Campaigns are built in four simple phases: setup, recruitment, marketing, and fundraising. With some planning and Charidy’s guidance, you can go live in as little as 6–10 weeks.
How long does it take to set up a campaign?
Great question! Every campaign is a journey, and while timelines can vary, we’re here to guide you through every step.
To give you a clear picture, we break the process into four key stages:
1. Campaign Page Setup
This is where it all begins! You’ll enter the basics like your campaign goal, matching format, and organization details, and set up your payment gateway. Don’t worry—we guide you through it all step by step.
If you have everything you need on hand, this part can take as little as 1–2 hours.
2. Human Recruitment
A strong campaign needs strong people behind it. During this stage, you'll focus on building your crew—think:
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Volunteers (to help make calls during the campaign)
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Team leaders
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Ambassadors
We estimate setting aside 2–4 weeks to gather your team and get everyone aligned.
3. Marketing
This is where the creativity kicks in! Your Charidy writer will meet with you to learn more about your mission and campaign goals. From there, we’ll create a creative direction (CD), and once that’s approved, our designer will turn it into a beautiful campaign design.
This process typically takes around 2–3 weeks.
4. Fundraising
You’ll want to start reaching out to potential Matchers as early as possible—ideally 2–3 months before your campaign. If you already have committed donors lined up, such as existing big donors, this part could move much quicker—sometimes in a month or less.
So… how long does it really take?
In total, preparing a campaign usually takes around 6–10 weeks, depending on the size and complexity of your campaign.
That said, if you already have some key pieces ready—like a theme or Matchers—and you stay in close communication with our team, things can move even faster and can be shorter by a few weeks.
We’re here to help make it all manageable, step by step. You’ve got this!
Written by Zalman Samama.
Edited by Esther Sominski.
Need more help or have further questions about your donation?
The organization you're supporting can provide the best assistance. Please reach out to them directly via the contact info on the campaign page or in your donor profile. For more info on how to find their details, check out our guide: How to find the contact information for an organization .