Help Center

Getting Started

From sign-up to your first donation in under 10 minutes.

1. Sign up at /start. Pick your organization type (PTA, school, church, sports, etc.) and enter the basics.
2. Connect Stripe via Stripe Connect so donations land in your bank (see Stripe Connect Setup).
3. Create your first campaign. Pick a mode: Native (we process payments to your Stripe), Passthrough (link to your existing donation page), Platform (we collect on your behalf), or Community (no payments).
4. Generate QR cards. Each fundraiser (a person, group, or class) gets a unique QR code.
5. Share the QR cards. Donors scan, give in 30 seconds, you get notified.

Detailed FAQ: Getting Started FAQ

Campaign Setup

Campaigns are your fundraising containers. Each has groups (grades, classes, teams), fundraisers (individuals), and a goal.

Choose a campaign mode

• Native: ScanRaise processes payments via your Stripe Connect account. 2.5% platform fee. Stripe holds the first payout 7 to 14 business days while a brand-new Connect account is verified, then funds settle to your bank on a rolling 2-business-day schedule.
• Passthrough: QR links to your existing donation page (Givebutter, GoFundMe, etc.). No payment processing on our end.
• Platform: We collect on your behalf via our Stripe account. Useful for orgs without their own Stripe.
• Community: Tracking only, no payments. Used for activity verification before pledges are collected separately.

More: Campaign Management FAQ

Class Goals & Battle Bars updated

Set a per-class (or squad, den, ward, company) fundraising goal so two groups can race head to head with live progress bars and crown / flame badges.

Set a class goal

1. From your campaign page /orgs/<id>, find the class head row (e.g. "Mrs. Anderson 6th Grade").
2. Click the pencil icon next to the class name to open the Edit Class modal.
3. Enter the class name, leader name, leader email, and Class goal in dollars.
4. Save. The class head row immediately renders an animated progress bar.

How the head-to-head badges work

When two or more classes in the same campaign each have a goal set, ScanRaise auto-renders comparison badges:

• Gold crown on the leading class.
• Red flame with "$X behind" on classes catching up.
• Lightning bolt (TIED) when the leaders are even.
• Trophy + green bar when a class hits its goal.

Clear a class goal

Open the Edit Class modal, blank out the goal field, save. The progress bar and crown / flame badges disappear. The class still tracks its raised total in the leaderboard; it just doesn't display a goal.

League Battle (multi-org) new

Two or more organizations racing each other in the same district / association / council. Each org keeps its own class-vs-class battle running internally; the league shows the orgs themselves competing at a higher level.

The three nested layers

• Class race (within one org): Mrs. Anderson's 6th vs Mr. Brooks's 6th, both in Greenwood PTA. Already shipped above.
• Org race (within one league): Greenwood PTA vs Maplebrook PTA vs Westlake PTA, all in the Maple Valley Council. This page.
• (Optional) league-wide goal: $50,000 across the whole council, with a top-of-page progress bar.

Who this is for

• School districts running coordinated PTA / PTO drives.
• Sports leagues / associations (Little League, Pop Warner, soccer clubs) running a season-end fundraiser across every team.
• Scout councils running multi-troop popcorn replacements.
• Fire-department mutual-aid groups running boot drive season together.
• Diocese / synod / conference running multi-congregation building-fund drives.

How the ranking works

Two modes, picked automatically:

• Raw dollars (default, when at least one org has no goal): orgs are ranked by total raised. Leader gets the gold crown, others show "$X behind" in red flame.
• Progress % (when every org in the league has a goal): a small school that hits 100% of its goal beats a big school stuck at 25%. This is the "fairest" mode for mixed-size leagues.

Badges:

• Gold crown: rank 1.
• Red flame & "$X behind": rank 2+ in raw-dollar mode.
• Lightning bolt (Tied): all orgs equal.
• Green trophy (Goal hit!): any org whose raised total exceeds its per-org goal, regardless of rank.

Set up a league

1. Email support@scanraise.com with the league name and the orgs you want included.
2. We provision the league and grant your email league-admin rights.
3. Open admin.scanraise.com/leagues. Click Edit on your league.
4. Set the league name, optional tagline, optional league-wide goal, and toggle Competitive mode + Publicly visible when you're ready to share the URL.
5. Click + Add org to bring more orgs into the league. Set per-org goals via Set goal on each member row.
6. Share the league's public URL (looks like scanraise.com/league/your-league-name). The page auto-refreshes every 30 seconds. Press F for fullscreen at events.

Public visibility

Until you flip Publicly visible on, the league URL returns 404 to anyone who isn't a league admin. Use this to dial in goals + memberships before launching. Admins always see the standings preview at admin.scanraise.com/leagues.

