Setting up a fundraiser takes about 10 minutes from start to finish. Here's what each step looks like.

Before you start: You need a GiveSendGo account. See Creating a User Account to set one up first.

Step 1: Start Your Fundraiser

Log in to GiveSendGo, go to My Campaigns in the top navigation, and click Start a GiveSendGo. The fundraiser setup will open.

Step 2: Confirm the Recipient's Country

On the first step you'll see Where will the campaign funds be going? Select the country where the fundraiser funds will be received.

This is the most important decision you'll make during creation. It determines which currencies and bank accounts are eligible for transfers, and it cannot be changed after the fundraiser is created. If you select the wrong country, you'll need to create a new fundraiser with the correct country selected.

Check the Countries Supported on GiveSendGo list before you start.

If the recipient's country isn't supported: You may designate a trusted individual in a supported country to receive the funds on their behalf and transfer them outside of GiveSendGo.

Step 3: Set Your Fundraising Goal

Choose your fundraising goal amount. You can set it as:

• A Total Goal, a single target amount
• A Monthly Goal, a recurring monthly target

You can update your goal at any time after publishing. If you'd rather not display a goal at all, you can hide it from your fundraiser settings once the fundraiser is created.

You'll also see an option to pledge a percentage of funds raised to support GiveSendGo's mission. This is optional and can be adjusted at any time. Learn more in Supporting GiveSendGo.

Step 4: Choose a Category

Select the category that best fits your fundraiser. Don't stress about getting it perfect, just pick the closest match. Category won't affect your fundraiser's visibility or success, and you can update it later.

Important: Only select Political Campaign if you're an electoral candidate fundraising for a specific office. This category adds FEC-required giver fields (occupation, employer, employer address, residential address), and gifts to non-candidate fundraisers in this category will be declined or refunded. See Running a Political Candidate Fundraiser on GiveSendGo before selecting it.

Step 5: Write Your Title and Story

You'll be asked how you want to create your fundraiser's title and story:

• AI Assistant: MICA, our AI assistant, writes a first draft based on a short description you provide. In the Your Response field, describe your fundraiser in your own words (between 200 and 1,000 characters). Include who the funds are for, what they'll be used for, and what's at stake. MICA generates a draft title and story you can edit before continuing.
• Non-AI Assisted: Write it yourself. Fill in your Fundraiser Title (up to 50 characters) and Story (between 200 and 10,000 characters). The story field is a rich text editor, so you can format with headings, bold, italics, and lists.

Your story is the heart of your fundraiser. Share why you're raising funds, who it will help, and how gifts will make a difference. Be clear, specific, and honest.

Step 6: Add a Photo or Video

Upload a photo or paste a video link for your fundraiser. A photo or video is required to publish.

• Photo: 16:9 aspect ratio, at least 800x450 pixels, maximum 5MB
• Video: paste a link from YouTube, Vimeo, or Rumble (direct video uploads are not supported)

For more detail on media, see Adding Images and Videos to Your Fundraiser.

Step 7: Finish and Publish

When you're done with all the steps, click Finished. You'll see a Publish Now / Publish Later prompt:

• Publish Now: Your fundraiser goes live immediately and can begin receiving gifts.
• Publish Later: Your fundraiser is saved and ready to go. It stays unpublished until you're ready, and you can return to it anytime from My Campaigns to publish.

For more on publishing and unpublishing after launch, see Publishing and Unpublishing Your Fundraiser.

After Creation: Add a Recipient

Once your fundraiser is published, add a recipient to designate who will receive the funds. This step is required before any transfers can be processed. The recipient must be 18 or older, live in the fundraiser's country, and have a bank account in that country. See Adding a Recipient to Receive Funds for a full walkthrough.

For more on making your fundraiser effective once it's live, see Tips for Creating a Successful Fundraiser.