Frequently Asked Questions
Getting Started
What is Cause Mama?
Cause Mama is a fundraising website that empowers you to raise awareness & money for causes that you care about by selling custom buttons/ magnets & gathering online donations from your supporters.
How do I kickstart a Cause Mama campaign?
If you already have a Cause Mama account, Sign In here to go straight to your Campaign Profile Page, or Create An Account here.
A verification email will be sent to you. After you confirm your account, you will be redirected back to Cause Mama website. Click on “Launch A Fundraiser” to start creating your campaign.
To learn more about creating a successful campaign, check out the Cause Mama Guidebook.
Who can I raise money for?
You can choose to raise money for :
| • | An individual, (yourself, a family member, friend, co-worker, or even a complete stranger) |
| • | Any group, school or team, |
| • | Any U.S. charity or non-profit organization.You will be asked to fill in the donation recipient at the “Campaign Details” section. After your campaign closes, Cause Mama sends a check with the funds raised to the designated recipient. |
Is Cause Mama free to use?
Absolutely! There is no set up fee. Cause Mama is a no-risk and no-cost way for you to fundraise.
You only need to spend some time and effort to make your campaign a success.
Why do you need my contact information?
After you publish your Cause Mama campaign, a Cause Mama coach will reach out to you within 24 hours to work with you & help guide you with tips on how to best promote your campaign to make it a success.
Cause Mama does not share your information with any other third party site. Your information is kept private & confidential.
How do I use the design studio?
We've created our design studio with a lot of cool features.You can choose to either upload your own image or browse through our art gallery for tons of cool images & background templates. Explore text & color options to create your button/ magnet design.
You can also collect multiple art images from our gallery by clicking on the “Collect Art” box. Your chosen images will automatically appear on your Art Board.
Can I upload my own image?
Yes you can! Images uploaded should be a PNG, JPEG, or GIF with a maximum file size of 5.0 MB.
I don’t have my own design. Can you create one for me?
We encourage you to create a design that best represents your campaign. If you need assistance from one of our in- house designers, please contact us at help@causemama.com and we would be more than happy to assist you with design creation. **We charge a nominal fee per individual design.
Can I make a design for BOTH a button and magnet?
You can choose either a button or magnet per campaign, but there is no limit to how many campaigns you can launch, so you have the option to have several live campaigns with either option.
Can I save a design and continue later?
Yes! Just click on the "Save Design" button and you can come back anytime you want to continue creating your design.
Click on “Load Design” button to retrieve your saved designs. You can save up to 6 button/ magnet designs.
Can I change my design after my campaign has launched?
If no orders have been placed yet, you may edit your design. If orders have already been placed, we are unable to make any changes to your design.
Getting Paid
How do my donors pay for their buttons/magnets?
Your donors pay for it online using any major credit card. They have 2 options:
| • | They can purchase the button/magnet according to the price you have set. |
| • | They can donate directly to your campaign (no purchase required). This means that their full net donation goes directly to you & will only be charged the credit card processing fee. |
Cause Mama accepts Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Discover, Diners Club, and JCB
What does the “Just Donate” button mean?
The “Just Donate” button means that your supporters can skip receiving your button/ magnet and donate directly to your campaign. The full donation goes to you, minus credit card processing fees.
How secure is Cause Mama?
Cause Mama is very secure! All donations and payments are processed via Stripe, a well-trusted payment gateway.
Sending You The Funds
How do I decide where the funds go?
When you set up your Cause Mama campaign page, you determine whether the funds go directly to you, an individual recipient, or to your group/ organization.
When do I get my funds?
Cause Mama cuts you a check 14 days after your campaign has ended and all the items shipped out.
Creating Your Campaign
How much should I price my button/magnet?
We encourage you not to set the price too low. The average online donation is about $10, but you can go as high as $20. It's totally up to you, but remember to be realistic. Cause Mama’s fees remain the same, so each extra dollar goes directly to your fundraising account.
Is there a minimum goal to how many I can sell?
There is no minimum quantity required, you can set your goal as high as you would like. Remember, the higher the goal, the more funds you are able to raise! Be prepared to promote and share your campaign with your friends, family and supporters to make is a success.
Is there a limit to how much I can raise?
Not at all. You can raise as much as you like. It's all about promoting your campaign and getting people enthusiastic about your cause. The key to a successful campaign is to tap into your key network of family & friends, and encourage them to spread the word & help you promote your campaign to their own network of friends. This broadens the scope of potential supporters for you and your cause.
What happens if I don't reach my goal?
Since there are no minimum goals, Cause Mama will produce each item ordered, ship it to your donors, & send you the funds raised.
How long should my campaign run?
We want to give you more than enough time to share your campaign with your supporters. You can run a campaign for 30, 45, 60, or 75 days. We recommend to set your campaign goal at 30 days to give you and your supporters enough time to share, support & purchase your button/ magnet.
If you need more time, you may extend your campaign date, which you can do only once.
How does Cause Mama calculate my campaign's funds raised?
Basically it's the number of items you sell multiplied by the selling price minus our cost for each item.
Cause Mama charges $1.00 for production fees and a flat shipping rate of $1.00 per item. A flat rate of $.50 per additional item is charged.
Credit card processing fees are 2.9% + $0.30 of total payment.
Can I cancel my fundraiser?
If no orders have been placed yet, you can cancel your campaign anytime.
If an order has already been placed, we are unable to cancel it.
What is the User Dashboard and how do I use it?
Your User Dashboard allows you to keep track of each of your campaigns’ performance by telling you everything you need to know about its progress--your total contributors, funds raised, average donation per contributor, and your total net profit.
Launching & Promoting Your Campaign
Where do people see my Cause Mama campaign?
When you first launch your Cause Mama campaign, send a direct link to your friends and family via email & social media is the best way to spread the word.
You can also post your campaign link directly to your Facebook, Twitter, & other social media tools.
What's the best way to promote my Cause Mama campaign?
There are so many ways to share and promote your campaign! Be creative about it--Word-of-mouth & social media are only a few ways to do it. Rally support from friends & family. Cause Mama lets you promote directly to your supporters via Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Pinterest & Email.
Each campaign you launch will have its own unique link that you can use to share over email or social networks like Facebook, Twitter, Google+, & Pinterest. When they click on it, they will be taken directly to your Cause Mama campaign page where they can read & share your story, as well as purchase your item.
Spread the word about your campaign through updates & reminders to your supporters & encourage them to promote your campaign.
During your next family gathering, party or event, bring a laptop & share your campaign with everyone. They will be excited to support you & the cause that you believe in, maybe even make a few button/magnet purchases too!
To learn more about creating a successful campaign, check out the Cause Mama Guidebook.
Shipping & Refunds
How long does it take for my supporters to receive their item?
Domestic orders should take about 14 days to arrive. We currently do not offer international shipping.
What if I order more than one item?
We offer a flat shipping rate of $1 per item. If you order more than 1 item, we charge a flat fee of $0.50 per additional item.
Do you offer any refunds?
Unfortunately, Cause Mama does not offer refunds for donations given.
If you have received a defective item, please contact us at help@causemama.com and we will replace it for you.
General
Can I create a campaign for any cause?
Yes, you can create a campaign for any cause that you are passionate about, whether it's personal, for a loved one, for your community or charity. Cause Mama is a great way to raise awareness, support, and money!
Do I have to be in the USA to launch a campaign?
Yes. You have to be a resident in the USA to have a Cause Mama campaign.
How do I contact Cause Mama?
We'd love to hear from you, email us at help@causemama.com and we will get back to you ASAP!