What is a paddle raise? 🏓
A paddle raise (also called fund-a-need) is a live fundraising method where donation levels are announced and attendees raise their paddle to commit to a specific amount. It’s a popular format for in-person events and helps organizations drive higher giving during key moments.
Givebutter allows you to record paddle raise commitments in real-time, assign and manage paddle numbers, and collect payments through a dedicated checkout flow, making it easier to track, manage, and fulfill donations during or after the event. A paddle raise must be a ticketed event, and it can also be used alongside a traditional auction. For best results, use paddle raise with live display.
Example: During a gala, the host announces, “Who can give $1,000 to support our program?” Several attendees raise their paddles. A staff member records each paddle number under the $1,000 level in the Givebutter dashboard.
The host moves to the next level – "Who can give $500?" – and more paddles go up. After all commitments are recorded, attendees can complete payment for the total amount they committed to.
How it works 🔍
Set a goal and create donation levels for your paddle raise event – both separate from your general campaign goal and donation levels.
Each attendee is assigned a paddle number, which is used to track all donor activity during the event.
Record commitments in real time by entering the paddle numbers of participants as they raise their paddles.
Donors scan the QR code and enter their paddle number to complete payment. Commitments are combined into a single checkout per participant.
Paddle raise setup ⚙️
Before your event, there are a few things you'll need to have in place for paddle raise to work properly. Your campaign must be set up as a ticketed event, and each attendee must be assigned a paddle number (this can be done in advance or at check-in).
You'll also create donation levels specifically for your paddle raise. Finally, make sure that donors use the paddle raise QR code (found under the Settings tab) to complete their payments so their contributions are properly linked to their commitments.
Donation levels 🔢
When setting up your paddle raise, you must create custom amounts that are tailored to your audience and fundraising goal. These levels are used by your staff to log commitments during the event as your team announces donation amounts from the stage. Paddle raise donation levels are separate from your general campaign donation levels.
You'll be prompted to Create levels before you can take other actions on your paddle raise setup.
Enter a goal specific to this paddle raise event. This is separate from any goal set at your campaign level.
Enter at least one customized donation level, and an optional title.
To add more donation levels, click Add another level. To delete a level, click the trash can icon on the right side of the level.
Tips & fees 💸
After creating your donation levels, you can navigate to the Settings tab to configure your tip and fee settings. We offer two options:
| Optional donor tips | Platform fees |
Experience | Donors will be asked to leave an optional tip to Givebutter to help keep our fundraising features free. | Donors will not be asked to tip Givebutter, and you can choose how fees will be handled. |
Cost and configuration | We'll absorb any fees not covered by donors. You're not responsible for platform or processing costs when optional donor tips are on.
(The Givebutter Guarantee does not apply to payment methods where donors cannot add a tip, such as DAF, terminal, and mobile app payments.) | Transactions incur a 3% platform fee + 2.9% + 30¢ payment processing fee (1.9% + 30¢ for ACH). You choose one of the following options:
|
Payment requests 🧾
In the Payment requests section, you can configure whether or not you'd like payment requests to automatically be sent out after the event. (This option can only be enabled if an End date & time has been set on your campaign's Event tab.)
Toggled on – Automatically sends payment requests to attendees with outstanding commitments after the event ends.
Toggled off – No payment requests are automatically sent.
Payment requests (both individual and bulk requests) can also be done manually from the commitments table, regardless of this setting.
Assign paddle numbers 🎟️
Paddle numbers are not automatically assigned to event attendees.
Paddle numbers should be assigned before your event from the dashboard, but they can also be assigned during the event. To assign paddle numbers, go to your campaign's Event tab, select Attendees from the sub-menu, click the three dots next to an attendee, and select Edit paddle # to manually assign a paddle number. Once assigned, the paddle number is tied to the attendee’s ticket and used to track all paddle raise activity. Taking care of this ahead of time (when possible) helps ensure a smoother check-in experience and avoids delays during the event.
Paddle numbers can also be assigned using the Givebutter mobile app at the time of check-in. When scanning tickets to check guests in, staff can assign a paddle number directly from the app at the same time.
If you’re also running an auction as part of the event, a participant's bidder number will automatically pre-populate as their paddle number when you edit it. Please note that you'll still need to confirm and save the paddle number before it is officially assigned.
Record commitments 📝
During the paddle raise, you'll use logbook mode to capture commitments in real time. Your donation levels must be created, and participant tickets must be checked in. Commitments are grouped by donation level and tied to paddle numbers.
