. Payment Provided: Pledge Cancelled Sent when a donor cancels future pledge payments.
  6. Payment Provided: Pledge Paid Sent when a pledge is paid in full. Sent when the first and only payment is made on the same day as the pledge commitment.
  7. Payment Provided: Pledge Failed Sent if a donor’s payment method fails.
  8. Payment Provided: Pledge Reactivated Sent when a previously failed payment is successfully reactivated.

Reporting on Pledges

Click here pledge reporting tips.
If you are leveraging the GiveCampus API, please review updates to the Recurring Subscription API.

 

FAQ:

  • Can I accept pledges through Social Fundraising campaigns?
    • At this time, pledges can only be processed through Giving Forms. Our recommendation is to keep an eye on pledges as they come in and then enter them as Offline Gifts in the campaign.
  • Can I modify the pledge?
    • Yes! When reviewing pledges, you'll see a Donation ID--this is where you can modify the pledge commitment including designation, payment information, etc. Note that you can even add payment information after the fact if the donor did not enter it at the time of making the pledge!

More Questions?

Contact support@givecampus.com.

 

 

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