How can I tell my personal story to encourage my friends?
A compelling personal page attracts and engages supporters. While you can also spread the word using customized e-mail solicitations, your personal campaign page can be your own creative expression of your commitment to the cause. Customize your page by selecting the layout and style that work best for you. Utilize the elements of text, photo, status indicators that are available to you to maximum advantage. Each layout comes with its own arrangement of these elements. That is why it is important that you select the one that works best for you.
The basic steps:
First select the Personal Page icon or link in the Participant Center.
On the Edit Personal Page screen (where you are now):
Choose a Style using the drop-down menu provided.
Choose a Layout using the drop-down menu adjacent to the Style menu. Press Choose.
Enter Text in the selected layout.
Select a Status Indicator (unless it is pre-selected for you)
Press Publish
When you choose a style, you are selecting the font size, the font type, font color, paragraph format that go with that style.
When you choose a layout, you are selecting an arrangement of text and pictures that comes with that format.
A layout may also be described as a template. It is an arrangement of photo and text components on a web page. A layout also comes with the option to display status indicators. Status indicators are graphics or charts that are useful for displaying progress. In this case, a graph or an image, a thermometer, for example, is used to visually represent how you are doing in your fund drive. They visually demonstrate your progress to all visitors - an excellent incentive for others to get involved!
Note that you can preview both layout and style simply by clicking on the Preview button on the left.
Once you have selected a layout, (see above) there are three pieces that you can place within that format:
A Status Indicator that you select
Text that you type in.
To upload and insert an image:
Use the Photo Cell
Click the Browse button in the Photo 'cell' or section, then in the File Upload window that displays, select the photo you wish to place in that piece of the layout. Click Open.
The path to the file on your local machine/PC will display in the Browse text box. Also, the selected photo will show up in the cell.
Note that you can only upload a photo in .gif or .jpeg format. So make sure that you have saved any photo that you wish to use in one of these formats.
How can I clear the photo I just uploaded and replace it with another photo?
Simply click on the Browse button and select the photo you wish to place in that area and click Open to select in the File Upload dialog. The new photo will replace the one that was previously in that spot. You do not need to empty the cell to replace the photo with another one!
To enter Headline and Text in a cell
Ask yourself the following questions before you start entering the body of your text in the paragraph areas on this page. Note that you can segment sections of your page with eye-catching headlines or title text. Also, upload .jpg photos that you have already prepared on your machine and position them within the page layout. These will be automatically sized to a 400X600 pixel size.
Compose content - what is it you wish to enter as a message to supporters on this page? Remember, this is where they will come to learn about your cause and the courage of your conviction. Make it powerful and sincere.
Approve aesthetics - where should the main and most meaningful paragraph be placed? How long should your paragraph be? Which photo should you display next to it, to best illustrate its content?
Decide what you wish to enter as a message to supporters on this page.
Finalize formats - where should the main and most meaningful paragraph be placed?
Then get down to the business of actually entering your text and headlines:
In one of the Headline and Text boxes, position your mouse in the Headline area and click in the Headline space, then type in the Headline you want for the text you are about to type in.
Then, position your mouse in the 'cell' for the text itself. Enter the body text for that paragraph. Click in the text area and type in the contents of that paragraph. Revise, refine, and review the text till you are satisfied with it. Repeat this process with each one of the paragraphs you can add to this page within the given layout.
As you create your page, you could click on the Preview button to look at the page in the stage that it is currently at.
If you are satisfied with your page the way it looks, press Save.
You can get rid of the contents of this page and start all over again any time you want. Press Reset to return the page layout to its standard format - they way it looked before you started. To remove all the text in a Headline and Text area at one go, in the Headline and Text cell that contains the text you wish to remove, press Clear to delete the text you enter. Of course, to fine tune your text, you can edit the text in the cell as you normally would.
Select a Status Indicator to display on your page.
What is a Status Indicator? A Status Indicator is a graphic or a chart used to represent fundraising progress.
In the layout of your page, in a Status Indicator cell, use the drop-down menu provided to select the status indicator you wish to display on your page.
Displaying Status Indicators on the Greeting Page is good strategy for attracting participants and donors. The visual representation of the TeamRaiser's progress acts as an incentive for active involvement. The status indicators may not be modifiable by you. What you see on the screen is probably determined by the organization running the TeamRaiser.
Remember to use the Preview button at the top of the page and at the bottom of the page to see how the page will appear to supporters and potential participants when they access it. Of course, depending on the layout you chose, the image components, the greeting, and the status indicators will be arranged and aligned differently.
Preview your Page
As you create your page, you could click on the Preview button to look at the page the way it looks currently. You can preview a page as often as you like while it is under development.
Save the Page
If you are satisfied with your page the way it looks, press Save.
Can I remove the contents of this page and start over?
You can get rid of the contents of this page and start all over again any time you want. Press Reset to return the page layout to its standard format - they way it looked before you started. To remove all the text in a Headline and Text area at one go, in the Headline and Text cell that contains the text you wish to remove, press Clear to delete the text you enter. Of course, to revise and reword your text, you can edit the text in the cell as you normally would.