Managing campaign URLs and post-campaign redirects – GiveCampus University

Understanding your campaign URLs

Every campaign and giving form on GiveCampus gets a unique URL. Understanding how these URLs work—and how to manage them before, during, and after your campaign—helps ensure a smooth donor experience at every stage.

Campaign URL structure

Your campaign URL typically follows this format: www.givecampus.com/schools/YourSchool/your-campaign-name. For tiered campaigns, sub-pages extend the URL like /your-campaign-name/tier2-page-name. You can customize the URL slug when creating your campaign—keep it short, memorable, and relevant.

Branded URLs

A branded URL (like give.yourschool.edu) replaces the default GiveCampus URL with one that matches your institution's domain. The rest of the URL will follow the same pattern with your domain replacing givecampus.com. Your branded URL cannot be directed to a specific form or campaign.

Tiered campaign URLs

In a tiered campaign, each level has its own URL:

Tier 1 (main campaign) — The primary page with overall leaderboards and totals
Tier 2 (college/unit level) — Pages for specific colleges, schools, or programs
Tier 3 (department level) — More granular pages within a Tier 2 group

Share the relevant tier URL with each audience segment. An alumni email for the College of Engineering should link to the Engineering tier page, not the main campaign.

Pre-launch pages

Before your campaign goes live, set up a Pre-Launch Page that displays a countdown timer and teaser content at your campaign URL. This lets you share the URL early in marketing materials without revealing the full campaign. When the campaign launches, the pre-launch page automatically transitions to the live campaign using the same URL.

Post-campaign

After a campaign ends, visitors see the ended campaign page with a link to your default form. If you need to change your default form please contact the GiveCampus support team. A direct link to the prepayment form will direct to a GiveCampus login page after the campaign is complete.

Post-campaign page behavior and limitations

After a campaign ends, your campaign page continues to display campaign details and donation options. You can still share your campaign URL and direct visitors to the ended page.

Direct pre‑payment links after a campaign ends

Direct links to campaign giving forms (for example, /campaigns/[id]/donations/new) automatically redirect to your school’s default giving form once the campaign has ended. Donors clicking these saved or shared pre‑payment URLs will see a message stating "This campaign has ended!" and land on the default giving form.
Campaign landing page URLs remain active. The campaign page continues to display ended-campaign details and links to active giving options, such as your default giving form. Sharing the campaign URL directs donors to this ended-campaign page where they can select an available giving option.

How to avoid donor confusion

Share the campaign landing page URL (the main campaign address) instead of the pre‑payment or checkout URL. The campaign page clearly lists active giving options after the campaign ends.
Update any bookmarked or programmatic links that point to /campaigns/[id]/donations/new by replacing them with either:
- the campaign landing page URL, or
- your school’s default giving form URL (if you prefer donors to land directly on a form).
Revise links in email templates, social posts, website buttons, and event pages so they point to the campaign page or default giving form rather than the pre‑payment path.

What this means

The campaign page remains accessible even after the campaign is over.
Visitors can review campaign information and make donations via the options provided.

Redirecting All Giving Forms to a Campaign

Setting Up School-Wide Campaign Redirects

During major fundraising initiatives (like Giving Days), you can redirect all your giving forms to automatically send visitors to your active campaign. This ensures maximum participation and prevents donor confusion.

To set up a school-wide redirect:

Contact the GiveCampus team to enable the redirect and specify when you want the redirect to start so we can schedule it for you!

How School-Wide Redirects Work

When active, the redirect affects:

All giving form URLs at your school
The "Make a Gift" button on your school page
Direct links to individual giving forms

Visitors will be automatically sent to your specified campaign instead of the original giving form.

After Your Campaign Ends

Once your campaign concludes and the redirect period expires:

All giving forms automatically return to their normal URLs
The "Make a Gift" button returns to your default giving form
No manual intervention is required

Important: Plan your redirect timing carefully. Donors trying to make gifts to specific funds during the redirect period will be sent to your campaign instead.

Temporary campaign redirects for major giving initiatives

During major fundraising events, you can temporarily redirect all giving forms and the "Make a Gift" button to a specific campaign page. To set up a temporary redirect, email support@givecampus.com with your campaign ID and the exact start and end times (including time zones). For example, you might specify a start time of "tomorrow at 6:00am CST" and an end time of "April 30 at 10:00pm CST." When the redirect period ends, all URL settings automatically revert to their normal state.

Understanding school-wide campaign redirects

School-wide campaign redirects send all giving form URLs and the "Make a Gift" button to a designated campaign page during major fundraising events such as Giving Days.

What is affected:

All giving form URLs at your school
The "Make a Gift" button on your school page
Direct links to individual giving forms

How it works:

Visitors are automatically redirected to the specified campaign page
The redirect remains active only during the scheduled live campaign period
All URL settings revert automatically when the redirect period ends

Planning considerations:

Alert internal teams so they know donations for specific funds will be routed to the campaign
Note that donors using bookmarked or saved URLs will be redirected as well
The redirect applies to all giving forms; partial redirects are not available