How do I set goals and campaign end dates?

When you set up your Everyday Giving Page you'll be prompted to choose both a goal and an end date for the campaign. Many folks we work with wonder: 

Is setting a goal and end date right for me and my campaign?

Great question!  The answer depends on the purpose of your campaign. Let's dive a little deeper and see if a goal and end date is right for your campaign.

Scenario: I'm running a short-term Capital Campaign!

Capital Campaign pages can definitely benefit from goals and end dates.  Setting a concrete (and achievable) goal along with a deadline lends a sense of immediacy to your campaign - seeing that your need is urgent will drive your donors to give. 

It's the difference between saying, 

"We need money to supply our food pantry."
vs.
"We need $5,000 to feed 500 needy families Thanksgiving dinner."

The second statement is concrete, time-sensitive, and has a reasonable scope. Setting a goal and end date can help donors understand your needs - and lets them know when to celebrate a campaign well done! 

Scenario: I want a standard donation page for my website - it'll be there all year.

In this case, we recommend you don't add a goal or an end date to your campaign. There are a couple of reasons for this:

1. If a donor sets up a recurring donation through this page (and we hope they do!), that recurring donation will not continue past your campaign's end date.  You'll need to have an open-ended campaign page for collecting recurring donations.
2. Without an end date, any fundraising goal you set is less meaningful. You want raise $1,000,000? By when? Once you meet that goal what happens? When you're fundraising all year to generally fund your organization and programs, specific goals can be demotivating for donors. Keep your page general to elicit a feeling of success and opportunity all year,

These concepts (and more!) are covered in our weekly training webinars - sign up for a webinar if you need more help with making your next Everyday Giving Page a success!