Creating your first campaign and choosing the right one
Zeffy offers several campaign types designed for different fundraising goals. This guide will help you choose the right one and get started with your first campaign.
How to Create a New Campaign
Creating a new campaign takes just a few clicks:
Log into your Zeffy dashboard
Click Campaigns in the left-hand navigation menu
Click + New campaign in the top right corner
Select the campaign type that matches your goal
Each campaign type opens a step-by-step builder where you'll add your title, description, settings, and customize the appearance. Use the preview panel on the right to see how your form will look to supporters on mobile and desktop.
Quick Comparison: Which Campaign Type Is Right for You?
Campaign Type | Best For |
|---|---|
Event | Ticketed events, registrations, volunteer sign-ups, sponsorship packages |
Donation Campaign | General donations, recurring giving, membership dues, sponsorships |
Peer-to-Peer | Supporter-led fundraising pages, team fundraising, walk-a-thons |
Raffle | Online raffles with ticket bundles |
Online Store | Merchandise sales, inventory tracking, concessions, sponsor packages |
Membership | Membership sign-ups and renewals with expiry tracking and membership cards |
Auction | Online silent auctions with automatic bid tracking and winner notifications |
Custom Sales | Flexible sales that don't fit other categories |
Event Campaigns
Learn how to configure an Event campaign →
Event campaigns are the most versatile form type. Use an event form when you need to:
Sell tickets to an event, gala, or fundraiser
Collect registrations for classes, webinars, or workshops
Manage volunteer sign-ups (see how volunteer sign-ups work)
Collect contact information for newsletters or mailing lists
Sell sponsorship packages with tiered pricing
Collect donations for specific items at set price points
Choose Event if: You need to sell tickets or collect registrations with multiple ticket types, pricing tiers, or you're running an in-person or virtual event.
Events support multiple ticket types, early-bird pricing, discount codes, custom questions per ticket, e-tickets, and reminder emails. See Offer different ticket tiers and rates for more on pricing options.
Donation Campaigns
Learn how to set up a Donation campaign →
A donation campaign is your go-to for collecting contributions. It's essential for year-round giving and can be used for:
Evergreen donations on your website homepage
Goal-based fundraising campaigns with a progress thermometer
Recurring donations (monthly, quarterly, or yearly)
Membership dues or subscription-style giving
Sponsorship payments
Choose Donation if: You want supporters to contribute any amount, set up recurring giving, or you're running a general fundraiser without tickets or inventory.
Donation campaigns support suggested amounts with impact descriptions, multiple frequencies (one-time, monthly, quarterly, yearly), tax receipts, and custom questions. You can also enable donors to give in honor or in memory of someone.
Peer-to-Peer Campaigns
Learn how to set up a Peer-to-Peer campaign →
Peer-to-peer (P2P) campaigns let your supporters create their own fundraising pages under your main campaign. All donations roll up to a central goal, and participants are ranked on a public leaderboard.
Team fundraising for walks, runs, or charity challenges
Individual supporter pages for birthdays, personal milestones
Birthday or memorial fundraisers where supporters ask their networks to give
Choose Peer-to-Peer if: You want to mobilize your supporters to fundraise on your behalf, with each person or team creating their own page and asking their networks for donations.
P2P campaigns support both team and individual fundraising pages, optional paid registration, public leaderboards, and embeddable thermometers. You can also set up registration fees that link to a separate event form.
Raffle Campaigns
Learn how to set up a Raffle →
Raffle campaigns let you sell raffle tickets online with customizable ticket bundles and automatic tracking.
Eligibility: Zeffy is available to registered nonprofits and charities in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom only. Organizations outside these countries are not eligible to use Zeffy for raffles. Before you begin, ensure your raffle complies with your local Gaming Authority regulations. See Is Zeffy a licensed Electronic Raffle System? for licensing requirements.
Choose Raffle if: You're running an online raffle where supporters purchase tickets for a chance to win prizes.
Keep in mind that drawing winners must be done outside of Zeffy according to your local Gaming Authority rules. Raffle forms support ticket bundles, custom questions, and automated emails to participants.
Online Store Campaigns
Learn how to configure an Online Store →
Online store campaigns let you sell merchandise, swag, or other items with inventory tracking and photos for each product.
Selling branded merchandise like t-shirts, hoodies, or mugs
Concession sales at events
Inventory-based sales with quantity limits per item
Sponsorship packages with set prices
Choose Online Store if: You're selling physical items with inventory to track, and you want photos and descriptions for each product.
Online stores support per-item questions (like size or color preferences), quantity limits, inventory tracking, and up to 50 items per form.
Membership Campaigns
Learn how to set up a Membership →
Membership campaigns are designed for organizations that offer memberships with renewal tracking.
Annual or monthly membership sign-ups
Membership renewals with automatic reminders
Memberships with tiered benefits
Choose Membership if: You offer ongoing memberships with automatic renewal options, expiry tracking, and want to issue membership cards.
Membership forms can set validity periods (monthly, yearly, or custom), offer automatic renewal, generate membership cards, and send renewal reminders 30 days before expiry.
Auction Campaigns
Learn how to set up an Auction →
Auction campaigns let you run online silent auctions where supporters place bids on items. Winning bids are automatically processed when the auction closes.
Online silent auctions
Fundraising auctions with automatic bid notifications
Events with an auction component
Choose Auction if: You're running an online silent auction where supporters bid on items and winners pay automatically when bidding closes.
Auctions support up to 50 items, starting bids, minimum bid increments, automatic outbid notifications, and customizable emails for winners and non-winners. Bidders do not need to sign up—just provide contact and payment info.
Custom Sales
Custom sales forms are the flexible fallback when none of the other campaign types quite fit your needs.
Sales that don't fit other categories
Forms with photos, custom questions, and additional donations
Choose Custom Sales if: You have a unique use case that doesn't fit into the other categories and need maximum flexibility.
Custom sales forms support photos, per-item questions, additional donations, discount codes, reminder emails, and more.
Next Steps
Once you've chosen and created your campaign:
Share your campaign with your community using links, QR codes, or embeds
Schedule campaign emails to promote your fundraiser before and after launch
Edit or update your campaign settings at any time