Paper pledge sheets get lost
Students carry around folded-up sheets for weeks, lose them in backpacks, and come back with illegible handwriting. Organizers spend hours trying to reconcile who pledged what.
Walk-a-thon fundraising
Online pledge collection for walk-a-thons
Replace paper pledge sheets with a digital system that collects per-lap and per-mile pledges, tracks walker progress, and sends automatic payment requests after the event.
The challenge
What makes this fundraising harder than it should be
Collecting payments after the event is painful
Once the walk-a-thon is over, coaches and parents are stuck chasing down pledge payments one by one. Many pledges go uncollected because there is no easy way for supporters to pay.
Counting laps manually leads to disputes
Volunteers standing at checkpoints with tally sheets make mistakes. Parents question the count, and organizers have no way to verify after the fact.
Families far away cannot participate
Grandparents, aunts, and uncles who do not live nearby have no way to pledge or follow along. The fundraiser only reaches the people who show up on event day.
The HometownLift approach
Per-lap pledges, automatic invoicing, and individual walker pages
Online per-lap and per-mile pledges
Supporters pledge a dollar amount per lap or per mile directly from their phone. No paper forms, no handwriting, no lost sheets. Each pledge is recorded and ready for invoicing.
Automatic payment emails after results are entered
Once organizers enter final lap counts, HometownLift calculates each supporter's total and sends a payment link by email. Supporters pay online with a card in under a minute.
Individual walker fundraising pages
Every walker gets their own shareable page with their name, photo, and progress toward their goal. Families share the link on social media and via text to collect pledges from anywhere.
Flat-donation option alongside pledges
Supporters who prefer to give a fixed amount can donate directly without pledging per lap. Both pledge-based and flat donations land in the same campaign dashboard.
FAQ
Common questions
How do supporters make a per-lap pledge?
Each walker has a shareable page link. When a supporter visits the page, they choose a per-lap pledge amount (for example, $2 per lap). After the event, the system calculates their total and sends a payment email.
When do pledge payments get collected?
After the walk-a-thon, the organizer enters final lap counts into HometownLift. The system multiplies each pledge by the number of laps, then emails each supporter a payment link. Supporters pay online with a card.
Can we also accept flat donations?
Yes. Supporters can choose to donate a fixed dollar amount instead of pledging per lap. Both types of contributions are tracked in the same campaign dashboard.
What does it cost to use HometownLift for a walk-a-thon?
There is no subscription or setup fee. A 5% platform fee plus card processing is added to each donation at checkout and paid by the donor. The organization receives 100% of every gift.
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