Your GlobalGiving Dashboard

Your dashboard is the center of your organization’s activity on GlobalGiving. Here you can edit your current projects, post new projects, add project reports, view your donations, download disbursement reports, earn GG Rewards points, and more.

Posting Projects

Your organization’s project page is the most important tool for your online fundraising efforts as this is how you communicate your organization’s mission to donors. To learn step-by-step instructions on how to post and edit a project, check out our Help Center.

Project Statuses

There are a few different statuses for your project and it’s important to know what they all mean:

• Draft: You have started a new project but have not yet clicked “Save and Submit” for the GlobalGiving staff to review.
• Pending: You have submitted your project for review and are awaiting its approval. The GlobalGiving team reviews each project within one to three business days before it goes live on the site.
• Active: Your project is live on the GlobalGiving site!
• Funded: Your project has reached its funding goal or someone from your organization has asked to deactivate this project. This project can no longer receive donations.
• Unsearchable: This means you are delinquent on reporting within the three-month requirement. Once you send in a report, the project status will go to Active again. You can still receive donations with this status, but your project will not be searchable on the GlobalGiving site.
• Retired: This status means your due diligence has not been updated in more than two years or the organization has requested to retire this project. This project can no longer accept donations.

Creating Your Project Page

Understand each section of the project page and how you can make yours appealing to donors.

Project Title

Make the project title clear, short, and descriptive. Try to answer these questions in one phrase:

• Who is your project helping?
• How are you helping them?
• Where is the project located?

Examples of good titles

• Restore Eyesight to 500 Nepali Villagers
• Build 50 Toilets for 10 Villages in India
• Send a Child to School in Haiti for a Year

Tip: Be concise and specific while using easy-to-understand language.

Examples of bad titles

• Protect the environment
• Empower 500 Rural Women in Tanzania through Entrepreneurship for a more Sustainable and Independent Lifestyle
• ENDPO--economic development

Tip: Avoid acronyms, jargon, and vague terms.

URL

Create an easy-to-use vanity URL. This will make it easy for you and your donors to access your project page.

Examples of good URLs

• healthcare-and-water-for-7000-gambians
• feed-starving-girls-in-zimbabwe

Tip: Use words that are relevant to your project and would be helpful for people searching on Google.

Examples of bad URLs

• Set-up-of-economic-and-educational-resource-center
• Voc-program

Tip: Avoid vague, general words and acronyms in your URL.

Themes

Each project can have one Primary Theme and up to four Secondary Themes, which you can select while editing your project or creating a new one. Here is the full list of themes.

• Animal Welfare
• Arts and Culture
• Child Protection
• Climate Action
• Clean Water
• COVID-19
• Digital Literacy
• Disability Rights
• Disaster Recovery
• Economic Growth
• Ecosystem Restoration
• Education
• End Abuse
• End Human Trafficking
• Food Security
• Gender Equality
• LGBTQIA+ Equality
• Justice and Human Rights
• Mental Health
• Peace and Reconciliation
• Physical Health
• Racial Justice
• Refugee Rights
• Reproductive Health
• Safe Housing
• Sport
• Sustainable Agriculture
• Wildlife Conservation

Project Summary

The project summary, along with the project title, is the first thing donors see and often serves as the basis of a decision to donate or not. This will appear on top of your project page as well as in search results. Your summary should answer the following questions:

• Who are you helping?
• What are you doing?
• How are you doing it?
• Where you are doing it?

Examples of good project summaries

• Round Table India plans to build four classrooms to provide free education for girl children who hail from the poorest sections of society in Chennai, also providing the girls with free meals.
• This project builds a library in eastern Sri Lanka, providing a rich supply of books and critical literacy support services to 200 orphans traumatized by the civil war and the tsunami.

Tip: Be specific and concise!

Examples of bad project summaries

• The quality of a child's teachers has an enormous impact on that child's chances for success in life.
• Community based sustainable reintegration support to survivors of trafficking and exploited child labor by BNWLA.

