The fundraiser tool is being decommissioned in 2019. This will not impact any existing fundraisers but will prevent you from starting any new fundraisers. Please select the “Contact Support” button or click here if you have any questions about this and our support team will get back to you as soon as possible.

General Fundraiser FAQs

I just noticed an option/received an email asking me to fund a petition I signed. What’s going on?

Campoal has launched a fundraiser tool to help petition starters build financial support for their cause.

We know that effective on-the-ground organizing often requires resources that ordinary people petitioning for change don’t have. Printing out and delivering petitions, organizing rallies, flyering for community meetings, driving volunteers; that all costs money. This new fundraiser tool gives petition starters the ability to raise funds directly from their existing supporters, other users on Campoal, and the general public, in order to push their campaigns closer to victory.

How do fundraisers on Campoal work?

Petitions started in the US with more than 500 signatures can solicit donations for resources that will help them advance their campaign; things like gas money to deliver a petition in person, or flyers to advertise a community meeting. Before starting a fundraiser, we highly recommend reading through our Fundraiser Guidelines.

Take Sharanda Jones’ campaign, for example. Sharanda Jones spent the last 15 years in prison, serving a life sentence for a nonviolent drug offense until President Obama recently granted her clemency. She will be starting her life over with nothing, so her daughter is raising money to help her purchase clothes, housing, and transportation.

Raised funds are transferred to the starter’s bank account every two weeks, and starters are encouraged to report back on their progress.

Is Campoal making money from fundraisers?

Fundraisers will be free to start and promote. Campoal will take a 5 percent cut from each contribution, and a small payments platform fee (which is standard among crowdfunding sites like Kickstarter and Indiegogo) as each contribution is processed.

Money from fees is funneled back into developing the tool and others like movement pages, and our new discovery feed, that improves site access and further empowers people to create the change they want to see.

So where does a $10 contribution go with regard to fees?

The breakdown would look like this:

User Contribution:

$10.00

Campoal platform:

-$0.50

Payment platform fees:

-$0.59

Total transferred:

$8.91

As a petition starter, when will I receive the funds from my fundraiser?

Funds are transferred to petition starters 14-21 days after the payment has been received. If this time has elapsed and you do not see a transfer in your bank account, please contact our support team who can review your situation further.

Why is Campoal launching a fundraiser tool?

Campoal allows users to support causes they care about in a few different ways–they can sign a petition, they can share the petition with friends and family via email or social media, they can promote a petition to other users on Campoal, and they can share their own story in the comments of a petition.

What they can’t do, is donate money. Until now.

Online petitions are only as powerful as the community of supporters that move them to victory, and often times, cash donations are a key piece of bringing a petition off the page and onto the ground. Petition starters know this; we’ve seen many of them start companion campaigns on sites like Indiegogo or Gofundme to raise the requisite funds to win. All we’re doing is bringing that basic function onto our platform, to make it even easier for users to make the change they want to see in the world.

Can anyone contribute to a fundraiser?

Yes, anyone can contribute to a fundraiser on Campoal. Contributors can be petition signers, other users on Campoal, or members of the public.

What are the minimum and maximum donations you can make?

Supporters can contribute any amount from $1 to $10,000. If a user would like to contribute more than $10,000 they should contact our Help Center for further assistance.

Will this be a US-only product?

Currently, petition starters who live and have a bank account in the United States can start a fundraiser on Campoal. In the future, we plan to enable petition starters that live in other countries to be able to start fundraisers to support their campaigns on Campoal

When will fundraisers be global?

We plan to start releasing the crowdfunding tool outside the US in the next year.

Is the contribution tax deductible?

Contributions to fundraisers on Campoal are not currently tax-deductible, including those started by organizations. We will be working to make contributions to 501c3 organizations tax deductible in the future.

Are you working with any existing crowdfunding sites to launch this?

We are not working with other existing crowdfunding sites directly. Our goal is to make it seamless to add a fundraiser to a petition campaign on Campoal and we will continue to support petition starters who choose to use other sites for crowdfunding.

Can contributors be anonymous?

Contributors will have the option to be visible or anonymous, in the same way that petition signers can be visible or keep their name private.

Will the petitions starter be able to see the people who’ve contributed and their amounts?

Petition starters will be able to visit their fundraiser dashboard to see the total amount of contributions, fees, refunds, and the total transferred to their bank account. The dashboard will also include a list of contributors who wish to be known, and the amounts of their contributions.

What is a creator obligated to do once their project is funded?

The starter of a fundraiser is obligated to apply the funds towards advancing the petition in the way they describe on the fundraiser page. The starter of the fundraiser should continue to send updates to the supporters with information about how the funds are being used and any other updates about the evolution of the campaign.

Will I receive emails on the fundraiser’s goal progress?

All petition starters are encouraged to send fundraiser updates to their contributors with progress about their fundraiser.

Can contributors request a refund if they don’t feel the funds have been properly used?

Yes. Refund requests made within 14 days of the contribution can be processed and refunded immediately. After 14 days, the funds will have been transferred to the petition starter and contributors will need to contact the Campoal Help Center. Campoal may then help mediate between the fundraiser starter and the contributor(s).

How will we determine if funds are not properly used?

According to our Terms of Service, people who start fundraisers on Campoal are legally bound to deliver on whatever they promised to do with their fundraiser. If starters are unable to deliver on any promises, they have sole responsibility to reach a settlement with their contributors. If a user suspects that a fundraiser starter is misusing the funds, they should contact the Campoal Help Center. Campoal may then help mediate between the fundraiser starter and the contributor(s).

What happens if the funding goal isn’t reached?

Fundraisers on Campoal are not all-or-nothing campaigns. Even if the funding goal is not reached, the funds raised will be transferred to the petition starter to help move their campaign towards victory.

How are you different from Indiegogo/Kickstarter/Gofundme/Crowdrise/Rally etc.?

Platforms like Indiegogo, Kickstarter, and GoFundMe enable people to run crowdfunding campaigns for creative projects and personal needs. Campoal is using a similar model, but our fundraisers are uniquely integrated into the experience of running a petition online. This makes Campoal the go-to place for effective campaigning tools, seamlessly integrated into one spot.

Can I get in contact with the contributors/donors?

As the starter of the fundraiser, you can send fundraiser updates that will be emailed to all of your contributors and will be posted on your fundraiser page on Campoal.

How will people find my fundraiser on Campoal?

Your fundraiser is integrated into the petition experience on Campoal. The primary ways that people will find out about your fundraiser are through a petition update, through the petition page, or through sharing on social media.

Considerations for organizations starting fundraisers

What is a verified organization?

Organizations who create fundraisers on Campoal go through a verification process during which Campoal staff assesses whether the organization is legitimate and trusted. Verified organizations have complete profiles that give supporters a way to independently research the organization online as needed. Verified organizations have a green check mark next to the organization’s name on their profile and on petition pages started by that organization.

What happens if my organization is not verified on Campoal?

If your organization was not verified by Campoal during the verification process, it means that we were not able to confirm important details about your organization in order to approve you as a Campoal verified organization. Organizations that are not verified on Campoal will not be able to run fundraisers or transfer funds to their account.

What are the criteria for becoming a verified organization?

In order to become a verified organization on Campoal, you need to have a full profile that includes an image, description, and link to a website for your organization. If you are a non-profit, you also need to provide your EIN number and a phone number.

How long does it take to become verified?

Once you have submitted your organizational information to be verified, Campoal will review your information within 5 business days.

Can I start a fundraiser if I am not a 501c3 non-profit?

Yes, organizations of any legal status are allowed to start a fundraiser on Campoal, but contributions are not tax deductible for the users.