Fundraise Up terminology guide
The language we use in our platform.
Fundraise Up uses many of the same terms you’ll see in other fundraising platforms, but some may be new or used a bit differently. This glossary explains what each term means in our platform and how it connects to your fundraising.
Each concept in Fundraise Up has one name, and we use it the same way everywhere. That consistency means you won’t see us call the same thing by different names.
As Fundraise Up evolves, this glossary will be updated with new terms and changes, so it stays a reliable reference for your work.
Account
Your organization’s main workspace in Fundraise Up. Think of it as the parent in a parent/child relationship: the account is the parent, and subaccounts are the children.
An account is where all of your fundraising data and team members come together. You can create subaccounts to give departments, programs, or regions their own space while keeping control in one central place. This structure is flexible — it supports simple setups with one account, or complex hierarchies with many subaccounts.
Anonymous donation
A contribution where the supporter chooses not to have their name shown in places where it might otherwise appear, such as public supporter lists or social proof displays.
The supporter’s name remains visible to your organization, so you can still process and manage their donation internally. The Anonymous setting simply tells us and you not to display their identity where it could be shared.
Ask page
The Ask page is the content section of the Checkout Modal. It sits alongside the checkout form and is where you present your message before the supporter completes their gift.
Campaign Pages also have a content section, but there it’s simply called Content. So: Campaign Page = Content, Checkout Modal = Ask page. Both pair your story with the checkout form where the donation happens.
If you prefer, you can disable the Ask page in the Checkout Modal and show only the checkout form. On Campaign Pages, however, the content section is required.
Benefits
Benefits are thank-you gifts you provide to supporters in recognition of their donations. These can be physical items like T-shirts or mugs, or digital items like certificates or downloads.
Benefits are managed in your Dashboard in a dedicated catalog. You can add details, upload images, and attach them to your campaigns. Supporters see the benefits offered when making a gift, and you can manage fulfillment afterward.
Campaign
The heart of your fundraising efforts in Fundraise Up. Every donation, recurring plan, and fundraising element connects to a campaign.
Campaigns in Fundraise Up are not the same as marketing campaigns — they are the structure that organizes your fundraising activities. Each one has its own settings, donation experience, and goals. For example, you can decide whether to ask supporters for their mailing address, enable tributes, or display benefits.
You can present a campaign as a Checkout Modal, a Campaign Page, or both.
Campaign Page
A dedicated landing page provided by Fundraise Up so you don’t need to create extra pages on your website. Campaign Pages carry your branding, and you can use your own URLs.
Campaign Pages eliminate redirects to donation forms that can hurt conversion rates. The page keeps supporters focused on your story and makes it easy to give. They work well for sharing on social media, linking from emails, or as your primary donation destination.
Checkout Modal
A donation form that opens as an overlay on your website. Supporters can donate without being redirected away from your page.
Unlike traditional forms, the Checkout Modal appears instantly on top of your site content. It preserves the browsing experience and makes donation fast and convenient. It works on both desktop and mobile, adapting automatically to the device.
Custom fields
Tracking parameters that you can add to donation links or forms to capture data about where supporters came from or other details important to your organization.
Think of them like custom UTMs — extra tags that travel with the donation and give you context about how it was made. They run behind the scenes, showing which outreach efforts drive donations and collecting additional information for your reporting.
Dashboard
The admin panel in Fundraise Up where you and your team manage fundraising.
Campaigns are created here. Donations are processed here. Supporters are managed here. Reporting happens here. If you think “admin area” or “control panel,” this is it.
The Dashboard is built to be intuitive, with no technical setup or training required.
Designations
A way to specify how a donation will be used. Designations let you separate unrestricted donations from those given for specific programs or projects — what many nonprofits call restricted funds.
Every donation in Fundraise Up has a designation. Supporters can choose from multiple options you set up, or a designation can be assigned automatically. Don’t worry — you have full control over how these rules work.