Tip: Avoid complicated acronyms and unclear measures of impact.

Requested Funding Amount

This is the total amount in USD that you hope to raise for this project. Donors often feel encouraged by smaller funding goals because they feel that their donations have a larger impact. You are always able to increase your funding goal or to post additional projects once your funding goal is met.

Donation Options

Detailed donation options help donors understand the impact of their gift. Your project can have between three and eight donation options.

Examples of good donation options

• $35 will provide 3 nutritious meals to 126 orphans and poor Tibetan refugee students
• $60 buys a cow to begin a dairy business
• $90 will provide clean water for 50 villages
• $200 will provide livestock for 50 families
• $500 will buy 6500 acres of land

Tip: Include several options under $100. The average donation on GlobalGiving is $28!

Examples of bad donation options

• $10 can provide nutrition
• $100 can provide books for the unemployed
• $1000 will buy dinner for a village for a month

Tip: Avoid vague terms and huge gaps between donation options.

What is the issue, problem, or challenge?

Explain the needs that the project will address. What challenges are you addressing, and how does this problem impact the community you serve?

Example of a good challenge

The recent civil unrest in Burma has sent many people fleeing across the borders in to Thailand. Some of these people are children who have lost their families to war and disease. Instead of warehousing them in a refugee camp, Safe Haven will provide them with a family, a home, an education and an opportunity to become part of a larger solution for their community.

Tip: Be straightforward and specific!

Example of a bad challenge

Imagine a community of 900 people sharing one hand pump. This is the reality in the rural areas. There is an overhead tank served by a piped water supply from the local government, but it is unreliable – often failing for days or months at a time - and unsafe. The villagers must use irrigation canal water for bathing and washing clothes. With no latrines, open defecation is routinely practiced. Cholera, dysentery, and typhoid are common during seasonal periods.

Tip: Avoid theoretical language and always explain where you work.

How will this solve the problem?

Explain how the project will reach the expected outcomes or goals.

Example of a good project solution

We train young, unemployed men in rural Uganda how to build bee boxes. The training includes hive construction, site selection, harvesting, honey and wax processing, packaging, marketing, business skills and value-added production. By learning a marketable skill, these young men generate income and lift themselves out of poverty.

Tip: Be as specific as possible so the donor can visualize the impact of your program.

Example of a bad project solution

If we provide this house, more kids will have the opportunity to make a positive impact. With this opportunity, we remove the risk of child soldier recruitment and trafficking for our kids. By providing this home, quite simply we provide hope.

Tip: Focus on the measurable impact and direct results of your project.

Potential Long-Term Impact

Explain how your project will benefit the community over time and what larger, systemic problems you are working to address.

Example of good potential long-term impact

The project will educate 200 women, helping them rise out of poverty, which will provide for their families’ health and well-being. Educated women go on to educate their children and benefit their community’s economy.

Tip: Explain the “ripple effect” of your project in the community.

Example of bad potential long-term impact

To provide The Presidency Girls School, with a stable infrastructure that will support sustainable development in the area.

Tip: Detail how your project contributes to sustainable change in the community.

Primary Photo and Photo Gallery

Your project photos are one of the most important components of your project page. Photos grab the attention of potential donors and help them understand your organization, beneficiaries and the community that you serve.

Primary Photo Tips

• One primary project photo is required
• Use high resolution photos of at least 1,024 x 768 pixels
• Photos must be in .jpeg, .jpg, or .gif format
• The primary photo should be horizontally oriented
• Use close-up photos of one or two people
• Use photos that are vibrant and expressive
• Do not use your organization’s logo as the primary photo

Web Resources

You may list up to four websites that are relevant to your project. This can include additional information about the country the project is in, an article about your organization, a link to an online video or slideshow, etc.

Tips

• When entering the URL, remember to include the full web address
• Don’t put your organization’s website. That is already included on the project page!

