Fundraiser Moderation: Approval & Smart Fundraiser Protection (Admins)

CrowdChange provides two complementary systems to help you manage fundraiser quality and prevent spam on your site:

• Fundraiser Approval (manual review)

• Smart Fundraiser Protection (automated safeguards)

Together, these tools help you balance control, security, and fundraiser speed.

1. Overview

When a fundraiser is created on your site, it may either:

• Go live instantly, or

• Be placed in Pending Approval for review

This outcome depends on:

• Your Fundraiser Approval setting, and

• Whether the fundraiser is flagged by Smart Fundraiser Protection

2. Understanding Fundraiser Approval

Fundraiser Approval is a setting that allows your team to manually review and approve all fundraisers before they go live.

When Approval is Enabled

• All new fundraisers are placed in Pending Approval

• Fundraisers cannot accept donations until approved

When Approval is Disabled

• Fundraisers typically go live instantly

• Only flagged fundraisers (see below) require approval

Benefits of Fundraiser Approval

• Full control over fundraiser content

• Ensures alignment with your organization’s brand and policies

• Useful for regulated or high-visibility campaigns

Considerations

• Introduces delays before fundraisers can begin

• Requires active monitoring by your team

• May impact fundraiser momentum and participation

3. What is Smart Fundraiser Protection?

Smart Fundraiser Protection is an automated system that reviews fundraisers at the time of creation to help prevent spam and suspicious activity.

What it does

• Automatically evaluates fundraisers using a combination of signals, including:

  • Content quality (e.g., titles and descriptions)

  • Account credibility

  • Email verification status

What happens next

• Most fundraisers → go live instantly

• Suspicious fundraisers → are flagged and placed in Pending Approval

This ensures that:

• Legitimate fundraisers are not delayed

• Potentially risky fundraisers are reviewed before going live

4. How These Systems Work Together

Smart Fundraiser Protection is always active and works in the background.

5. Why a Fundraiser May Require Approval

A fundraiser may appear in Pending Approval for several reasons:

• Your organization has Fundraiser Approval enabled

• The fundraiser was flagged by Smart Fundraiser Protection, due to:

  • Suspicious or inappropriate content

  • Low-confidence user information

  • Lack of verified email

6. How to Approve or Reject a Fundraiser

If a fundraiser requires approval, follow these steps:

1. Go to the Browse Fundraisers page on your site

2. Click Show All, then select Pending Approval

3. Click on the fundraiser you want to review

4. Click Manage Fundraiser in the top right corner

5. (Optional) Review and update fundraiser details before approval

6. Click Approve to make the fundraiser live

To reject a fundraiser:

• Click Reject (this will remove the fundraiser from your site)

Note: Once approved, a fundraiser can begin accepting donations immediately.

7. Best Practices

• Review pending fundraisers regularly to avoid delays for legitimate users

• Consider setting an internal response time (e.g., within 24 hours)

• If you prioritize speed, consider keeping Approval OFF and relying on Smart Fundraiser Protection

• Use Approval ON for campaigns requiring strict oversight

8. Frequently Asked Questions

Why did one fundraiser go live instantly and another require approval?

This is expected behavior. Fundraisers that meet quality and trust checks go live instantly, while others may be flagged for review.

Can I disable Smart Fundraiser Protection?

No. This is a platform-level safeguard designed to protect your site and reduce spam.

What happens if I don’t approve a fundraiser?

The fundraiser will remain in Pending Approval and will not be visible or accept donations.

Can I edit a fundraiser before approving it?

Yes. You can review and update fundraiser details before approving.

What happens when I reject a fundraiser?

Rejecting a fundraiser removes it from your site. This action cannot be undone.

9. Additional Notes

• In some cases, fundraisers can only be edited from the site where they were created

  • For example, if a child site (sub-site) uses custom questions, you may be redirected to that site to make edits

• If a fundraiser is mistakenly approved, you can close it using:
  How to Reopen or Close a Fundraiser

10. Summary

CrowdChange’s fundraiser moderation system is designed to:

• Keep fundraiser creation fast and accessible

• Reduce spam and malicious activity

• Give your team flexible control when needed

By combining Smart Fundraiser Protection with optional Fundraiser Approval, you can tailor the right balance for your organization.