In this support article, we’ll discuss how to make your organization page as strong as it can possibly be by going through some key tips and best practices.
Getting Started
Your organization page is the hub of your nonprofit’s presence on ColoradoGives.org. This is connected to your nonprofit’s EIN and can be used for general year-round fundraising. Your organization page should have basic information about your nonprofit such as your mission statement, contact information, and a gallery where you can upload photos or videos.
To begin editing your org page, on the left-hand side dashboard you'll want to head to "Organization Page" This section will have all of the administrative tools and features you need to customize your page.
To edit your org page, toggle your "Edit mode" tool to the right. This will enable all of your editing tools and features.
"Quick Edit" will provide you a list of all of your editing options.
You can utilize the Quick Edit to edit your page or you can simply click on the icons displayed throughout the org page.
Here are the sections we will be going over:
- Logo
- Organization Display Name
- Background/Banner Image
- Theme Color
- Categories
- Fundraising Stats/Metrics
- Goal
- Description
- Featured Campaigns
- Supporting Campaigns
- Media Gallery
- Instagram Gallery
- Facebook Gallery
- Organization Information
- Donation Widget
Please note that none of these sections are required for you to fill out. If there is a section that would like to skip, no worries! Your page will display to donors only the information you input.
Logo
You'll want to make sure you choose your logo wisely and follow our guidelines so your page will look its best.
Logo best practices
- Logo shape: A square or circle image works best in this space.
- Logo size: The container for your logo has a 1:1 aspect ratio (square). If you upload a logo that is too large, it may be distorted in the image container. Smaller images will be centered within the container. Recommended pixel size is 400 x 400.
- File type: It’s ideal to upload a .PNG for your logo. Other image files will work, but a .PNG with a transparent background is best.
- Transparent background: A logo with a transparent background will look best against your background image on your org page. What we mean by “transparent” is that there is no white filling in the parts around your logo — it’s invisible. You'll want to make sure your logo doesn’t clash with your background image (which we’ll discuss more later on).
Organization Display Name
The name displayed on your nonprofit's page is that which is currently registered with the IRS. If you'd like to change the name listed on your organization page, you can simply click the pencil next to your organization's name. We recommend making your organization name similar to your legally recognized name so that donors can search for your organization easily on ColoradoGives.org.
Background/Banner Image
This is where you can get creative and showcase your nonprofit's brand! Your background image is a large image file that will display behind your logo.
To upload your background image, click the image icon in the upper right hand corner:
Once you select the icon, click "Change banner image"
Your background image will look best if it’s mostly text-free (since there will be text displaying in front of it) and a strong image that’s representative of your nonprofit. Landscape-oriented images will work best.
Your background image should be at least 1920 x 640. The aspect ratio is 3:1.
You’ll have the same upload options as you did for your logo, with the addition of generic gallery images to choose from. You can pick from one of these, or upload your own by choosing one of the other options on the left sidebar.
You will need to crop your background image to fit inside the image container. When you click “Done,” your background image will be added to your org page and you can see how it looks with all of the other elements on your page.
You can also add a color overlay to your background image by selecting "Color Overlay"
If you have a specific color you’d like to use and know the hex code, you can enter that to choose that as your filter color.
Inside the box on the left, you can get more specific about the color you want — just click in the box to the color that appeals to you the most.
Once you are finished making your edits, make sure to select Save.
Theme Color
ColoradoGives.org lets you choose a color theme for your page, which will allow you to put your own personal stamp on your org page. Select the color palette icon to access the theme color. The color you choose will apply to some of the text on your org page, such as your donate button, amount raised, and your organizer info.
Categories
Selecting a category for your nonprofit allows donors the ability to easily find your organization in our search system. Here you can add categories to your nonprofit; you’ll need to choose at least one.
If you’re not sure what category to choose, just choose one that is the closest match to the mission of your nonprofit.
Fundraising Stats/Metrics
If you would like to enable fundraising metrics on top of your goal and progress bar, select "+ Fundraising Stats."
To edit your displayed metrics, select the pencil icon:
Once you have selected the pencil icon, you'll notice that you have a couple of options in regards to what you want to display.
To enable your Donor and Dollars Count, simply select the checkbox next to the corresponding option.
If you would like to include offline donations in the total, select the checkbox.
When editing your metrics, please note the "Calculation method." The date listed in this area will determine what donations will be included in your metrics. However, you may want to change this metrics calculation — for instance, at the beginning of a new calendar year, or if you are preparing your page to participate in a giving event. For a giving event, you’ll want to start counting from the date when donations open for the event.
