Tools for success

✍️Write a story people act on

The first two lines decide whether someone reads on. Lead with the person, the place or the moment — then the plan.

Answer the four questions every supporter has: who is this for, what happened, what exactly will the money pay for, and what happens if you don't raise it. Figures and names beat adjectives. “Three players, $480 each for flights and entry” tells someone what their $50 does; “every bit helps” doesn't.

Try this: Short on words? Write a few sentences of your own first, then use the AI story tool on the campaign form to expand them into a full draft — you edit it before publishing.

How goals and progress work →

🎯Set a goal you can explain

A goal is optional, but if you set one, make it the real number — the one you can itemise — not a round number you hope looks impressive. People back a specific target.

Then break it down in the story: “$300 covers the van, $200 the entry fees, $150 the gear.” Supporters can see their own gift inside it, which is what makes them give twice.

Try this: If the goal changes, edit it — the progress bar updates and re-runs the safety checks. You can also remove the goal entirely if you'd rather keep it open-ended.

📸Make the photos do the work

Add a wide cover image (aim for 1600×700, a 16:7 banner) and a few photos on your listings. Upload them straight from your phone — they're resized automatically for the web, so you don't need to fiddle with them first.

Real photos beat stock every time: the team, the workshop, the cake, the dog. If you're selling an item, photograph it on a plain background in daylight and show any flaws honestly — buyers forgive wear, they don't forgive surprises.

Try this: Use the QR code from your campaign's share box on printed flyers and posters — anyone who scans it lands straight on your page.

💚Make giving effortless

Give people preset amounts to tap instead of a blank box, and turn on monthly giving if the need is ongoing — a monthly supporter is worth far more than a one-off over a year.

Donors can choose to cover the platform fee, which means 100% of their gift reaches you. Say so on the page: it's one line, and it quietly raises more.

Try this: Say “$25 = a box of supplies” next to your preset amounts in the story. Specific amounts get picked more often than round ones.

🛍️Sell something — don't just ask

Plenty of people would rather buy than donate. That's why your page can sell as well as take donations: baking, crafts, art, second-hand finds, services, tickets, vouchers.

You can also add products from NZ businesses to your page and earn a share of at least 10% on every sale — the business fulfils and ships, you keep the commission. It's the easiest way to raise money without making anything yourself.

Try this: Group your best three or four items at the top of your shop and give the rest time to sell — the full-width Shop to support section on your page shows them at their best.

Listing an item →Browse the wholesale catalogue →

🤝Turn supporters into fundraisers

Peer-to-peer pages let your supporters raise on your behalf with their own story and their own link — and donations on their page count towards both their goal and yours.

Teams make it competitive: set up a few teams, let people pick one when they create their page, and let the leaderboard do the nudging for you.

Try this: Ask five people who already care — the coach, a grandparent, the club captain — to run their own page. Five is a team; one is a favour.

🏪Bring local businesses in

A local business can list a product or voucher, choose the share fundraisers earn, and get exposure to everyone who visits your page. You get a sale you didn't have to make or ship.

They don't need to build anything: they list once, you add their offer to your page, and the sale and delivery happen on their side.

Try this: Approach the businesses your supporters already use — the local bakery, the garage, the garden centre. Ask what they'd offer, rather than asking for cash.

📣Share it like you mean it

The link works everywhere. The mistake people make is posting once and hoping. Post the story behind the campaign, not just the link — the photo of the broken gear, the moment you found out, the receipt when you hit the target.

Send the link directly to the people closest to you before you post publicly. Individual messages get read; group posts get scrolled past.

Try this: If someone shares your page, anyone who clicks through counts towards your page for five days — so ask people to share the link rather than describe it.

🔥Keep the momentum up

Post an update every few days while you're active: progress, photos, thank-yous, a countdown, a small win. Each update also goes out by email to supporters who opted in, and it's the strongest reason someone gives a second time.

Thank people by name, and ask for one specific thing in each update — “we need $200 for the gear by Friday” beats “please share”.

Try this: Half-way is the hardest point. Post at halfway with a specific gap and what closes it.

🏁Finish it properly

When you hit the target, say so — post a final update with the total and what it bought. Turning off quietly leaves supporters wondering.

Donors and buyers get their receipts automatically, and every order stays in your dashboard with its history. If you need a break rather than an ending, holiday mode pauses your page and reopens it automatically on a date you choose.

Try this: Closing a campaign? Archive it — the page comes off the public site and the records stay for your reporting.

Donation receipts →Holiday mode →