Pledge/Donation best practices

Keep Everything in One Place (Recommended)

Where possible, manage your entire donation or pledge journey within Emma.

Why this matters:

• Simple and fast donor journey: Donors can complete their contribution in a few clicks
• Reduced admin: Avoid manual tracking, reconciliation, or manually importing donor data from pledge cards
• Real-time insights: Monitor donations and donor stats in real time
• Centralised data: Keep all donor information, communications, and reporting in one place

A unified approach ensures a smoother experience for donors and allows your team to focus on maximising fundraising rather than administration.

Make It Easy to Donate (Optimise the Journey)

Recommended approach:

• Enable Guest Checkout to make the checkout as fast as possible
• Use a QR code that directs guests straight to your donation page (ideal for mobile only events, adding on tables, and printed materials) (how to download QR codes help article)
• Use a private domain which enables you to use Apple/Google Pay integration with Stripe (additional cost of £195, please contact your Account Manager for more details)
• Utilise Emma’s Pledge Totaliser to encourage guests to collectively reach a target (for events where you can display content on screens)

The easier it is to give, the more likely guests are to complete their donation.

Offer Suggested Donation Amounts

Providing guidance helps donors decide quickly and often increases average donation value.

Recommended approach:

• Include tiered pre-set amounts (e.g. £25, £50, £100, £250) (how to set up pre-set amounts help article)
• Add pre-set descriptions to communicate the impact of each donation amount

Collecting Pledges Offline via Pledge Cards (Alternative Option)

If you are collecting pledges in person (e.g. during an event on pledge cards), Emma can still support.

Recommended approach:

• Use pledge cards for guests to write down their donation amount and personal details (name, email, phone number, gift aid declaration)
• After the event, manually upload pledges into Emma to keep all data centralised (how to add pledges to Emma help article)
• Follow up unpaid pledges via Emma with a payment link for guests to complete their donation (how to send payment reminders for pledges via Emma)

This approach allows you to capture intent during the event while still benefiting from Emma’s reporting and communication tools.

Combined Approach (Online + Offline Donations) (Alternative Option)

If using both online and offline methods together, please see our advice below.

Recommended approach:

• Promote QR codes and online donations during the event for instant contributions (display on screens)
• Provide pledge cards for guests who prefer to commit now and pay later
• Add any offline pledges into Emma to ensure accurate tracking and reporting (how to add pledges to Emma help article)

This ensures you maximise participation while maintaining a complete and accurate donor record.

Following these best practices will help you deliver a smooth and successful donation experience with Emma while maximising fundraising potential.