- Add a primary logo for your brand
- Add a background image for your profile
- Create your donation thank you page
- Tell your story in at least 50 words
- Set up EFT
1. Add a primary logo for your brand
You'll want to make sure you choose your logo wisely and follow our guidelines so your page will look its best.
Your logo is the “face” of your organization profile page. It needs to represent your nonprofit and your campaign.
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.
- 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 profile 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).
To upload a logo, on the left-hand side dashboard select "Organization Page"
Within the logo box, select the pencil icon:
A popup should open up allowing you to upload your logo image.
You can use the crop tool to edit the photo to your liking.
Once you have finished uploading and/or cropping your photo, select "Done."
2. Add a background image for your profile
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 a background image, on the left-hand side dashboard select "Organization Page."
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 1800 x 324
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 profile 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.
3. Create your donation thank you page
When a donation is completed, donors will be sent to a Thank You Page that can contain a customize message from your nonprofit. You can build your custom message in a simple text editor that allows you to add links, videos, images and more.
To access this area, on the left-hand side dashboard select "Checkout" > "Thank-you Page."
Please note that if you plan to add video, all video must be uploaded to YouTube or Vimeo.
Click "Save" to maintain all of your edits.
You can also make use of a CTA button that allows you to link to any page you choose, whether it’s your ColoradoGives.org page, your website’s homepage, your blog, your Facebook page, etc.
You can click the "View this page" button to view your customized Thank you Page.
4. Tell your story in at least 50 words
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.
To add your story, on the left-hand side dashboard select "Organization 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:
This is where you tell your story: What your organization is, what you do, and why people should donate to your nonprofit. This is where you’ll detail your campaign and what it’s all about. Your story is your space to really sell your nonprofit and inspire people to donate to your cause. Having a well-written, compelling and heartfelt story is vital to running a successful fundraising campaign. ColoradoGives.org has a user-friendly in-line editor that allows you to add photos, videos, links and more in a snap, so you can really jazz up the formatting in your story to make your page more compelling.
So, how do you make sure your story is good enough to help you reach your goals? A good story is:
- Compelling. No one wants to read a dry account of how many people used your services last year, or a list of your programs. People don’t donate to fundraisers that are focused on facts and numbers. People donate based on feelings. So your story will need to inspire the people reading it to feel something, thereby inspiring them to act.
- Personal. A good story makes a large issue feel personal, and that’s a key part of successful nonprofit fundraising. Your nonprofit’s mission might be related to huge, complex social issues, but you’ll need to tie those larger issues to real lives in order to raise money. Giving some examples of real impact your nonprofit has had on lives, or even centering your story around a single person or animal to demonstrate your impact, is a great way to make your fundraiser feel personal and inspire people to donate.
- Laser-focused. It can be tempting to write a novel about your nonprofit, the work you do, and why people should support you — after all, you’re working for a nonprofit because you care passionately about this cause! But in order to resonate with supporters, your story will need to be focused on key points about your campaign and your nonprofit’s key messaging.
- Easy-to-read. People have short attention spans, so a good story should be easy for the average person to read and understand. A giant wall of text is unattractive, difficult to read and unlikely to hold anyone’s attention. But, a story told in paragraphs with photos to help illustrate the story, important points in bold, and maybe some bullet points with essential information, is much more likely to be read all the way through.
To get started, simply click into the section and start writing! 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"
Once you are finished with your edits, head to the top of your page and turn off "Edit mode" to review what your donors will see.
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.
5. Set up EFT
To set up EFT, on the left-hand side dashboard select "Settings" > "Disbursement Settings"
Once you are within "Disbursement Settings" you'll see "Setup Direct Payouts with EFT." You will be asked to provide your organizations checking account routing and account number.
- The check must include the following: name of the organization, address, account number, routing number, and EIN number. We will not accept starter checks or checks without an imprinted name.
If you plan to provide a bank letter:
- The letter must be on bank letterhead and include the following: name of the organization, address, EIN number, account number, routing number, and the name and contact information of the bank officer issuing the letter.
Your EFT request may need to be reviewed by one of our customer service agents. In that case, your request will be reviewed within 24-72 hours.
Disbursements for donations your organization receives through ColoradoGives.org are made within 15 business days after the last day of the month. The exception is Colorado Gives Day donations, which are disbursed separately by the end of December.
Need Help?
If you still have any questions about your organization profile, please contact us here.