QR Codes & Cards updated

Each fundraiser gets a unique short code that maps to a QR. Print on cards, posters, programs, or anywhere physical.

• Generate QR cards as a single PDF: every fundraiser, ready to print.
• Re-print individual cards as needed.
• Each card prints the donate URL (scanraise.com/d/<short_code>) under the QR so anyone who can't scan can type or copy the link.
• Custom branding: org logo, colors, slogan all imprint on the card (see Org Branding & Logo).
• QR codes are stable for the life of the campaign. Reuse across years if structure stays the same.

The donate URL on every card

Below the QR, every card prints the same short URL the QR encodes (scanraise.com/d/GHCAA4GM, for example). Two reasons:

• Backup for non-scanners. Some grandparents won't get the camera focus right. They can type the URL into a browser instead.
• Shareable. Families can text the URL to a friend, paste it in a Facebook post, or read it out at a community event. Same destination as the QR.

Cards per page (1up / 2up / 4up)

Next to every Download printable QR cards link, you'll see a picker for how many cards print per letter page:

• 1 per page. One full 5.5" × 8.5" portrait card per letter page. Best for individual handout cards or a high-impact program insert.
• 2 per page. Two landscape cards stacked on a letter page. Best when you want each card to still feel substantial but use half the paper.
• 4 per page. Four card-stock-sized cards in a 2×2 grid. Best for high-volume printing — a class of 25 fits on 7 sheets.

Your choice is remembered across pages and across campaigns. If your last page doesn't fill up (a class of 5 in 4up = 2 pages, second page has 1 card + 3 blanks), the unused slots print clean white instead of leftover template artwork.

Sharing a class's donate URL fast

From your dashboard, expand any class. Each fundraiser inside shows its scanraise.com/d/... URL with a Copy link button and Open ↗ link right there. Use this to email a teacher their class's donation URL without having to drill into the class detail screen.

Detailed FAQ: QR Codes FAQ

Org Branding & Logo new

Upload your logo once and it imprints on every QR card and donation page automatically.

Upload a logo

1. Open Org Settings from your dashboard (/orgs/<id>/settings).
2. Find the Logo section near the top.
3. Click Upload logo and pick a PNG, JPG, GIF, or WebP file (1 MB max). You'll see an 80×80 thumbnail preview.
4. Click Save. The logo lands on B2 storage with a public URL and is wired into your org record.

Where the logo appears

• Top of every printed QR card (in the 241×120 logo slot).
• Header of your public donation pages.
• Email receipts (when EmailKit picks up your BrandConfig).

Already have a public URL?

If your logo is hosted elsewhere already (a school website, a shared drive with a public link, etc.), expand Or paste a public URL instead in the same Logo section and paste the URL. Either path sets the same field, so they're interchangeable. The uploader is the path of least resistance for first-timers.

Donations & Payments

2.5% all-in. No setup fee, no monthly minimum. Stripe handles the card / Apple Pay / Google Pay flow.

• Donor receipts auto-emailed (IRS-ready 501(c)(3) format if you've added your EIN).
• Recurring donations supported. Donors can cancel from a self-serve link in any receipt.
• Refunds: issue from your Stripe dashboard or the ScanRaise admin. Platform fee is refunded too.
• Custom amounts: up to $2,500 per transaction.

Detailed FAQ: Payments FAQ

Recurring giving

Donors can opt into monthly or annual giving with a single checkbox on the donate page. Steady, predictable revenue for your org.

• Toggle the recurring option on the donate page; donors pick monthly or annual at checkout.
• Multi-tier programs (Bronze / Silver / Gold / Trustee) supported via the recurring-tiers admin endpoint when your org has tiers configured.
• Donors cancel anytime from a self-serve link in any receipt; no support ticket required.
• Stripe handles billing, retries on declined cards, and dunning emails automatically.

Email campaigns

Send branded email blasts to your donors directly from the dashboard. No Mailchimp / Constant Contact subscription needed.

• Compose, save drafts, send to your full donor list or a segmented slice.
• Segmentation: filter by donor tier, lifetime giving thresholds, lapsed-since days, or tags. Send Gold-and-above patron previews; send lapsed-donor reactivation blasts.
• One-click unsubscribe in every email. Suppression list honored across all future sends.
• Sender reputation managed by Resend with verified DKIM / SPF on every send.

Donor CRM

Every donor's full history across donations, tickets, store orders, auction bids, and raffle entries, rolled up by email.

• Search by name, email, date range, amount, or recurring-only filter.
• Tag donors and add admin notes for stewardship reminders.
• Export the full filtered list to CSV for mail merges, board reports, or import into another tool.
• Donor tier auto-recompute: lifetime giving rolls up on every completed donation; Bronze / Silver / Gold / Trustee tier auto-assigns from configurable thresholds.

