Product Update — Custom Comments
Custom Comments allows campaign creators to request specific information with each donation. These are the top 5 uses for Custom Comments we’ve seen so far:
Before we jump in, let’s show you how to customize comments:
1 — Student/Athlete’s Name (to get credit)
Sports teams, clubs, even classrooms like to keep track of which students are working to generate donations for their campaign. As donations come in for students, they may achieve prizes, recognition, or prestigious status like joining the ‘$100 club.’ This is the largest use case for the comments section so far, and it acts as a built in incentive for getting the word out about your campaign. It’s hard to reward hard work if the student information is not captured, and this is a fantastic way to do just that!
2 — Giveaway details
Sometimes a campaign includes a give away or an incentive. “T-shirt size” is a great example of how custom comments can be used in giveaway details. Many campaigns have thank you gifts like T-shirts that are given to each donor, but some level of specificity is required to be sure the donor gets the right size, or color, or any other preference. Knowing this information as soon as the donations come in can definitely help with all the logistics.
3 — Shipping Address
SuccessFund doesn’t ask for address information by default because it introduces friction in the donation process, and we pride ourselves in making donations a quick and easy experience. Sometimes, though, something needs to be shipped or delivered to the donor, and asking for the shipping address in the custom comments section solves this.
4 — School, Teacher, or Club (for competitions)
We’ve seen so many cases where schools, teams, or classrooms compete with each other within the same campaign. Classrooms compete in fun run events all the time, and customizing the comments field to ask for “Teachers Name” is a great way to tally up the score in real time!
5 — Special Notes
We’ve seen campaigns for scholarship funds on behalf of individuals who have recently passed away. At times this is done in lieu of flowers or other expressions of love. Customizing the comments section to “Note for the family” is a perfectly appropriate use for this field, and a great way for donors to express their love along with their donation to the fund. Other campaigns with beneficiaries are great candidates for this kind of customized comment.
These are just 5 ways we’ve seen this powerful feature used, but we’re sure you’ll come up with others! Whether your raising money for a classroom or a club, whether you’re a coach or the committee chair, comments are an easy and effective way to collect the information you need to succeed.
