A campaign is the effort. A fund is where the money goes. An appeal is the specific ask that prompted the gift — the letter, the email, the phone call. Keeping them separate is what lets you answer two different questions with the same data: how did the annual fund do, and which of the six asks we made for it was worth repeating.
An appeal can link to a campaign, and a campaign can hold as many appeals as you need. A year-end campaign might carry a November letter, a Giving Tuesday email, a December social push, and a final week phone tree — four appeals, one campaign, and a clear read on which of the four did the work.
Appeal reports show what each ask raised, from how many donors, and at what average gift. Because appeals roll up into campaigns, the same data answers the board's question and the fundraiser's question without rebuilding anything. See campaign reports for the roll-up view.
Appeals live alongside campaigns and funds, and every gift you enter or receive online can carry all three.
What is the difference between a campaign, an appeal, and a fund?
A campaign is the fundraising effort. An appeal is the specific ask that generated the gift. A fund is where the money is designated. A single gift can carry all three.
What appeal channels does DonorDock track?
Six: email, direct mail, event, social media, phone calls, and website.
Can one campaign have multiple appeals?
Yes. A campaign can hold as many appeals as you like, so you can compare the letter against the email against the event within a single campaign.
Can I see what each appeal raised?
Yes. Appeal reports show dollars raised, donor counts, and gift detail per appeal, and they roll up into campaign reporting.
Can I import appeals with historical gifts?
Yes. Appeals import alongside gifts, so previous years remain comparable after a migration.
Can I merge duplicate appeals?
Yes. Campaigns, appeals, and funds can all be merged when a database ends up with several versions of the same thing.
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