KidStarter
← All GuidesDownload PDF
💚

Donor Guide

How to browse campaigns, make donations, and track your giving

Donors & VisitorsUpdated February 2026

Table of Contents

  1. Account Registration4 steps
  2. Logging In2 steps
  3. Resetting Your Password5 steps
  4. Browsing Campaigns6 steps
  5. Understanding a Campaign Page5 steps
  6. Making a Donation4 steps
  7. Finding Your Receipt3 steps
  8. Tax Center2 steps
  9. Viewing Donation History2 steps
  10. Sharing a Campaign3 steps
  11. Getting Help3 steps
1

Account Registration

1

Navigate to the registration page

Open your browser and go to kidstarter.online/register. You can also click "Get Started Free" or "Sign Up" from any page on the site.

2

Fill in your account details

Complete the registration form with your information. All fields except Full Name are required.

FieldTypeExpected InputReq.
Full NameTextYour display name (e.g., "Jane Smith"). Shown when you donate or comment.No
Email AddressEmailA valid, unique email address. Used for login and donation receipts.Yes
PasswordPasswordMinimum 8 characters. Choose something strong and memorable.Yes
3

Select the Donor role

You will see five role cards. Click the "Donor" card (green heart icon) which says "Support students with donations". The other roles are Teacher, Parent/Guardian, Corporate Sponsor, and Charity. Donor is the default selection.

Tip: You do not need an account to donate. But having one lets you track your donation history and access the Tax Center.
4

Create your account

Click "Create Account". If successful, you will be redirected to the login page with a confirmation message. Log in with your new credentials.

2

Logging In

1

Go to the login page

Navigate to kidstarter.online/login or click "Log In" in the top navigation bar.

2

Enter your credentials

Type your registered email address and password, then click "Log In".

FieldTypeExpected InputReq.
EmailEmailThe email you used during registration.Yes
PasswordPasswordYour account password.Yes
Tip: If you see "Invalid email or password", double-check your email spelling and password.
3

Resetting Your Password

1

Go to the forgot password page

On the login page, click "Forgot your password?" below the form, or navigate directly to kidstarter.online/forgot-password.

2

Enter your email address

Type the email address you used to register and click "Send reset link".

FieldTypeExpected InputReq.
EmailEmailThe email address associated with your account.Yes
3

Check your email

If an account exists for that email, a password reset link will be sent. The link expires in 1 hour. Check your spam folder if you do not see it.

4

Set a new password

Click the link in the email to open the reset page. Enter and confirm your new password (minimum 8 characters), then click "Reset Password".

FieldTypeExpected InputReq.
New PasswordPasswordMinimum 8 characters. Choose something strong and memorable.Yes
Confirm PasswordPasswordMust match the new password exactly.Yes
5

Log in with your new password

After resetting, you are redirected to the login page with a confirmation message. Log in with your email and new password.

4

Browsing Campaigns

1

Navigate to the campaigns page

Click "Donors" in the top navigation and select "Browse", or go directly to kidstarter.online/campaigns.

2

Filter by category

Use the category pills at the top to filter campaigns. Available categories: All, STEM, Arts, Sports, Tuition, Supplies, and General. A "Charity-backed" filter pill lets you show only campaigns linked to a verified charity with tax-exempt receipt capability. Click any pill to filter; click "All" to reset.

3

Filter by region and country

Below the category pills, use the region filter row. Click a continent (e.g., "North America" or "Europe") to see campaigns from that region. When a continent is selected, country pills appear below so you can narrow to a specific country (e.g., "United States", "Germany").

4

Search by title

Type in the search bar at the top to find campaigns by title. Press Enter or click "Search". The search combines with your active category and region filters.

5

Browse campaign cards

Each campaign card shows: a hero image (or category placeholder), the campaign title, student info (first name, last initial, grade, city), a progress bar, amount raised, percentage of goal, and the sponsor name if applicable.

6

Click to view details

Click any campaign card to open the full campaign detail page.

5

Understanding a Campaign Page

1

Hero image and badges

At the top you will see the campaign hero image (or a colored placeholder with a category emoji). Below it are badges showing the category (e.g., "STEM"), the organization name, and the creator. For charity-backed campaigns, a green "Tax-Exempt via [Charity Name]" badge also appears, linking to the charity's profile page.

2

Student information

A card shows the student's first name, last initial (for privacy), grade band (e.g., "K-2", "9-12", "University"), and general city/region. Full identifying details are never shown.

