Milestone map
Milestone map
3 milestones
Campaign page live — target set — first donations received
1–2 weeks
Set up a public fundraising campaign page for a registered or verifiable charitable cause, set a specific monetary target with a realistic deadline, and receive at least one donation from someone outside your immediate family. The cause must be real and verifiable — not a vague description but a named organisation, project, or community need with a public presence. The target must be stated on the campaign page before fundraising begins. Getting the first donation from a stranger or a non-family contact is the milestone signal: it proves the campaign message can persuade someone who did not already want to give.
Proof required
Submit: (1) the public URL of your campaign page showing the cause name, target amount, and at least one donation received, (2) a one-paragraph description of the cause and why you chose it, and (3) the name or type of organisation the funds will go to (registered charity number, official website, or verifiable community project — not a personal PayPal).
What gets checked
- Campaign page URL is public and accessible without login — opens to show the cause, target, and at least one donation received; a private or draft page does not pass
- Cause is verifiable — named charity, registered organisation, or documented community project; 'to help people in need' without naming a specific recipient does not pass
- At least one donation from outside the immediate family is recorded on the campaign — a page that only shows donations from parents or siblings is not yet a campaign that can persuade strangers
Common mistakes
- Setting a target that is so low it can be met from one family donation — a target of £10 with one £10 parental donation is not a fundraising campaign; the target should require genuine outreach beyond the immediate household
- Collecting cash without a public campaign page — cash fundraising with no digital record is not verifiable; use a free platform (JustGiving, GoFundMe, or equivalent) that produces a public URL
- Describing the cause in vague terms without naming the recipient organisation — donors need to know exactly where their money goes; 'charity' or 'community cause' is not sufficient for a real campaign page
Resources
Foundationstart here
Depthgo deeper
Masteryfor the dedicated
What a verifier looks for
- Open the campaign URL in a private browser — confirm it shows the cause name, fundraising target, and at least one recorded donation; a page with a target but no donations yet has not reached milestone 1
- The recipient organisation must be verifiable — search the named charity on the Charity Commission register (UK), IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search (US), or equivalent national register; a personal fundraising page with no named registered recipient raises a red flag
- GOVERNANCE proof standard: at least one donation from outside the immediate family must be visible — ask whether any donations came from people who were persuaded, not people who were obligated (i.e. family); the milestone is about the ability to persuade strangers, not the ability to ask parents
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50% of target reached
2–4 weeks
Keep the campaign active and growing until the donated total reaches 50% of the stated target. This milestone requires genuine outreach — the campaign will not reach 50% from a single social media post. Document two to three specific outreach actions you took beyond the initial share: a message to a specific network, a post in a community group, a personal ask to a teacher or colleague, or a local press mention. The outreach documentation is as important as the donation total because it demonstrates that 50% was reached through deliberate effort, not a lucky viral moment.
Proof required
Submit: (1) a screenshot or URL of the campaign page showing the current total at or above 50% of your target, (2) two to three sentences describing specific outreach actions you took to reach this point — name the channels or people you reached out to.
What gets checked
- Campaign total is at or above 50% of the stated target — a total below 50% does not pass this milestone even if it looks like progress
- Outreach description names specific channels or actions — 'I shared it on social media' does not pass; 'I posted in the local Facebook group for [town name], emailed the school newsletter, and asked my manager to share it in the team Slack' does
- The 50% total includes no suspicious activity — a campaign that jumped from £0 to £500 in one large transaction from the campaign owner's own name is a flag for self-funding
Common mistakes
- Sharing the campaign once and then waiting — fundraising campaigns reach 50% through repeated, varied outreach to different networks; the first share gets the easy support, and reaching 50% requires reaching audiences who did not see the first post
- Asking only people who feel socially obligated to donate — friends who donate because they feel they cannot say no, and family who donate because they are family, are not the same as persuaded donors; 50% should include at least some donors who chose to give because the cause resonated
- Setting an artificially low target so 50% is trivial — the target should be ambitious enough that reaching 50% requires real outreach; a target that is met entirely from immediate family donations in the first 24 hours was not set seriously
Resources
Foundationstart here
Depthgo deeper
What a verifier looks for
- Check the campaign screenshot or URL to confirm the total is at or above 50% of the stated target — the stated target must be visible on the same page to confirm the calculation
- The outreach description must name specific channels or people — 'I shared it' is not specific enough; 'I posted in the [named] Facebook group and emailed the school newsletter' is; ask a follow-up question about what responses those outreach actions produced if anything seems vague
- GOVERNANCE proof standard check: ask how many donors were people the fundraiser did not know personally before the campaign — at least some persuaded strangers or non-obligated contacts should be present in a genuine fundraising campaign by milestone 2
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Target met — final amount and campaign page submitted
2–8 weeks total campaign
Reach or exceed your stated fundraising target and close the campaign. Submit the final campaign page showing the total raised, and confirm that the funds have been transferred to or are being collected by the cause. Write a short closing update on the campaign page thanking donors and confirming the funds will be used as stated — this is the standard practice for any credible fundraising campaign and the signal that the money will reach the named cause.
Proof required
Submit: (1) the final campaign URL or screenshot showing the total amount raised at or above your target, (2) confirmation that the funds have been or will be transferred to the named cause (a platform receipt, a charity acknowledgment, or a statement from the campaign page), and (3) your closing donor update (2–3 sentences thanking donors and confirming the funds' destination).
What gets checked
- Final total is at or above the stated target — a campaign that fell short of its target but has been closed does not pass milestone 3; if the target was not met, the campaign is ongoing or should be discussed with the verifier
- Funds transfer is confirmed — a screenshot of a JustGiving or GoFundMe payout, a charity acknowledgment email, or a statement that the platform will transfer directly are all acceptable; a campaign where the fundraiser holds the cash with no transfer record is a flag
- Closing donor update is posted on the campaign page — a campaign that closes without acknowledging donors or confirming the funds' destination is not complete by this standard
Common mistakes
- Claiming the target was met without evidence — the campaign URL must show the final total at or above the target; a verbal report without a verifiable URL does not pass
- Keeping the funds beyond the campaign close without a transfer record — donors gave money to a specific cause; the fundraiser is a conduit, not a recipient; funds should be transferred within a reasonable period after the campaign closes
- Not posting a closing update — donors who gave to a campaign deserve to know the outcome; a campaign that simply disappears from social media after closing is a pattern associated with fraudulent fundraising; the update is a non-negotiable part of the proof standard
Resources
Foundationstart here
Depthgo deeper
What a verifier looks for
- Open the campaign URL and confirm the displayed total is at or above the stated target — if the target is visible on the page, the comparison is straightforward; if the target is not displayed, ask for a screenshot that shows both
- The funds transfer confirmation must come from the platform (receipt email, payout record) or the receiving charity (acknowledgment email) — a statement from the fundraiser alone is not sufficient for this milestone
- Check that a closing update was posted — search the campaign page for a final update posted after the target was reached; a campaign with no closing update should not pass milestone 3 regardless of the total raised
- GOVERNANCE proof standard final check: confirm the funds went to the named cause and not to a personal account — if anything about the transfer is unclear, request the platform payout receipt directly
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