Fundraising & Donations

October 1, 2025 · Last updated on March 14, 2026

Recipe: Pay-It-Forward Program

# Fundraising

# Recipes for success

Makes: An opportunity for customers to donate and help provide free tickets for community members

Free and subsidized ticket programs allow members of your community to access the arts when they might not otherwise be able to. With this recipe, you’ll prompt customers to contribute to a Pay-It-Forward fund at the point of booking, helping you raise money in a seamless and scalable way.

By integrating the ask directly into the purchase path, you create an easy and effective way for customers to support your mission.

What you need

A Restricted Fund set up in Spektrix

Financial Account Codes for reconciliation

Access to the Insights & Mailings interface

Optional: Dotdigital for automated thank you emails

Time required

Prep: 15 minutes Cook: 20 minutes Ongoing Maintenance: Low

What will this help me achieve?

Make it easy for customers to support inclusive ticketing through donations

Track and report on contributions to the Pay-It-Forward fund

Identify supporters and engage them in ongoing fundraising efforts

Concepts we’ll be using

Restricted Fund: A dedicated fund for collecting donations toward a specific purpose

Financial Account Codes: Used to support internal reconciliation and reporting

Customer Criteria and Event Criteria: Define when and for whom the donation ask appears

Dotdigital Follow-up (optional): Send automated thank-you emails to recent donors

Prep

Build your Fund

In Spektrix, create a new Fund titled something like “Pay It Forward.”

Add a short description explaining the purpose and impact of the program.

Assign any required Account Codes to support reconciliation.

Choose Event Criteria — this could include all ticket sales or specific events.

Set the Customer Criteria — apply to everyone or target specific segments.

Set a Suggested Donation Amount, ideally based on the average ticket price.

You could scale the ask based on basket size for higher average gifts.

Prepare Your Reporting

Schedule a daily report to track donations:

Go to Insights & Mailings > Report Schedules

Add the Donations Report

Use the “by Accounting Date” criteria and select “Yesterday"

Activate

In the Fund setup, check “Display on Web.”

Brief your Box Office and Sales team so they’re prepared for in-person donation asks.

The fund will now automatically prompt customers to donate at checkout.

Try this twist

Create a follow-up fund for returning donors.

Use an Autotag to identify customers who have already donated to Pay It Forward

Create a second fund with this tag set as the Customer Criteria

Customize the copy to thank them for their support and invite them to give again

This approach helps deepen relationships while making the ask feel personal and appreciative.

More to explore

↗️ Introduction to Locks Learn what locks (set asides or holds) are, how they work in Spektrix, and how they can be used to reserve seats for access, press, agents, or special segments.

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