3

The story

The main content area describes what the student needs and why. This is written by the campaign creator (teacher or parent) and reviewed by our moderation team before publishing.

4

Progress and stats

The sidebar shows: total amount raised, goal amount, percentage funded, number of donors, and days remaining. A progress bar visually tracks funding.

5

Donor wall and updates

Below the story, you can see the most recent 15 supporters (with amounts and timing), and any campaign updates posted by the creator. The "Similar Campaigns" section at the bottom suggests related campaigns.

6

Making a Donation

1

Click the donate button

On the campaign detail page, find the "Donate Now" button in the right sidebar. Click it to start the donation process.

2

Enter your donation amount

Choose a preset amount or type a custom one. The minimum donation is $1 and maximum is $1,000,000.

FieldTypeExpected InputReq.
AmountNumberDollar amount (min $1). Stored internally in cents.Yes
Donor NameTextYour name as shown on the donor wall. Leave blank for anonymous.No
EmailEmailFor your donation receipt. We will not share this publicly.No
Tip: You can donate anonymously by leaving the name field empty. Your email is only used to send the receipt.
3

Complete payment via Stripe

You will be redirected to Stripe's secure checkout page. Enter your card details and confirm payment. KidStarter never sees or stores your card number.

4

Receive your receipt

After a successful payment, you are redirected to a success page showing your receipt token (a unique code like "abc123def"). Save this token! You can use it to look up your receipt at any time. For donations to charity-backed campaigns, your receipt will show a "Tax-Exempt Donation" badge along with the charity's name and tax ID, which you can use for tax deduction claims.

Tip: If you provided an email, the receipt details are also sent to your inbox. Tax-exempt receipts include the charity's tax registration number.
7

Finding Your Receipt

1

Go to Receipt Lookup

Navigate to "Donors" in the top menu and click "Receipt Lookup", or go directly to kidstarter.online/receipt.

2

Enter your receipt token or email

Type the receipt token you received after donating, or the email address you used. Click "Look Up" to find your receipt.

3

View your receipt

The receipt shows: donation amount, date, campaign title, and your unique receipt token. For tax-exempt donations (those made to charity-backed campaigns), the receipt additionally displays the charity name, tax ID, and a "Tax-Exempt Donation" badge. You can print this page or save it for your tax records.

8

Tax Center

1

Navigate to the Tax Center

Go to "Donors" in the top menu and click "Tax Center", or visit kidstarter.online/tax-center.

2

Review tax information

The Tax Center provides information about tax deductibility of your donations by country, including FAQs about what documentation you need and how to claim deductions. It also explains charity-backed campaigns — how verified charities enable tax-exempt receipts and how to use your receipt for tax claims.

9

Viewing Donation History

1

Log in and navigate to My Donations

You must be logged in. Go to "Donors" in the top menu and click "My Donations", or navigate to kidstarter.online/dashboard/donations.

2

View your stats and history

At the top you will see summary stats: Total Donated, number of Donations, and Campaigns Supported. Below is a table of all your donations with date, campaign name (linked), amount, and a "View Receipt" button for each.

10

Sharing a Campaign

1

Find the share section

On any campaign detail page, scroll down to the "Help spread the word" section below the story.

2

Use the share buttons

Click any share button to share the campaign: WhatsApp, Email, X/Twitter, LinkedIn, or Facebook. Each opens the respective platform with the campaign link pre-filled.

3

Download the Share Kit

Click "Download Share Kit (ZIP)" to get a package of pre-made images: a square image (1080x1080 for social posts), a story image (1080x1920 for Instagram/WhatsApp stories), and a QR code for print materials.

Tip: Sharing a campaign is one of the most impactful things you can do. One share can lead to 5+ additional donations.
11

Getting Help

1

Use the Help Panel

Click the "?" button in the bottom-right corner of any page to open the Help Panel. It contains searchable reference cards covering every feature on the platform, organized by section: Getting Started, Campaigns, Donations, Organizations, Admin tools, and more.

Tip: The Help Panel auto-detects which page you are on and highlights the most relevant help entry.
2

Chat with the KidStarter Assistant

Click the green chat bubble in the bottom-right corner to open the KidStarter Assistant, an AI-powered chatbot that can answer questions about campaigns, donations, and how the platform works. Type your question and press Enter or click "Send".

Tip: The assistant is AI-powered and answers may not always be perfectly accurate. For account-specific issues, contact support directly.
3

Browse the guides

Visit kidstarter.online/guides to see all available guides for every role. You can read them online or download as PDF. Use the search bar to find specific topics across all guides.