If you want donations to be calculated from a particular date, select "Start calculation on a specific date" and enter your date:
Please note that if you have received donations on or after the date you’ve chosen, those will be reflected in your metrics — it will only reset to zero if you have not received any donations on or after the date you’ve chosen.
However, if you would like to remove the metrics from your page, select "Hide selection."
Goal
Adding and editing the goal and progress bar is a similar process to your metrics. Select "+ Goal" to add in the goal and progress bar.
Fundraise Button
Next to your Donate button, you will find a button that states Fundraise.
This button gives individuals the ability to create a peer-to-peer fundraiser for your organization. For example, if a board member or volunteer would like to fundraise for your organization, they can begin doing so by selecting this button and creating a fundraising page.
If you would like to disable this tool, select the megaphone tool and toggle off the Fundraise button. By doing so the button will be removed from your page.
Description
About
The About section of your page is your chance to explain what your nonprofit is all about. This is the most important part of your page.
Scroll down to the Description section. If your Description area is not set up yet, select "+ Description"
Once you have the Description area set up, you will see a text box enabled:
Simply click into the section and start writing! This is where you tell your story: What your organization is, what you do, and why people should donate to your nonprofit. As well, this is where you’ll detail your campaign and what it’s all about.
You can also add media to your story to jazz things up. Utilize the in-line text editor to add links, upload images, link to videos on YouTube and Vimeo, and add bulleted or numbered lists.
Check out this support article for Inline Text Editing Shortcuts
To save any edit made within the text box, make sure to select "Save"
Please note that the max character length for this section is 5,000. You will be able to find a character count on the bottom right-hand side corner of this section.
Custom Tab
Do you have extra information you want to share with people about your nonprofit that won’t fit in your story, or just doesn’t make sense as an update? You can create a custom tab to add that information to your nonprofit while keeping everything organized and easy to find. You can add anything you’d like to your custom tab, really: Information about your upcoming events, frequently asked questions, information about your staff, acknowledgments, resources, and links to more information. The list goes on!
To add a custom tab, select the + icon at the top of your description area.
Once you have added the custom tab, select the pencil icon to rename it.
Featured Campaigns
This section provides you the opportunity to curate the campaigns/fundraising efforts on your page. This is a great opportunity to publicize and highlight a new event or campaign for your organization.
To add a new fundraiser to this section, simply click on the plus icon and search for the campaign you would like to highlight.
Supporting Campaigns
This section will populate the newest fundraisers created for your organization.
If at any point you want to hide your Supporting Campaigns section or your Featured Campaigns section, simply select the pencil in the right hand corner and select "Hide section."
Media Gallery
Here's where you will be able to add any additional images you have of your organization. It's a great way to visually show donors what your organization does and where funds are going.
To add an image, simply select the pencil icon and "Add media."
To remove or replace an image select the pencil icon within the image. To move around your image to a different box, select the arrow icon.
Instagram Gallery
Connect your organization's Instagram account to your page to share with donors any additional images you may have. This is not required but it's a great way to publicize your Instagram account to get more likes and followers.
Facebook Gallery
Connect your organization's Facebook account to your page to share with donors any additional images you may have. This is not required but it's a great way to publicize your Facebook page to get more likes and followers.
Organization Data
You'll want to add in key contact information for your organization so that if donors have any specific questions or want to get more involved, they will have the resources to do so. Your name, EIN, and address field will be pre-populated based on information in the IRS database. Otherwise, you can choose what type of information you want publicly available on your organization page.
Donation Widget
Our donation widgets provide a great way to accept single or recurring donations year round. Through the donation widget you can embed a ColoradoGives.org donation button on any website.
To access your donation widget from your organization dashboard select "Fundraising Tools" and "Widgets."
On the right select the type of widget you would like to utilize. The most common donation form utilized is the "mini donation form."
Once you have selected your widget type, you can also adjust the color associated to the widget. Select the pencil icon in the upper right hand corder to update the widget color:
When you are ready to embed the widget to your site, scroll to the bottom of the page. To keep track of all of the widgets you are utilizing, label your widget and add the url of where you will be embedding it. Once you have added that information, select "Generate Code."
Simply copy the code that is provided for you and paste it on the backend of your website.
If you are looking to embed a donation widget for a particular fundraiser you have create, check out the support article here:
How do I add my fundraiser's donation widget to my website?
Have Questions?
If you have any questions about the features on your ColoradoGives.org organization page or would like help making it as amazing at it can possibly be, contact us here.