Click Open logbook to access the paddle raise logbook interface. You'll see your preset donation levels across the top of the screen, including automatic keyboard shortcuts. First, ensure that the first donation level to be called is selected.
In the left-hand side panel, you'll see checked-in attendees with assigned paddle numbers appear.
If you're not seeing paddle raise participants appear here, please ensure:
Attendees have tickets to your event
Attendees are checked in
Attendees have been assigned paddle raise numbers
Log commitments by typing a paddle number or attendee name, and pressing or clicking Enter.
A time-stamped list will be built as you track commitments, and all entries are saved in the commitments table in your dashboard, including payment status for each.
To edit or remove a recorded paddle raise commitment in the logbook, click the three dots [...] on the right side of the commitment. Click Edit or Delete.
Custom amounts ✏️
You can also enter custom amounts for commitments outside your preset donation levels. To enter a custom amount, click Add custom amount in the logbook. (You can also enter a name or paddle number and press Shift + Enter on your keyboard.)
In the sidebar that opens, enter the supporter, custom amount, and an optional, internal note. Click Save to log the commitment.
Collect payments 💳
Once commitments are recorded, donors can complete their payment by scanning the paddle raise QR code. Alternatively, admins can review commitments and send payment requests, or link existing donations to a participant commitments.
Self-serve checkout ✅
We recommend encouraging guests to use the self-serve checkout option via QR code. Guests can scan the QR code and complete their payment on their own device, at the event.
Participants scan the QR code from the Live Display.
They select the paddle raise option in the checkout, enter their paddle number, and view a list of commitments from the event.
Lastly, participants can review and complete their payment.
If an attendee has multiple commitments tied to their paddle number, they'll be combined into a single total by default, but the attendee can adjust these selections during checkout.
Anyone with a participant's paddle number can complete payment on their behalf – it does not need to be the person registered on the ticket information. Activity is tied to a paddle number rather than a specific person or device.
Send payment requests 📫
After the event, you can send a bulk payment request to all attendees with outstanding commitments. On your campaign's Paddle Raise tab, click on the Actions menu in the upper right and click Send payment requests.
Attendees that have already completed payment for all their paddle raise commitments will not receive a payment request.
You can also manually send individual payment requests to specific people. Click the three dots [...] to the right side of a commitment, and select Send Payment Request.
Link a transaction 📎
It's possible that an attendee submits a transaction for their commitments outside of the paddle raise checkout flow, or pays for their commitment with an offline payment method such as cash or check. If this happens, you can manually link an existing transaction or create a new offline transaction to fulfill a paddle raise commitment.
Click the three dots [...] to the right side of a commitment, and select Link transaction.
To create a new offline transaction, select New, and enter the new transaction details. To link an existing transaction, select Existing, and search for the relevant transaction by name or transaction reference number.
If the new offlline payment or linked transaction amount doesn't match the original commitment, the commitment will automatically update to reflect the new amount.
Click Save when you're done. The commitment will be updated to Paid status. If. you've linked an existing transaction that was credited to a different contact, the original donor's name will be noted here as well.
Best practices 💡
Assign paddle numbers ahead of time to reduce delays at check-in and keep the process moving smoothly during your event.
Use consistent paddle numbers across both your auction and paddle raise to avoid confusion for attendees and staff.
Dedicate a staff member solely to recording commitments so nothing is missed during the fast-paced live moment.
Clearly walk attendees through the QR code and payment steps before the moment begins so they're prepared to act quickly.
Follow up promptly on any unpaid commitments after the event to maximize the funds collected.
FAQ 🤔
Where do I find my paddle raise QR code?
You can find your paddle raise QR code on your campaign's Paddle Raise tab, under the Settings sub-menu.
How does the paddle raise QR code work on Live Display?
You must enable the paddle raise QR code from your Live Display settings. (This works the same way as toggling on the scan-to-donate QR code, for example.)
Are the paddle raise donation levels the same as my campaign donation levels?
No, paddle raise donation levels are separate from your general campaign donation levels. You can customize them specifically for your paddle raise event, allowing you to set amounts that are appropriate for a live fundraising event.
What does it mean for an event to be ticketed?
A ticketed event is one where attendees are registered with a ticket, allowing the platform to assign and track paddle numbers for each participant. This is required for paddle raise to function properly, as all activity is tied to paddle numbers rather than a specific person or device.