When activity tracking is enabled on a peer-to-peer campaign, donors giving to an individual participant will have the option to make a one-time donation or a pledge based on that individual’s performance. A one-time donation would be charged immediately for the amount selected, but a pledge is an estimated donation that is dependent on the participant’s performance total.
For example, a donor may pledge $1 per mile to a participant in a mileage challenge. If that participant completes 50 miles during the campaign, that donor will be invoiced for a $50 donation. If the participant completes fewer or more miles than anticipated, the donation amount would be adjusted accordingly. Pledging can be an exciting way to gamify the fundraising experience and drive engagement with both participants and donors.
Note: Pledges can only be made to individuals on a peer-to-peer campaign, not to entire teams.
Pledging impacts both the donor and participant experience on a pledge-based campaign. The platform automates the collecting and processing of pledges, but campaign managers will want to monitor participant activity to ensure performance results are posted within the appropriate window to allow for pledges to be collected.
The donor experience
If a donor chooses to leave a pledge, no financial transaction will occur at the time of their pledge. They will receive a pledge confirmation email with an estimate of their donation based on the goal the participant has set for their performance. The pledge confirmation email will include the date their card will be charged, a record of what they pledge, and a link to manage their pledge if they need to make changes or cancel.
After the campaign is complete, there is a seven-day wrap-up period for participants to confirm their performance totals. When this is complete, the donor will receive a pledge invoice that informs them of their final donation amount (calculated based on the reported performance of the individual they pledged to) with a reminder that their credit card will be charged in 48 hours. This pledge invoice also includes a link to manage their pledge if they need to make changes or cancel.
Donors who pledged are charged for their final donation amount 48 hours after the pledge invoice is sent. They receive a receipt for their pledge as soon as it is successfully charged.
The participant experience
When participants join a peer-to-peer campaign with activity tracking enabled, they are prompted to set a goal for their activity performance. This is what influences the pledge experience for donors – the suggested pledge donations donors see will vary across individuals due to their varied goals.
Participants receive notifications when a donor leaves a flat donation or a pledge. Their fundraising progress wheel will show their pledges in a lighter color, separate from their flat donations, to indicate that these are estimated dollars raised.
At the close of the campaign, participants are prompted to finalize their performance and confirm they have completed all their activity. They have seven days (one week) from the last day of the activity window to confirm they are complete and their numbers are correct. The total they confirm for their performance is what will influence the amount that donors who pledged are charged.
Participants who have not confirmed their performance total will receive a daily reminder email during that seven-day wrap-up period to ensure they can collect on any pledges.
Important reminders for campaign managers
There is a seven-day wrap-up period that begins after the activity tracking window on your campaign closes. During this period, participants are sent a daily email reminder to finalize and confirm their performance total. The daily reminder will cease after they post to finalize their total.
If a participant has collected a pledge, but has not posted any performance results after your activity window has closed, the funds from that pledge are at risk. During the seven-day wrap-up period, your campaign’s Dashboard will display a new section near your Donation table labeled Outstanding Pledges. It will identify which participants have collected pledges but have not finalized their total so you can easily contact them or enter results on their behalf.
If participants need assistance finalizing their performance total, you can post on their behalf as long as it is within the seven-day wrap-up period. After this period is over and invoices are sent, participant performance results can no longer be edited.
Donors who pledged are invoiced after the seven-day wrap-up period closes, or eight days from the last day of your activity tracking window. They are charged two days (48 hours) after receiving the pledge invoice. The specific invoice and charge dates for pledges on your campaign can be found by pulling up a pledge donation record on your campaign.