For any additional questions on how to deactivate, duplicate, or edit a project, please visit our Help Center!

Microprojects

A microproject is a short-term fundraising effort to help achieve a specific activity or support a specific individual. Microprojects are a great fundraising tool that can help you capture the attention of donors with a specific, actionable goal and an urgent giving deadline!

Here are some details about microprojects:

• Microprojects are only active for 90 days or until fully funded.
• Budgets are limited to $250-$10,000.
• Microprojects are only available to Leaders and Superstars.
• Microprojects do not have donation options. Donors will fill in the amount they would like to donate.
• Every microproject is tied to a parent project which is a project you have on your page already.
• A parent project must be uploaded and approved before creating a microproject. This is where your microproject donors will be retained once your microproject is completed.
• Microprojects require one report either after funding or after 90 days of expiration, whichever comes first.
• Microprojects receive higher project rankings, making them more likely to be seen by potential donors.
• To find out how to create a microproject, head to our Help Center.

Reporting

Reports are an essential tool for updating your donors on your organization’s amazing work! GlobalGiving promises donors direct communication from project leaders so they can see the impact of their donations.

GlobalGiving requires that you report on each project at least once every three months in order to remain searchable on the site. You will receive four email notifications about project report due dates as you get closer to the deadline. You can locate the due date of each report next to your projects in your GlobalGiving dashboard.

All project reports are sent to your project’s donors, given they are still subscribed to the emails. By default, project reports are emailed to your donors at 12 p.m. EST the day after the report is approved. You can also choose to change the time that reports are sent to donors by selecting a specific time while uploading the report. Reports cannot be edited for any reason after they are submitted.

How to Post a Project Report

1. Login to your GlobalGiving account here. If you have forgotten your password, please follow the instructions on this page.
2. Click "My Dashboard" at the top of the page.
3. Scroll down to the project you want to report on and click the button "Add a Report"
4. Follow the instructions on the screen to draft and submit your report.

You can also email us your report. Send an email to report+YOUR_PROJECT_ID@globalgiving.org. Each project on GlobalGiving has a special, secure address that you can use to post reports. GlobalGiving will convert the email, along with any attachments or photos, into a project report and will automatically submit it for approval. We will only accept email project reports sent from the email address that you use to log into GlobalGiving. This prevents other people from posting reports to your project.

What you should include in your project report

Project reports must contain content specific to the project. While you may mention upcoming events like matching campaigns, reports cannot only contain solicitations for donations. GlobalGiving reserves the right to remove links to donation options other than GlobalGiving contained in your report.

Tips

• Include close-up, high-resolution photos of your project.
• Tell a story about a constituent. Provide details about how many individuals have been helped.
• Share a brief summary of your activities since the last report.
• Try to keep your report to two to four paragraphs. This allows enough length to provide a substantial report, but not too long to lose your donor’s interest.

What you should not include in your project report

We want to keep the requirements for reporting broad so that you have the freedom to include what is important to your organization. However, there are a few things we ask you do not include in your report.

• Out of respect for the privacy of your constituents, we ask that you do not share full names. You may share the names of staff members, but please ask permission before you share the last names of volunteers.
• Avoid discussing lobbying activities, including, but not limited to, displaying political partisanship or urging adoption or rejection of a piece of legislation. Please keep background information regarding these topics as relevant and factual. For more information, please review our Advocacy & Lobbying Standards.
• Do not solely solicit donations from donors in reports. While you may mention upcoming events like matching campaigns, reports cannot only contain solicitations for donations.
• Do not include links to other donation methods as this may confuse potential donors. GlobalGiving reserves the right to remove links to donation options other than GlobalGiving that are included in your report.

