Donorfy 101: Events & Community

What we covered

1. Structuring Events & Community data

Why good data structure matters for reporting, supporter journeys, and dashboards.
Using activity types to manage event registrations, expressions of interest, fundraising events (challenge events, community events, gala dinners, meetings) and collection tins.
Keeping activity types high‑level with consistent custom fields so you can filter, group and compare event data effectively.

2. Managing event participants

Using activities on timelines to:
- Track event registrations (charity place vs own place, fundraising targets, T‑shirt size, cancellation).
- Monitor progress through an event cycle: sign‑ups, good luck calls, post‑event calls.
Associating activities with campaigns (e.g. “Birmingham Marathon 2025”, “General Events 2026”) to group all activity, income and expenses.

3. Dashboards for Events & Community

How structured data powers meaningful dashboard tiles:
- Active fundraising events.
- Collection tins out and returned.
- Local community groups by category (e.g. religious groups, youth groups).
- Volunteer status, hours given this month, and onboarding progress.
Using filters (e.g. Southwest region) supported by auto‑tags applied from postcode prefixes.

4. Auto‑tagging for fundraisers, volunteers and community groups

Creating tags such as active fundraiser, lapsed fundraiser, Birmingham Marathon 2025 runner, collection tin manager, plus tags based on geography and group category.
Auto‑tagging nightly from Lists to keep segments accurate.
Mapping relevant tags to Mailchimp for automated supporter journeys.

5. Integrations for events and fundraising pages

Overview of using:
- Enthuse and JustGiving integrations for fundraising page creation, income, and soft credits.
- Eventbrite integration to surface orders and attendees as timeline activities.
Importance of JustGiving custom codes.
Setting integration start dates correctly to avoid duplication.

6. Donorfy Forms for interest and event sign‑ups

Designing:
- A Register Interest form (e.g. for Birmingham Marathon 2026) with pre‑filled campaign and category.
- A Charity Place Sign‑Up form including T‑shirt size, fundraising target, and registration fee (as a Product).
Using fixed values, required fields, motivation questions, and address lookups via Loqate.
Putting tasks on submission and tagging immediately to start journeys sooner.

7. Automating postal fundraising packs

Building a trigger that:
- Detects new registrations requesting a postal pack.
- Generates a personalised letter from a Word template (merge fields).
- Emails staff to notify them that a pack needs sending.
- Places the generated document in Documents to Print and attaches it to the constituent’s timeline.

8. Managing volunteers in Donorfy

Using activity types to record volunteering:
- Volunteering category.
- Hours given.
Auto‑tagging / tagging volunteer status (active, lapsed).
Recording and reporting volunteer hours via dashboards.
Using Opportunities to manage volunteer onboarding (expression of interest → info session → DBS → onboarded/abandoned).
Understanding how this complements Access Group’s Assemble volunteer management platform and the upcoming integration.

Try this next

To put today’s session into practice, we recommend:

1. Review your activity types – ensure they are simple, consistent, and ready to drive reports and dashboards.
2. Create or refine auto‑tags for events, regions, community groups or volunteer statuses.
3. Build one form (interest or sign‑up) with fixed values and custom fields.
4. Set up one trigger, even a simple one (e.g. notify me of new sign‑ups).
5. Identify a dashboard tile you could add to support your regional fundraisers or events team.

1. Can Donorfy handle events other than challenge events?

Yes. The same structure applies to gala dinners, AGMs, community events, bake sales, quiz nights and meetings.
Use Campaigns to represent each event where needed, or create an annual Campaign like 'General Events 2026' for fundraisers' own fundraising events. The use Activities to track invitations, registrations, attendance and follow‑up.
Should I create a tag for every individual event?

It depends on how you will use the information moving forward. For example, you should auto tag runners in a set event this year, if you would like to email them about running next year. This is the example you will find in the webinar recording.
Can I link Volunteero to Donorfy?

There is no direct integration, but a Donorfy partner such as MAST may be able to help.
Can Donorfy manage volunteer activity, hours, and onboarding?
Yes — Donorfy can handle:
- Logging volunteer hours using a volunteering activity type (category + hours).
- Tagging volunteers (active, lapsed, type of volunteering).
- Tracking onboarding stages using Opportunities. This gives you the ability to create dashboards for hours, activity categories and onboarding progress.
Can Donorfy manage volunteer rotas?

Partially. You can tag volunteers with availability, but Donorfy does not offer rota scheduling or shift booking.
For more advanced volunteer management, consider Assemble, which will soon integrate with Donorfy.
Can I log volunteer hours via a Donorfy Form?

Not recommended.
Forms require supporter-matching fields (name/email), so repeated submissions risk duplicates.
Better: log hours directly on the timeline or via weekly spreadsheet imports.
How should I set up activities for events — one per person, or many?

Avoid creating a separate activity type per event.
Instead, use one standard fundraising event registration activity with custom fields (event name, category, target, T‑shirt size, etc.).
If you need to fix historic over‑detailed activity types, you can update them with the File Uploader.
How do I include Terms & Conditions on a registration form?

Add a link to the T&Cs plus a checkbox confirming agreement (this can be a custom yes/no field in an activity).
Make the link open in a new tab so supporters don’t lose the form.
How does Gift Aid work when integrating Enthuse?

If Enthuse has claimed Gift Aid, Donorfy will import the transactions marked as not gift‑aidable, so they won’t be claimed against again.
Does the Enthuse integration work on the free version?

No, the Enthuse Donorfy integration requires Donorfy Starter, Professional or Enterprise.
How does Mailchimp automation work with Tags?

Donorfy uses Mailchimp Journeys, not transactional email.
If a supporter has unsubscribed, Mailchimp will not email them even if they gain a new tag.
Can Donorfy help identify last year’s event participants so we can invite them again?
Yes. Use auto‑tags based on participant lists (e.g. Birmingham Marathon 2025 Runner).
- People with email consent → email via Mailchimp Journeys.
- People without email consent → use a Donorfy list to contact them via post/phone.
How do I avoid double‑counting income when a fundraiser donates to another fundraiser’s page?

Record the donation transaction against the person who gave, and apply a soft credit to the fundraiser’s page.
This prevents duplication of income totals.
How do I update past transactions with new campaigns?

Use the File Uploader to bulk update campaign fields on historic transactions.
Is there a guide to setting up dashboards and linking them to lists?

Yes — Dashboard overview here.
How do I get one‑to‑one help with Donorfy?

Book a Donorfy Adoption Clinic or email support@donorfy.com

Donorfy 101: Events & Community

Recording - 22 January 2026

What we covered

Useful resources

Activity Types, Tags & Lists

Campaigns & Dashboards

Integrations

Forms & Automation

Volunteering & Opportunities

Try this next

Frequently Asked Questions

How can we help?