KidStarter · Small Donations, Big Futureskidstarter.online

help.title

Getting Started
Sign Up↗ /registerFull Guide (PDF)
Create an account at /register. Choose your role: Donor (support students), Teacher (create campaigns for students), Parent/Guardian (create campaigns for your child), Corporate Sponsor (sponsor schools and campaigns), or Charity (collect tax-exempt donations). Your role determines which dashboard features you see.
💡 Tip: Use your school email address if you have one — it speeds up organization verification later.
Onboarding Wizard↗ /onboarding
After registration, the onboarding wizard walks you through 4 steps: select your role, link your school/organization, choose a plan (Free, Teacher, or School), and confirm. You can skip and return later.
📝 Example: A teacher at Lincoln Elementary would: 1) Select "Teacher", 2) Search "Lincoln Elementary" in the org directory, 3) Choose the Free plan, 4) Confirm and land on their Creator Dashboard.
Plans & Pricing↗ /pricing
KidStarter offers three plans: Free (1 campaign, basic features), Teacher Starter ($5/mo — up to 10 campaigns, share kit, priority review), and School Plan ($20/mo — multi-teacher, school dashboard, bulk tools). All plans include Stripe payments and donation receipts (tax-exempt receipts for charity-backed campaigns).
📈 Benchmark: Similar platforms charge 5–8% platform fees. KidStarter charges 0% platform fee — only Stripe's standard 2.9% + $0.30 processing fee applies.
Language Switcher
KidStarter supports 8 languages: English, Portuguese, Spanish, Hungarian, French, German, Slovak, and Czech. Click the flag icon in the top navigation bar to switch. Your preference is saved in a cookie and persists across sessions.
💡 Tip: The language auto-detects from your browser settings on first visit. Override it anytime with the flag switcher.
Campaigns
Creating a Campaign↗ /dashboard/creatorFull Guide (PDF)
Navigate to your Creator Dashboard (/dashboard/creator) and click "Create Campaign". Fill in: student first name + last initial, their story, funding goal, category (STEM, Arts, Sports, Tuition, Supplies, General), and optionally upload a hero image.
📊 Impact: New campaigns enter DRAFT status. They become publicly visible only after passing moderation review (PENDING_REVIEW → APPROVED). Rejected campaigns can be edited and resubmitted.
⚠ Watch Out: Never include a student's full name, address, or other PII in the campaign story. Our moderation team will reject campaigns with identifying information.
Campaign Status Flow
Every campaign moves through a lifecycle: DRAFT (created, not submitted) → PENDING_REVIEW (submitted, awaiting moderator) → APPROVED (live, accepting donations) → FUNDED (goal reached) → COMPLETED (funds disbursed). Campaigns can also be REJECTED (with reason) or PAUSED (temporarily hidden).
📝 Example: Maria's campaign was created on Monday (DRAFT), submitted Tuesday morning (PENDING_REVIEW), approved Tuesday afternoon (APPROVED), reached its $500 goal by Friday (FUNDED), and funds were disbursed the following week (COMPLETED).
Campaign Verification
Every campaign must be verified before going live. Upload evidence of school affiliation: enrollment letter, school ID, teacher badge, or guardian consent form. These documents are reviewed privately by the moderation team and never shown publicly.
📈 Benchmark: GoFundMe has no verification for education campaigns. DonorsChoose requires teacher accounts only. KidStarter verifies both the creator AND the student's school enrollment.
💡 Tip: Campaigns with clear, scanned documents get approved faster than blurry phone photos.
Share Kit
Each approved campaign gets a Share Kit: pre-generated images (square for social, story for Instagram/WhatsApp, QR code for print), one-click share buttons (WhatsApp, Email, X, LinkedIn, Facebook), and a copyable campaign link. The post-donation share prompt is your highest-converting tool.
📊 Impact: Campaigns that are actively shared raise 3–5x more than those that aren't. Each share can generate 2–5 additional donations on average.
💡 Tip: Share within the first 48 hours of approval for maximum momentum. Post the QR code in your school's physical spaces.
Campaign Updates
Post updates to your campaign with text and photos showing the impact of donations. Updates appear on the campaign page and notify past donors. Go to your campaign page → "Post Update" section.
💡 Tip: Post an update with a photo within 1 week of receiving funds. Donors who see impact updates are 4x more likely to donate again.
Donations
Making a DonationFull Guide (PDF)
Click "Donate Now" on any campaign. Choose a preset amount or enter a custom one (minimum $1). Enter your name (optional — leave blank for anonymous) and email (for receipt). You're redirected to Stripe's secure checkout page.