Things to keep in mind when writing a report

• Is the report on-topic? Make sure that your reports are focused on offering updates or telling stories about the appropriate project.
• Is it written for the target audience? Your reports go to every donor who has ever donated to your project, so when you write your report, make sure to write it with them in mind.
• Is the report concise and engaging?
• Is the report emotionally compelling? Include pictures and stories of constituents. Tell stories about specific people as this helps people relate to the cause and feel emotional ties to your project. We want your donors to become more invested in you and your project because they see the results of their support.

For more questions about reporting, head to our Help Center!

Appeals

An appeal is a fundraising email that you can send to all donors who have ever contributed to your organization through GlobalGiving. It may seem obvious that an individual who has donated to your organization before is more likely to contribute again, but what you may not have realized is that 10% of online donations are made in direct response to project appeals!

Here are the best practices we recommend when writing your fundraising appeal:

• A high-resolution, text-free, close-up, and hope-filled photo at the top;
• Personalization to each donor (using the merge tags provided);
• Concise text; and
• One clear and specific call-to-action.

When to Send an Appeal

When it comes to sending appeals, we recommend focusing on quality over quantity. Our data says if you send more than 12 project appeals in a year, donors are 30% less likely to click on them. Aim to send just 1 project appeal per month, which you may choose to send to all or a segment of your donors, to keep them interested.

During GlobalGiving’s matching campaigns, you might want to send more than 1 appeal in a month. We suggest sending no more than 3 appeals during these times. Before each campaign, we will share specific guidelines to help maximize the impact of your outreach.

If donors start feeling overwhelmed and mark your appeals as “spam,” we'll give you a heads-up and work with you to reduce the number of appeals you have planned. This way, your appeals stay effective and your donors stay happy!

*What is email spam? A spam complaint is when a donor receives an email, like a project appeal, and marks it as “Spam” or “Junk” in their inbox. This action, taken directly by a donor, tells their email service they didn’t want the email. If spam complaints happen often, it can make it harder for GlobalGiving to send any type of email, as email providers may start to restrict our use of their services.

Who to Send an Appeal

When creating your appeal, you are given the option to select the segment of donors that you would like to receive the appeal. The segments include:

Monthly Recurring Donors: Donors with an active recurring donation to one of your projects. If a donor has a recurring donation but has also given one-time gifts to your organization, they will be in this segment.

One-time Donors who have given less than $100: Donors without an active recurring donation. The sum of their donations to your organization—whether they’ve given once or five times—totals less than $100 USD.

One-time Donors who have given $100 or more: Also donors without an active recurring donation. The sum of their donations to your organization totals more than $100 USD.

You can choose one of these segments, all three, or everyone subscribed to your project’s updates! Choosing a segment of donors for an appeal is helpful because it allows you to personalize your message to the different donors your organization may have. As a reminder, the donor numbers will not total the exact number of donations your organization has on GlobalGiving. People may have unsubscribed to your project reports at some point, in which case they are also unsubscribed from appeals.

Additionally, you are able to choose the date and time you would like the appeal sent out to your donors. This allows you to plan ahead for campaigns and other important fundraising needs your organization may have. If you do not select a specific date or time, your appeal will automatically be sent out to your donors at 12 p.m. U.S. Eastern time the day after it is approved.

How to Send an Appeal

1. Login to your GlobalGiving account here. If you have forgotten your password, please follow the instructions on this page.
2. Click "My Dashboard" at the top of the page.
3. Go to the “Project Appeals” tab on the left-hand side.
4. Click the orange “Create Project Appeal” button in the upper right.
5. Follow the instructions on the screen to draft and submit your appeal.
6. Once you have finished, click “Submit for Approval” if you are ready for the email to be sent. You will receive an email once your appeal has been reviewed. Note: Once the appeal has been approved, you can no longer make edits.
7. Reminder that it takes our team 1-3 business days to approve all new and edited appeals so be sure to schedule accordingly.

If you have additional questions about project appeals, head to our Help Center!