Community drives

Run a fundraising drive for a partner nonprofit at 0% platform fee. The org keeps 100% of every dollar; donors can cover the processing fee at checkout.

• Pick "community" mode at campaign creation. No Stripe Connect required.
• Useful for: matching gifts your company runs for an external charity, neighborhood drives, mutual aid, mission-trip fundraising for a partner organization.
• Donors see a "100% goes to the cause" message at checkout.
• Different from native mode (which uses Stripe Connect with the platform's 2.5% fee). Pick the mode that fits the partnership.

Auctions updated

Run silent auctions inline with your campaign. Bidders enter on your fundraiser page, you collect at close.

Set up an auction item

1. From the campaign admin, open Auctions.
2. Click + New item.
3. Enter: name, description, starting bid, optional reserve price, optional buy-now price, close time, image URL.

Reserve price (new)

If a reserve is set, the auction does NOT auto-award if bids stay below the reserve. You decide whether to award anyway, re-list, or cancel. Reserves are private to the org admin and never shown to bidders.

Buy now

If set, a bidder can end the auction immediately by paying the buy-now amount. Once paid, no further bids accepted.

Detailed FAQ: Auctions FAQ

Raffles

Sell raffle tickets, draw winners, notify by email. All in your campaign admin.

• Set ticket price (or tiered: $5 each, 5 for $20, etc.) and number of prizes.
• ScanRaise generates a unique entry per ticket. Drawing is verifiable random with audit log.
• Some states regulate raffles. Check your local laws before running one.

Detailed FAQ: Raffles FAQ

Peer-to-Peer (P2P) Fundraisers

Each individual creates their own page, sets a personal goal, shares with their network. Great for athons and personal fundraising drives.

1. From the campaign admin, enable P2P mode.
2. Each fundraiser visits /p2p-create and customizes their page (photo, story, goal).
3. They share a personalized link. All donations roll up to the parent campaign total.
4. Leaderboard auto-ranks fundraisers by total raised.

Detailed FAQ: P2P FAQ

Athons (walk-a-thon, run-a-thon, swim-a-thon, read-a-thon)

Donors pledge per unit (mile, lap, page, minute). Participants track. ScanRaise calculates and collects.

Tracking modes

• GPS: phone tracks distance during a walk or run. Verified vs. impossible speeds, teleports.
• Step counter: phone accelerometer counts steps. Pace verified, replay attacks blocked.
• Timer: tracks active screen time. Used for read-a-thons, study-a-thons.
• Strava sync: import activities from connected Strava account (covers Apple Watch, Garmin, COROS, Polar, Suunto, Samsung). See Strava section.
• Manual entry: always available. Some kids will swear they walked 100 miles.

Detailed FAQ: Smartwatch & Fitness FAQ

Strava & Fitness Sync new

Apple Watch, Garmin, COROS, Polar, Suunto, and Samsung all sync to Strava. ScanRaise imports from Strava.

For participants

1. On the tracker page, tap Connect with Strava or Fitbit instead.
2. Click the orange Connect with Strava button.
3. Authorize ScanRaise to read your activities (we never access health, sleep, or messages).
4. Pick from the activities list. Each row links back to View on Strava.
5. Click Import. Distance is converted to your campaign's unit (miles, km, laps).

Garmin Connect IQ & COROS

Garmin's developer program is currently in transition (paused as of April 2026). When it reopens, we'll add direct Garmin Connect IQ support so you can skip the Strava step. COROS integration is in flight. For now, both work via Strava.

Detailed FAQ: Smartwatch FAQ

Scavenger Hunts

Multi-stop hunts with QR waypoints. Participants check in at each stop, learn something, donate at the end.

• Create waypoints with title, description, optional photo prompt, and GPS coordinates.
• Participants scan a starting QR, then visit each waypoint in order (or any order, your choice).
• Optional: donor pledges per waypoint completed.

Event Ticketing

Sell tickets, scan at the door, track attendance. Each ticket gets a signed QR token.

• Create event with name, date, venue, ticket types (general, VIP, etc.).
• Buyers receive an email with a QR ticket. Scan at check-in to verify.
• Check-in by ID + email fallback if QR is unreadable.
• Forged QR tokens are rejected (server-side HMAC verification).

Detailed FAQ: Event Ticketing FAQ

Merchandise Store

Sell branded merch, tickets, services. Atomic inventory (no overselling), abandon cleanup, 4 confirmation emails (order placed, shipped, delivered, refunded).

• Add products with photo, description, price, inventory count.
• Buyers check out with the same Stripe flow as donations.
• Inventory decrements atomically; race conditions can't oversell.