💡 Tip: You don't need an account to donate. But creating one lets you track your donation history and get tax center access.
Donation Receipt↗ /receipt
After donating, you receive a receipt token (e.g. "abc123def"). Save this! You can look up your receipt anytime at Donors → Receipt Lookup (/receipt). The receipt shows: amount, date, campaign, and a unique token. For charity-backed campaigns, the receipt also displays the charity name, tax ID, and a "Tax-Exempt Donation" badge.
Tax Center↗ /tax-center
The Tax Center (/tax-center) provides information about tax deductibility of donations, including FAQs about charity-backed campaigns, tax-exempt receipts, and how to use your receipt for tax claims. Donations to charity-backed campaigns generate tax-exempt receipts with the charity's name and tax registration number.
⚠ Watch Out: KidStarter provides general tax information only. We are not tax advisors. Consult a qualified professional for your specific situation.
Organizations
Organization Directory↗ /organizations
The public directory (/organizations) lists all registered schools, nonprofits, and corporate partners. Each org shows: name, type, country, verification status, member count, and active campaigns. Users can search, filter by country, and claim membership.
Claiming an Organization
If your school or org is already in the directory, click "Claim" on its page. You'll need to verify via your institutional email address (e.g. name@lincoln-elementary.edu). Once verified, you're linked to the org and can create campaigns under it.
📝 Example: Ms. Chen searches "Lincoln Elementary", finds it in the directory, clicks Claim, enters her school email, receives a verification code, and is now linked as a member.
Admin — Discovery & Enrichment
Discovery Console↗ /dashboard/admin/discovery
The Discovery Console (/dashboard/admin/discovery) is the admin tool for finding, scraping, and enriching organization data. Access it from the Admin Dashboard → "🔍 Discovery Console" button. It shows all organizations in a table with enrichment status.
Seed Organizations
Click "Seed Organizations" to populate the directory with sample schools and partners. This creates org entries with names, types, countries, and website URLs. Useful for initial setup or demo purposes. You can also add orgs manually via /organizations or the API.
💡 Tip: For production, import real school data via CSV or the API at POST /api/organizations instead of using the seed function.
Web Scraper / Enrichment
The enrichment engine scrapes an organization's website and extracts structured data. Click "Enrich" next to any org with a website URL. The scraper fetches the page HTML (15-second timeout) and extracts: meta description, org-level contact emails (info@, contact@, admin@ — never personal emails), social links (LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook), and page title.
📊 Impact: Enriched organizations have more complete profiles, which builds trust with donors and helps campaigns get more visibility. Orgs with descriptions and social links get 2x more campaign views.
📝 Example: Enriching "Lincoln Elementary" (website: lincoln-elementary.edu) extracts: description from meta tag, contact@lincoln-elementary.edu from page text, LinkedIn URL from footer links, and "Lincoln Elementary School — Excellence in Education" as page title.
⚠ Watch Out: The scraper respects a 15-second timeout. If a site is slow, blocks bots, or uses heavy JavaScript rendering, the scrape may fail. Retry later or add data manually.
Enrichment Fields & Confidence
Each extracted field has a confidence score (0.0–1.0). Scores reflect extraction reliability: meta descriptions score 0.8 (reliable), emails score 0.7 (need human review), social links score 0.9 (URL pattern matching is accurate), page titles score 0.6 (may include site navigation text).
💡 Tip: Always review extracted emails before approving. Verify they belong to the actual organization, not an ad network or third-party service on the page.
Approving Enriched Fields
After scraping, review extracted fields inline. Click "Approve" to push a field to the org's public profile (description, contact email, social links). Click "Reject" to discard. Approved fields immediately update the organization's listing in the public directory.
📊 Impact: Approving a description field makes the org more discoverable in search. Approving contact emails enables the platform to send verification and notification emails to the organization.
Verifying Organizations
After enrichment, change an org's status to "Approved" to make it visible in the public directory. Unverified orgs are hidden from public view but still accessible by direct URL. Verification confirms the org is a real, legitimate institution.
