Units Based Goals

You have a goal, but it isn't for dollars. You want to make it for some kind of unit, whether it be pies or backpacks or blankets or books. With the Crowdfunding and Peer-to-Peer Fundraising Activity, you can choose to count those items (units) instead of just dollar amounts.

Change the Fundraising Goal Type

To count units, create a new Crowdfunding and Peer-to-Peer Fundraising activity and in the Fundraising Goal section of the Setup Keyword step, you can change the Goal Type from Dollars to Units.

Goal Type Setup

When you do this, instead of a Dollar goal, you will be presented with a Goal Amount (Number of Units you wish to sell) and a Quantity Sold Field.

  • Enter the number of units you wish to sell.
  • You will not have any choices for the Quantity Sold Field yet, you will have to come back after other settings have been applied.
  • Complete the rest of the Activity's Keyword Setup as normal and Save.

Unit Goal Empty

Crowdfunding and Peer-to-Peer Fundraising with Units

Many variations of this process can be used. This shows one method with the key elements. Feel free to experiment and personalize your own forms to suit your needs.

  • Go to the Online Forms section in your Activity
    Online Forms
  • Set up the Logo and Branding for your Donation Form
  • Hide the Suggested Amounts Section
    Hide Suggested Amounts
  • Hide the Recurring Donations Section
    Hide Recurring Donations
  • Adjust the Contact Information as needed
  • Adjust the Payment Information as needed
  • Click the Manage Sections button at the top and select Add Custom Section
    Manage Sections

    • Name the Section something appropriate
    • Move the Section to the top of the list of sections
      Add Custom Section
    • If you don't want the form to have the title of your section, open the section and delete or rename the Section Heading.
      Section Heading
  • Add Design Elements: This is where you can provide information, pictures or video to describe the cost of each item.
    • Click on Add Form Element and personalize your form with desired Design Elements
      Add Design Elements
  • Create a Hidden form element for the cost of each unit.
    • Note: By putting the costs of each unit as a Hidden form element makes the Calculation process much easier
      Unit Cost Element
    • Click Add Form Element and select Hidden.
    • Choose a Reporting Label - this is will be the Name of the unit, like Raspberry Pie Cost vs. Lemon Meringue Pie Cost, etc.
    • Choose the Hidden Field Value - this is the cost per unit sold. This means if a supporter buys five blankets at $10 each, it will be registered on the display as five blankets, but the total price would be $50.
    • Make sure to put a checkmark in Number so this can be calculated.
    • Save the Unit Cost Hidden item
    • Repeat for any other types of units you are using.
  • Add a Form Element to allow your Supporters to select how many of the items they wish to buy. This could be in the form of a Drop-Down or a Short Answer. We'll use Short Answer in this guide so your donors can select any number they like.
    Unit Element
    • Write a Display Label - This will be what is shown on the form itself.
    • Create a Reporting Label - This will be how you can retrieve the number for reporting and for the actual counting of the units. By default, it will use the Display Label, but you can change this to anything you like.
    • Make sure to put a checkmark in Number so this can be calculated.
    • Repeat for any other types of units you are using.
  • Add a Calculated Form Element to determine the final number of Units.
    • Note: If you are only selling one type of unit, like Books, then you can skip this step and go to calculating the total cost. 
    • Provide a Reporting Label for the Total Units
    • If you wish to show the total number of units on the donation form, you can select Show Results on Form.
    • Since this is just adding the number of units together, you don't need to checks in the other two options
    • Select the first unit from the Drop-Down
    • Click the plus (+) symbol
    • Select the next unit, and add all the Units by name. Your formula should appear in the grey box.
      Calculated Units
  • Add a Calculated Form Element to determine the final cost of all the units added together.
    • With this Calculated element, you will want to put checkmarks in:
      • Show Results as Amount, since this is the total price
      • Make this calculation the final donation amount, since this will add the number of pies and their costs to provide the amount your donor will pay.
    • Select the first Unit amount (from the short answer or drop down you created) from the drop-down
    • Click on the multiply (*) button
    • Select the first Unit's cost (from your Hidden form element)
    • If you have more than one unit, click on the plus (+) and add the next unit amount multiplied by that unit's cost.
      Calculated Cost
Note: At this point, it is always wise to test the numbers to make absolutely sure your calculations are correct. Try several amounts and make sure the totals are accurate. If not, you may have made a mistake in the calculations.
  • Change the wording of the Form Submit section, both the Section Heading and the Button Text to match what you are doing, such as the cost of pies sold, or Purchase Socks, etc.
    • Make sure to Configure the Email Receipt from the normal donation email to also reflect that your donors are purchasing these units.

Form Submit

Enter Units for the Activity

  • Go back to your Activity Setup section by clicking on Keyword in the left column.
    Keyword
  • The Quantity Sold Field should now have the options from your added Form Elements to choose from.
    • Select the Total calculated Units (Calculated) if you had more than one type of unit to sell, or select the Collected information (either Text Box or Drop-Down) if you only had one type of unit. Make sure you are not selecting the calculated costs.
      Quantity Sold Options
  • Make sure to scroll down and click Save.

Personalize your Crowdfunding and Peer-to-Peer Fundraising pages

At this point, you are ready to go with counting the units instead of counting a dollar amount. Follow the normal Crowdfunding and Peer-to-Peer Fundraising setup options to personalize your:

  • Fundraising Page
  • Other Online Forms
  • Sign Up Form
  • Social Media Settings
  • Team and Fundraiser Setting