Detailed FAQ: Store FAQ

Text-to-Give (SMS) new

Donors text a keyword to (515) 461-8728. They get a payment link. They tap, they give. No app, no account.

Set up a keyword

1. Open your Org Settings page (gear icon on your dashboard) and scroll to Text-to-Give Keyword.
2. Pick a keyword (3-30 chars, A-Z 0-9). Has to be globally unique across ScanRaise.
3. Save. Test by texting the keyword to (515) 461-8728.

Live Page new

A public projector-friendly page that shows real-time donations and activity for your campaign. Use at events, on stage, in the cafeteria.

• Visit /live/{campaign-id}.
• Auto-refreshes every 15 seconds.
• Shows: total raised, top fundraisers, recent donors, pacing, optional QR code overlay.
• Customize donor display (name only, name + amount, anonymous-friendly).

Microsoft 365 SSO new

Schools and districts that run on Microsoft 365 / Entra ID can sign their staff in with their work account.

Setup (district admin)

1. Email support@scanraise.com with your tenant ID and domain.
2. We'll add ScanRaise to your tenant as an enterprise app and enable user assignment.
3. Your staff visit /login → click Sign in with Microsoft → use their work account → done.

We use cert-based authentication (RS256 client_assertion JWT) so there are no client secrets to rotate. The cert is good for 10 years.

Clever Library & Roster Import updated

Teachers on Clever sign in to ScanRaise with their Clever account in one tap, no district setup required, then one-tap import their sections + students as a class roster. ScanRaise is submitted for Clever Library certification (Partner Engineering review, expected go-live around 2026-05-20).

Sign in

1. From your Clever portal, search "ScanRaise" in the Library and tap Install (once the Library listing is live). Or any time, go directly to /login → Log in with Clever.
2. Approve the data-sharing consent (we read your basic profile and the classes you teach).
3. You land in your ScanRaise dashboard.

One-tap roster import

Once you're signed in with Clever, the New Class wizard at /orgs/<id>/groups/new shows a third tab: Import from Clever.

1. Click the Import from Clever tab. ScanRaise pulls your sections from Clever's API.
2. Each section appears as a row with a checkbox, an editable name (defaults to Clever's section name), and a count of students.
3. Uncheck any sections you don't want to import. Rename any if you'd like.
4. Click Import N sections. ScanRaise creates a Group + a Fundraiser per student in one transaction.

What we collect

For each student, only first name + last initial. No email, no full last name. This matches what teachers see in their own Clever portal. The import is opt-in per section, so you control which classes sync. Caps: 50 sections per import, 200 students per section.

Library is teacher-self-serve. District-wide deployments via Clever Complete are not part of ScanRaise's current offering — districts that need org-wide rollouts can use ClassLink, Google for Education, or Microsoft 365 SSO instead.

ClassLink SSO new

Both admin AND parent-side ClassLink SSO is live. Parents can sign in with their district ClassLink account to view their kid's fundraiser.

1. Email support@scanraise.com from your district account.
2. We'll add ScanRaise to your ClassLink tenant. Provide the OAuth redirect URI we send.
3. Once enabled, users see Sign in with ClassLink on /login.

We use the full scope so we can read user info plus profile data needed to match parents to students.

District Management new

For district administrators: oversee every PTA, school, and athletic department in your district from one dashboard.

• See all orgs in the district, their campaigns, totals, and pacing.
• Export a district-wide CSV or JSON snapshot for the board / superintendent.
• Single SSO login (Microsoft, Clever, or ClassLink) gates access.
• Per-school admins still own their data; the district view is read-only by default.

Landing page: For Districts

Parental Consent

For students under 13, COPPA requires verifiable parental consent before we collect any data tied to that student.

• When a fundraiser is created for a student, the system flags whether parental consent is required.
• Parents receive an email with a one-click consent grant.
• Without consent, the kid's QR works only for anonymous donations (no name, no leaderboard, no email).
• Consent is logged with timestamp + IP for audit.

Stripe Connect Setup

Funds settle directly to your org's bank via Stripe. ScanRaise never touches your money beyond the 2.5% platform fee.

1. From your org settings, click Connect Stripe.
2. Stripe walks you through identity verification (your EIN, bank account, signing officer).
3. Once approved, you're set. Donations route directly to your bank.

Sign-In Options (Magic Link, Passkey, SSO)

No passwords. We support magic-link email, passkeys (Touch ID / Face ID / Windows Hello), and four SSO providers.

• Magic link: enter your email, we send a one-time sign-in link. Default for first-time users.
• Passkey (recommended after first sign-in): authorize your device's biometric to sign in instantly. Roams via iCloud Keychain or your password manager.
• Microsoft / Clever / ClassLink / Google SSO: see sections above.