📝 Example: Workflow: 1) Seed/import org with website → 2) Click Enrich → 3) Review and approve fields → 4) Change status to Approved → Org appears in public directory.
Admin — Moderation
Moderation Queue↗ /dashboard/modFull Guide (PDF)
The moderation queue (/dashboard/mod) shows all campaigns with PENDING_REVIEW status. Moderators and Platform Admins review each campaign's story, student info, evidence documents, and funding goal before approving or rejecting.
Reviewing a Campaign
Click a campaign in the queue to see full details: student first name + last initial, story text, category, goal amount, hero image, and uploaded verification evidence. Check for: specific and verifiable need, appropriate goal amount, valid school affiliation, no PII exposed.
⚠ Watch Out: Red flags: vague or generic stories, unusually high goal amounts (>$5,000 for individual students), no school affiliation, duplicate content from other campaigns, or requests for cash rather than specific items/services.
Approve / Reject / Pause
Approve makes the campaign live and publicly visible. Reject returns it to the creator with a reason code — they can edit and resubmit. Pause temporarily hides an approved campaign (preserving data) if issues arise post-approval. All actions are logged in the audit trail.
💡 Tip: When rejecting, select a specific reason code. "Insufficient evidence" is more helpful than "Rejected" — it tells the creator exactly what to fix.
Admin — Analytics
Admin Dashboard↗ /dashboard/adminFull Guide (PDF)
The Admin Dashboard (/dashboard/admin) shows platform-wide metrics: total raised, total donations, active campaigns, pending reviews, total users, and a 7-day donation chart. Quick actions: Discovery Console, Guides, and Finance CSV Export.
Finance CSV Export
Click "📊 Export Finance CSV" on the Admin Dashboard to download a CSV of all donations with: date, amount, donor email, campaign, status, Stripe payment ID. Useful for accounting, reconciliation, and tax reporting.
⚠ Watch Out: The export contains donor emails (PII). Handle in accordance with GDPR and your data protection policy. Do not share publicly.
Corporate Sponsorship
Sponsor Program↗ /dashboard/sponsorFull Guide (PDF)
Corporate sponsors create programs with a budget, target regions, and categories. Programs can be: Direct Sponsorship (fund specific campaigns), School Adoption (pledge to a school), or Matching (match community donations). Managed at /dashboard/sponsor.
Adopt-a-School↗ /dashboard/sponsor/adopt
From /dashboard/sponsor/adopt, a corporate sponsor selects a school from the org directory and pledges a funding amount. This creates a SchoolAdoption record. The sponsor can then allocate funds to specific campaigns at that school, track spending vs budget, and export impact reports.
📝 Example: TechCorp adopts Lincoln Elementary with a $10,000 annual budget. They allocate $2,500 to "Laptops for CS Lab", $1,500 to "Art Supplies Room 204", and keep $6,000 for future campaigns. The Sponsor Dashboard shows 40% allocated, 60% remaining.
Vendor Partners
Vendor Portal↗ /dashboard/vendor
Vendor partners (meal providers, school supply companies) manage their offers at /dashboard/vendor. They create voucher codes that students can redeem at participating locations. Vouchers are funded from campaign budgets.
Meal Vouchers
Meal vouchers are codes (e.g. "LUNCH-A3F2") redeemable at vendor locations for student meals. Created by vendors, funded from campaign budgets, distributed to students. Each voucher has: amount, expiry date, student assignment, and redemption status.
📝 Example: A campaign raises $200 for student meals. The creator purchases 40 × $5 meal vouchers from FoodPartner. Each student receives a code they show at the cafeteria. The vendor marks codes as redeemed, and the dashboard shows redemption rates.
Platform Settings
Trust & Safety↗ /trust-safety
KidStarter's trust and safety page (/trust-safety) explains: campaign verification process, PII protection, payment security (Stripe PCI-DSS), content moderation, and reporting mechanisms. Every campaign shows a "Verified" badge after passing review.
User Roles
Platform roles: DONOR (browse, donate), CREATOR_TEACHER (create campaigns, post updates), CREATOR_GUARDIAN (create campaigns for their child), ORG_SCHOOL_ADMIN (manage school-wide campaigns), CORPORATE_ADMIN (manage sponsor programs), CHARITY_ADMIN (manage charity, enable tax-exempt receipts), MODERATOR (review campaigns), PLATFORM_ADMIN (full access), FINANCE_OPS (financial exports and reporting). Roles are assigned during registration or by admins.
💡 Tip: Users can have only one role. To change a user's role, a Platform Admin must update it from the Admin Dashboard user management section.