At the bottom, you will also see information about your project reports. This will include the open rate and click-through-rate for each report! The average open rate in the nonprofit sector is 24.87%, so see how your organization compares. You can use this information to determine which reports caught the attention of your donors!

The website analytics tool is important for your organization to determine how to best allocate your time and resources. Analytics make it possible to maximize the effectiveness of your communications and campaigns in order to set more accurate fundraising goals, measure progress, and generate more funds for your work.

Donation and Disbursement Managers

When you are in your GlobalGiving dashboard, take a look at the "Donations" and "Disbursements" menu items. These are important tools for tracking your money and engaging with your donors.

Donation Manager

In the donation manager, you will find information pertaining to each donation to your organization. The following will be listed for each donation:

• Project ID: Identification of the project to which each donation was made
• Donor Name: The name of the donor, unless they chose to remain anonymous
• Donor Email: Email address of the donor —please note that you should not add donor email addresses to your organization’s own newsletter list as this is against GlobalGiving’s terms and conditions and the federal CAN-SPAM Act of 2003
• Traffic Source: Source from which the donor clicked the link to your project page. The primary sources are as follows:
  • Widget: The widget from the share page of your projects
  • Facebook/Twitter: Social media referred
  • Google/Bing/Yahoo Search: Donor came to your site from a search engine
  • Project Report: Donor clicked the link from your project report
  • Project Appeal: Donor clicked the link from your project appeal
  • Gift Card: Donation made by a retail GlobalGiving gift card
  • Corporate Gift Card: A gift card donation resulting from one of GlobalGiving’s corporate partnerships
  • API: Donation from an external website that is pulling GlobalGiving projects onto their own site
  • GlobalGiving email: Donation from one of GlobalGiving’s marketing emails
  • ggad_18 or similar: Donation from one of GlobalGiving’s Google Ad campaigns
  • Fundraiser: Donation from a GlobalGiving fundraiser set up for your project
  • Homepage: Your project was featured on GlobalGiving’s homepage, and a donor clicked to make a donation
• Payment Method: How the donor paid (e.g., credit card, check, Paypal, GlobalGiving gift card, etc.)
• Recurring: Indicates by Yes or No whether the donation will recur every month
• Amount: The amount of money donated. This column does not take into account GlobalGiving’s fee, which you’ll see deducted in your disbursement report
• Thank You: Whether a thank you note has been sent out to the donor as indicated by Sent or Unsent. Click on the link to send out a thank you. (Note: GlobalGiving has already sent your donor a tax receipt and acknowledgement of donation, but nothing beats a personal thank you note!)

Where are your donors coming from? Have certain donors given more than once? What months are most popular for donations to your project? Use the filter at the top of the Donation Manager or export your donation information into Excel to analyze your donation information!

Disbursement Manager

In your Disbursement Manager, you can find your organization’s past disbursement information. At the top of the page is your “Organization’s All-Time Fundraising Metrics.” This shows you the total amount raised by your organization, funds that were driven by GlobalGiving (through bonus funds, matching offers, corporate partnerships, and/or marketing efforts), and your total amount raised. To download your disbursement report, click on “View” next to each line item

In the Disbursement Manager, you can find the following information about your past disbursements:

• Dates Paid: When disbursements were sent and the date through which donations were received for particular disbursements.
• Amounts: The net total amount disbursed. This amount takes into account GlobalGiving’s fee and any bonus awards that your organization has received. It does not include currency conversion or wire transfer fees.
• Expedited Disbursements: In urgent cases, such as disaster situations, GlobalGiving makes exceptional disbursements to our partners. To learn more about exceptional disbursements, read this article.
• Returned Disbursements: Occasionally, funds are returned to GlobalGiving if we do not have the correct account information. We will let you know when disbursements are being re-sent and the total value of those funds. Please note that we do not remove the original disbursement from the manager. This means that two disbursements of the same amount may appear twice under these circumstances.

Visit our Help Center for answers to questions related to your donations and disbursements!