The GoFundMe Pro customer playbook: Collective advice for raising more, together
This is a playbook built by nonprofits, for nonprofits.
Instead of top-down advice, this guide brings together real, tactical tips from organizations using GoFundMe Pro every day. Each section is a “play” sourced directly from customer experience: what works, what they’ve learned, and how they raise more by leaning into the tools and flexibility of GoFundMe Pro.
The common thread across all this advice? Fundraising works best when it’s fast, flexible, data-informed, and deeply human.
Wisdom from nonprofits using GoFundMe Pro every day
Fundraising doesn’t happen in a vacuum. The most effective strategies are often shaped by peers who’ve tested ideas in real campaigns, adapted under pressure, and learned what resonates with donors.
This playbook derives from peer-to-peer guidance, offering shared wisdom from nonprofits navigating busy seasons, urgent moments, and long-term growth. While every organization is unique, clear patterns emerge when you listen closely:
- Speed matters, but so does intention
- Data prevails over guesswork
- Donor experience is inseparable from donor trust
- Creativity and experimentation drive growth
What follows is a collection of plays you can borrow, adapt, and build on.
1. Start fast and create fearlessly
Launching quickly doesn’t mean taking shortcuts. It means removing friction between an idea and a live campaign.
Customers consistently emphasize the importance of creative flexibility: building, customizing, and publishing campaigns without waiting on design resources or technical support. Authentic branding and strong visuals help campaigns stand out, especially during crowded fundraising moments.
Customer voices:
“Lean into the creative flexibilities of Campaign Studio. Some nonprofits may not have graphic designers or agencies, so being able to create something beautiful in a few minutes that is also functional is a game changer.”
– Jenn Beaver, Director of Marketing at SBP
“Donors are drawn to visuals that feel inviting, like they’re part of something bigger when they give. With GoFundMe Pro’s Studio, I can build a branded, customized campaign in under 30 minutes, creating that consistent, memorable experience that inspires action.”
– Kelly Clemens, Director of Marketing & Communications at U.S. Soccer Foundation
“What I love about Campaign Studio is that everything is already set up for success, like the simple, effective call to action. The campaigns are optimized from the start, so that means less time stressing about setup and more time focusing on how to promote and share our campaign for maximum impact.”
– Catie White, Former Chief Development Officer at Children’s Bereavement Center of South Texas
How GoFundMe Pro supports this play
Campaign Studio gives nonprofits the freedom to launch quickly while staying on brand. Teams use it to create polished, visually compelling campaigns in minutes—no designer required. Consistent layouts and branding across channels also help reinforce recognition and invite donors into something meaningful.
For real examples of nonprofits using Campaign Studio in their everyday work, explore our inspiration hub.
2. Prioritize data: Use insights to drive smarter decisions
Strong fundraising strategies center on clarity. Customers highlight the importance of understanding where donors come from, how they engage, and what drives results.
Rather than relying on assumptions, nonprofits use data to guide decisions. This includes setting key performance indicators (KPIs) upfront, tracking performance consistently, and adjusting based on the numbers.
Customer voices:
“Utilize source codes and UTM parameters to track campaign performance and identify which channels are driving revenue. This data is essential for shaping future strategy.”
– Katie Arcand, Marketing Cloud Manager at Children’s Cancer Research Fund
“Data drives many donor decisions, so being sophisticated in how you approach data and having robust datasets tied to Google Analytics is crucial. This has enabled us to see much more information than we ever did on our previous platform.”
– Jenn Beaver, Director of Marketing at SBP
“Source codes have been extremely helpful for us lately, especially when one of our partners wants to, for example, share our Disaster Recovery Fund campaign on their social channels. I can easily create a source code specific to them, so I can report back on how well the posts performed and how many donations came in that we can attribute to their posts. It’s been a game changer in our tracking capabilities with very little lift.”
– Caity Varian, Senior Marketing Manager at Grand Canyon Conservancy
“Use the campaign insights to get a quick snapshot of each campaign’s performance in terms of revenue, one-time vs. recurring donations, conversion rates, donor-covered fees, and more. It has everything that you need to understand the success of a campaign.”
– Lauren Johnson, Annual Giving Manager at Grand Canyon Conservancy
How GoFundMe Pro supports this play
By connecting your campaigns to Google Analytics 4, using source codes and pass-through parameters, and monitoring campaign insights, nonprofits gain a clearer picture of donor behavior. These insights make it easier to identify what works, spot drop-off points, and iterate with confidence.
3. Build meaningful donor relationships
Fundraising success doesn’t end with a donation. Customers repeatedly emphasize the importance of donor stewardship, including how nonprofits acknowledge, thank, and engage donors after giving.
Small, personal touches add up. Clear messaging helps supporters understand their impact, whereas thoughtful follow-up strengthens trust and long-term connection.
