Program designations
Program designations let you organize donations into separate programs and let supporters choose the program that speaks to them before they donate, which can boost donor sentiment.
You’ll create designations in the Account’s Settings and later add them to your campaigns, where you can choose a default or tie impact tiles to specific programs.
Create designations
Every account defaults to a General Fund program designation, but you can create and manage designations in the account settings.
To create a program designation:
- In your account menu, select Settings
- Select Program Designations
- Select Add
- Complete the form and save
Tip: Location details are a good option when you have fundraising projects in different cities. For example, if you have projects in Boston and San Diego, setting up a designation for each location lets a supporter choose where to send their donation.
Activate designations
After you create a program designation, you need to activate it in the campaign settings.
Important: You can only set a default designation for GoFundMe peer-to-peer, Ticketed, and Registration with Fundraising campaigns.
To activate a program designation:
- Open the campaign builder
- Select Settings (Details in Legacy campaign types)
- Go to Program designations
- Under Group designations (All Designations in Legacy campaign types), search for and mark the designation
- Select Add to group
Then, you can create a new group or add to an existing group.
Group designations
Groups help you keep things organized. For example, if you have designations for teachers, books, and school supplies, you might create an Education group.
Set a default designation
When the supporter does not select a designation, you can choose a default designation in the campaign settings. Most donations fall into this category.
To set a default designation:
- In the campaign settings, select Program designations
- Next to Default, select the dropdown and choose an active designation
Note: Only active designations appear in the dropdown list.
Sort designations
You can control the order in which designations appear and whether to show the group name.
Under Sort designations, mark the checkbox to show group names in the designation dropdown for supporters.
Also, select how designations should be sorted. You can choose between:
- Alphabetical order
- Newest to oldest
- Oldest to newest
Manage campaign designations
You can customize the groups and program designations displayed to supporters. Under Active designations, you’ll find your active groups and designations.
Change the order of groups: Select the dots next to a designation, then drag it to the desired position.
Rename a group: To edit a group name, select the pencil icon next to it. Once you select the pencil, start typing.
View a group’s designations: Select the dropdown arrow on a group to view its designations. Next to a designation, select Move to move it to another group or create a new group for it. To remove a designation, select the X.
Delete a group: Select the trash can icon to delete a group. Deleting a group does not delete the designations it holds—these will be moved back to the list under the All Designations section.
Show designations on Studio donation forms
On Studio donation pages, you can choose to show program designations on the donation grid when your supporters select their donation amount. They can search for a specific designation or browse available groups, which appear based on how you grouped and sorted them in your campaign settings.
To allow your donors to choose a designation before donating, edit your Studio campaign and select the donation form. Under Configure settings, select Program designations, then select the checkbox next to Show menu.
Frequently asked questions
Can I delete program designations?
Program designations cannot be deleted, but you can turn them off so they won’t appear during campaign setup.
To turn off a program designation:
- In the menu, select Settings
- Go to Program Designations and select the designation
- Select Edit
- Choose Disabled and save
Can I edit program designations?
Yes, you can edit program designations except for the General Fund Project. This ensures every account has a designation for general donations.
To edit a designation:
- In the menu, select Settings
- Go to Program Designations and select the designation
- Select Edit
- Make your changes and save
When supporters donate to a fundraising page, can they choose a designation?
No, donations given to a fundraiser will go toward the program designation that the fundraiser chose. When a team captain creates a fundraising team, the program designation they select will apply to their fundraising page. Donors can still choose a designation when giving directly to a team page.
Can a fundraiser change their designation?
Yes, a fundraiser can change their designation by going to the Details tab of their fundraising dashboard. They can access their dashboard by selecting the Manage button at the top of their fundraising page.
Admins can also change a fundraiser's program designation the same way supporters can. To find a supporter's fundraising page, go to the Fundraising Pages report in GoFundMe Pro, search for the supporter, and scroll to the Fundraising Page URL column. Note that changing a designation will only apply to donations going forward—past donations will not move to the new designation.
What if I only want one program designation?
When you manage your program designation settings, make sure General Funds Project is your default selection and the only option marked in your program designation list.
How many program designations can be displayed in the drop-down?
You can display up to 100 designations within the dropdown.
Why doesn't my program designation appear when I search for it?
Search has a limit of 16 characters. Try to shorten your search term to find your designation.
Can I change past transactions to a different designation?
Yes, you can transfer a transaction to a different designation from the Program Designation setting on the transaction profile in GoFundMe Pro Manager.
Learn more about moving donations
Do program designations sync to Salesforce?
Yes, program designations will sync to Salesforce as a GoFundMe Pro Designations record. If you use GoFundMe Pro for NPSP, GoFundMe Pro Designations are synced to NPSP General Accounting Units (GAUs), depending on your GoFundMe Pro Control Panel settings.