The ultimate crowdfunding campaign checklist for nonprofits

A successful crowdfunding campaign starts with compelling storytelling, clear goals, and a sense of urgency that motivates potential backers to act. Whether raising funds for a new prototype, reaching stretch goals, or driving recurring donations, crowdfunding allows you to build strong momentum through strategic messaging and outreach.

With GoFundMe Pro, you can easily create a customized campaign page that supports everything from launch-day teasers to post-campaign follow-up. Your campaign landing page acts as the central hub to showcase your funding goal, highlight perks or impact, and engage your target audience through high-quality visuals and calls to action.

Below, we share crowdfunding checklists to help you set up and optimize your GoFundMe Pro crowdfunding campaign for fundraising success. From designing a compelling hero block to creating a clear thank-you journey, here’s a step-by-step breakdown for crowdfunding success.

Set up your campaign landing page

Your campaign landing page is often the first impression supporters will have of your fundraiser. It sets the tone, builds trust, and inspires action. A strong page combines eye-catching visuals, clear messaging, and intuitive design to guide visitors toward giving. 

With GoFundMe Pro’s Campaign Studio, you can customize any landing page to turn it into a crowdfunding page. Here are the key steps to ensure your page is compelling and effective. 

Hero block

• Are you maximizing your fundraising success by using one of GoFundMe Pro’s flexible campaign templates?
• Discover data-backed templates with an optimized design, preset settings and elements, and default messaging for your campaign type.
• Start here for a guide to shaping a powerful hero block for your campaign.
• Have you applied your brand guidelines to the template to ensure it’s consistent with your other assets?
• Use GoFundMe Pro templates to select a custom font and enter your exact color hex codes to match your branding.
• Have you added a short and powerful title to your campaign page?
• Did you add a brief appeal to motivate donors to give and a slightly longer “About the campaign” section to share your story?
• Did you select a compelling hero image? 

Impact tiles

• Do you showcase impact tiles on your landing page? 
• Use impact tiles to help you highlight how suggested donation amounts move you toward your mission. 
• Have you customized the headline and image for each impact tile?
  
• Did you provide strategic options for recommended donation amounts? 
• Highlight the impact of each gift by describing what each suggested dollar amount can accomplish or sharing brief beneficiary stories. 
• Arrange impact tiles from highest to lowest amounts.  
• Keep the number of impact tiles to four or less to optimize the campaign for mobile.
• Did you incorporate high-quality images or graphics? 

Campaign activity

• Does your page highlight activity on your campaign? 
• Display recent donations and comments to keep your donors up to date and engaged.
• Customize the headline to best fit the campaign (for instance, you might use the word “community”).
• Consider hiding this entire block when you first launch your campaign until donations come in so that donors can see activity.

Content blocks

• Did you add custom content to your landing page?
• Include additional information or expand on something highlighted in a previous section. On GoFundMe Pro, you can use:
  • Elements and widgets, which are set blocks that let you easily add text, images, and videos.
  • Custom blocks, which let you use custom code like CSS or HTML.
• Dedicate space on the campaign page to thank your sponsors.  
• Highlight beneficiary testimonials.
• Provide actionable examples of how each donation will make an impact.
• Include an FAQ section about your campaign.

Customize your donation page

Your donation page is where interest turns into action. This is the moment supporters decide to give. A well-designed page should feel seamless, trustworthy, and aligned with your brand while also making the giving process as quick and easy as possible. Below are key elements to customize to maximize conversions and encourage long-term donor relationships:

• Set up domain masking to maintain brand consistency.
• Keep the copy concise and compelling to encourage donors to finalize their gifts. 
• Make sure you offer your donors multiple ways to give (for instance, credit cards, ACH, Apple Pay/Google Pay). 
• Incorporate a monthly donation option to encourage recurring giving. 
• Set a default donation value to suggest donors give at a certain level. We recommend defaulting to the second-highest value.
• Give donors the option to select program designations (if applicable). 
• Add the necessary custom questions to gather additional information about your donors. 
• Enable the option for donors to cover a portion of the fees.

Remember your thank-you page and follow up

Your thank-you page and follow-up communications are equally as important as the donation itself. They give you the chance to show gratitude, reinforce the donor’s impact, and begin building a lasting relationship. By customizing these touchpoints, you can leave supporters feeling valued and inspired to stay connected even after your campaign ends.

• Have you customized your thank-you page?
• Upload a new background image. 
• Write a strong headline and message to emphasize the impact of each donation and how it’ll lead to lasting change. 
• Have you included the progress bar on your thank-you page to increase supporters’ motivation and highlight key milestones?
• Have you enabled social sharing links to encourage supporters and influencers to share about their donation with their network?
• Did you personalize the language within your follow-up email?
• Include a secondary call to action for donors (for instance, following you on social media). 
• Customize your email receipts to reflect your cause.

Use a crowdfunding campaign checklist to level up your next fundraising effort

Launching a successful crowdfunding project takes more than a great idea. It requires careful planning, strategic messaging, and a seamless donor experience. By following these crowdfunding checklists, you’ll set up your campaign landing page to achieve your fundraising goals, optimize your donation flow, and strengthen your thank-you and follow-up communications.

Remember, your pre-launch efforts are equally as important as what happens after you go live. Building early momentum, testing your messaging, and ensuring your crowdfunding platform is ready will set the stage for long-term success.

With GoFundMe Pro, you have the tools to create a crowdfunding project that not only meets your goals but also builds deeper connections with your supporters. Leverage the power of GoFundMe Pro to launch your next campaign with confidence.

Copy editor: Ayanna Julien