Customer voices:
“If you are using an activity feed, take the time to thank each donor individually. Tap on your colleagues or foundation staff who donors may personally know to help respond and diversify the workload. That personal touch helps build lasting relationships and can go a long way with your donors.”
– Sandie Taylor, Director of Digital at Dell Children’s Foundation
How GoFundMe Pro supports this play
Nonprofits use activity feeds to thank donors individually, loop in colleagues or board members donors may recognize, and keep the communication human. Simple, well-placed donation prompts, like alongside ticket purchases, meet supporters where they already are.
4. Benefit from a donor experience optimized from the start
A smooth donor experience removes barriers to giving. Customers emphasize that optimization shouldn’t be an afterthought. It should be built in from the beginning.
Clear calls to action (CTAs), intuitive layouts, and consistent design across channels help donors feel confident and focused.
Customer voices:
“Always check the mobile view of your campaigns to ensure that the most critical elements, such as the call to action, donation form, and progress bar, are visible above the fold, and that the page flows intuitively for donors on their phones.”
– Katie Arcand, Marketing Cloud Manager at Children’s Cancer Research Fund
“Take the time to review and evaluate your donation experience, approaching it from the perspective of a donor. Think through how you’re presenting the information—is it all relevant? Is the experience mobile-friendly? Do the suggested donation amounts resonate with donors?”
– Kathryn Bennett, Director of Individual Giving at Musicians On Call
“GoFundMe Pro’s tools can help you optimize that experience, like the recurring nudge or abandoned cart nudge, to gently guide people in the direction you want them to go without having to do all the legwork.”
– Lauren Johnson, Annual Giving Manager at Grand Canyon Conservancy
“GoFundMe Pro allows you to stay consistent across all platforms, from customizing the thumbnail colors, header images, and text colors on a campaign to a seamless design experience that really brings our brand to life. That consistency is a key part of a successful fundraising strategy.”
– Kelly Clemens, Director of Marketing & Communications at U.S. Soccer Foundation
How GoFundMe Pro supports this play
Campaign Studio is optimized out of the box, giving nonprofits a strong foundation without extra setup. Previewing donor paths helps teams see the experience through a supporter’s eyes, ensuring clarity, ease, and momentum from first click to completed donation.
5. Test, experiment, and innovate
The most successful nonprofits treat campaigns as living things. They test, learn, and refine without fear of getting it wrong the first time.
Customers encourage experimentation: Small tweaks to buttons, layouts, visuals, or CTAs can lead to meaningful improvements over time.
Customer voices:
“If you have the time and interest, test, test, test. Whether it’s changing the button from ‘Donate now’ to ‘Donate’ or shifting a button 10 pixels to the left or right, or stacked or not, anything is testable.”
– Andrew Dobney, Director of Digital Strategy at The Salvation Army
“Try new things, and don’t be afraid to break your campaigns. It’s the best way to learn how all the different pages work, and since building campaigns on Studio is so easy, it doesn’t take too much of your time to experiment.”
– Stacey Cole, Chief Development Officer at Animal Rescue League of Berks County
“Look at what other nonprofits are doing and get extra eyes on what you’re doing. Think about how to translate an idea or a cool campaign that you saw to your own nonprofit.”
– Jeanna Britt, Development Manager at Vine Maple Place
“Inspiration can hit at any time, so be open to it. We would not be seeing the success we are if we hadn’t reviewed the examples that GoFundMe Pro shared.”
– Jeanna Britt, Development Manager at Vine Maple Place
How GoFundMe Pro supports this play
Teams duplicate campaigns to save time, test variations without building from the ground up each time, and lean on our support resources when experimenting. Inspiration often comes from other nonprofits, as we know shared examples and insights help spark new ideas. Insights from our research hub also show how ongoing testing and optimization shape GoFundMe Pro’s platform.
6. Work smarter, not harder
Efficiency is a survival skill, especially during urgent moments or lean staffing periods.
Customers highlight operational habits that save time without sacrificing quality: reusing campaign templates, duplicating campaigns during crises, and relying on built-in features instead of rebuilding from the ground up.
Customer voices:
“Save yourself time and duplicate campaigns. It has been so helpful for us, especially during a crisis or emergency, like the fires, to copy a campaign, change a few things, and voilà, it’s a brand new, usable campaign.”
– Lauren Johnson, Annual Giving Manager at Grand Canyon Conservancy
How GoFundMe Pro supports this play
Optimized donation page templates and duplication tools do the heavy lifting, helping nonprofits respond quickly while maintaining consistency. This not only reduces friction but frees teams to focus on what matters most.
Bonus: Your community is your best resource
Every insight in this playbook comes from nonprofits like yours: Organizations learning, adapting, and sharing along the way.
Use these plays as a starting point. Borrow what works, adapt it to your mission, and build on the collective wisdom of a community raising more, together.
And if you’re not already a customer, request a platform demo to learn how GoFundMe Pro can help take your fundraising to the next level.
Copy editor: Ayanna Julien
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