Donation
The monetary gift a supporter contributes to your organization through Fundraise Up. Some platforms call this a “gift” or “contribution”, but in Fundraise Up we use the word “donation” for consistency.
Each donation is recorded, linked to its campaign and designation, and available for reporting.
Donor Portal
A secure self-service website automatically created for each supporter once they make a donation. The link to their Donor Portal is sent in the confirmation email.
Supporters use their Donor Portal to update payment details, view giving history, download receipts, or change recurring donations. Each supporter gets one Portal for life with your organization. If a person donates to multiple nonprofits using Fundraise Up, they have a separate Portal for each one.
The Donor Portal requires no maintenance from your team — we manage it. You can customize it with your branding and messaging. And if you already have a custom-built system like this, it can be integrated so supporters don’t need to log in twice.
Encouraging supporters to use their Donor Portal can have direct monetary value: it reduces churn in recurring donations, makes it easier for people to increase their giving, and helps sustain long-term revenue.
Donor Portal functionality is included with Fundraise Up at no cost.
Elements
Pre-built fundraising widgets you can embed on your website with a short code.
There is a full catalog of Elements available in your Dashboard. It includes donate buttons, goal thermometers, impact sliders, QR codes, and more.
Every Element is designed and tested by us to perform well, so you don’t have to worry about optimization — all you need is to customize them to reflect your story and branding. You can try different ones and see which work best for your campaigns.
Fundraiser
A personal fundraising page that a supporter can create for your cause.
Other platforms often call this peer-to-peer fundraising. We use “Fundraiser” because it highlights the individual supporter who sets it up rather than a large campaign structure.
Supporters can start their own Fundraiser or join a team. These Fundraisers can then be shared across their networks, bringing new people into your mission.
Organizations
The nonprofits that use Fundraise Up — that’s you!
We use the term “organization” because it reflects the wide variety of groups on the platform. Whether you run a health nonprofit, a museum, a university, a religious or relief agency, or another mission-driven entity that raises money for a cause, you are an organization in Fundraise Up. And we’re glad to have you on board!
Recurring plan
A donation set up to repeat on a regular schedule. In Fundraise Up this is called a recurring plan, but you may be more accustomed to “sustainer plan” or “recurring gift.” They all mean the same thing.
Supporters can choose how often they give — monthly, weekly, annually, and more — and can adjust or cancel at any time in their Donor Portal. And because we don’t want to lose them either, before cancelling they’ll see options to adjust their giving and keep supporting your cause in a way that works for them.
Subaccount
A workspace inside your main account, like a child in a parent/child relationship.
If the account is your headquarters, subaccounts are branch offices. They let you separate fundraising for departments, programs, or regions while still rolling everything up into one organizational view.
Supporter
A supporter is anyone who makes a financial contribution to your organization through Fundraise Up.
We use “supporter” instead of “donor” because it emphasizes the person behind the donation, not just the transaction. People can help in many ways — they might donate, but they might also share your campaign, volunteer, or advocate for your cause. This definition lets us recognize the full range of people advancing your mission.
Tribute
An option in Fundraise Up that lets a supporter dedicate their donation in honor or in memory of someone.
Supporters can add tribute details in their Donor Portal after making the donation, so the checkout stays simple and distraction-free. You decide which customization options are available. This way, tributes can be meaningful without disrupting the donation flow.
Upgrade Links
Pre-built links in your Dashboard that you can send to recurring supporters to invite them to increase their donation or cover fees.
These links are ready to use — no extra setup is needed. Supporters receive a personalized link, and with one click they can update their plan. It’s a simple way to help them deepen their commitment without extra effort on your (and their) side.
Virtual Terminal
A tool in your Dashboard for entering donations on behalf of supporters.
It’s especially useful at large events or when taking donations over the phone. Staff or volunteers can enter gifts directly, and all donations are stored in the same system alongside online giving.