Fundraising for schools
and universities

Give parents, alumni and staff a reason to walk: a monthly gift that goes to your school on every day they hit their steps. We set it up with your team.

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Set up with you, then nothing for your team to run. For adults: parents, alumni and staff walk, on iMessage or WhatsApp. Free for schools, with an optional donor tip.
Steps ›
Tuesday 8:05 PM
NORTHFIELD
Hi! This is Steps, for the Alumni Walk with Northfield University. Every day you walk can give to them. Want to know how it works? Reply STOP any time.
yes, how does it work?
You pick a daily step goal and a monthly gift, like $30. Every day you hit your goal, $1 goes to Northfield University. Miss a day, and nothing is given for it.
I graduated years ago and live abroad. can I join?
Yes. You can walk from anywhere, and every day you hit your goal gives to Northfield University.
What daily step goal feels right? Near what you walk now is a good start.
7000, I think
Every day you hit 7,000 steps, $1 goes to Northfield University. Set up your monthly gift here: steps.org/nf2x8r
Delivered
iMessage●

Example: someone who saw the alumni newsletter texts NORTHFIELD to Steps.

Alumni care. They just rarely hear from you.

“Alumni participation keeps slipping.”

A monthly gift is an easy yes. Alumni text one word, choose what fits, and give to the fund they care about on every day they walk, without a phone call or a form.

“Young alumni are carrying crushing debt.”

They choose the amount, and a missed day costs nothing. Young alumni can give a little, walk every day, and climb your leaderboard with their class.

“We can't get enough volunteers.”

A year-round walkathon needs no track day, no volunteers and no T-shirts. We set it up with you once, and families and alumni walk on their own time, all year.

A walkathon that runs all year

I've built fundraising products and advised nonprofits on keeping supporters close. The parents and alumni who care most are often the ones you can't reach, so Steps gives them a daily reason to walk for your school, from wherever they live.

Line-art portrait of Tiago— Tiago, father of four in Porto

Example · Today 8:00 AM
Morning, Sam. Today's mission: 7,400 steps.
Today 6:40 PM
Mission accomplished: 7,612 steps. $1 to Northfield University.
How does it feel? And one more reason to keep going?
Tired, but I did it. The stairs at work count.

A mission a day, and a gift when it's done

Each morning, every walker gets a mission set from their own last few days. When they hit it, $1 of their monthly gift goes to your school, and Steps asks how it felt.

Three steps to your school walk

  1. Tell us about your school and the fund or giving day you're raising for.
  2. We build the walk with you, with your name, your colors, your join word and your Stripe account.
  3. Share the join word in the parent newsletter, the alumni email and at reunions. They give and walk.

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Free for nonprofits: how Steps is paid for →

Every family and class on the same leaderboard

Parents, alumni in other cities and staff walk on their own time and see where their class stands. Every day they walk is a gift to your school, month after month, with no new ask.

Examples of walks a campaign could run. We design yours with you.

Giving daySign up in the spring, walk all year
ScholarshipsA dollar a day for the scholarship fund
ReunionThe class of 2016 on the leaderboard
Athletics7,000 steps a day for the new track
ParentsFamilies walk for the new playground
StaffTeachers walk for the library

Questions, answered

Can alumni who live far away take part?+

Yes. A year-round walkathon works wherever people are, as long as they have iMessage or WhatsApp. Alumni in other cities, parents and staff can all walk for the same fund and see the same leaderboard.

How does a year-round walkathon work?+

A supporter sets up a monthly gift, like $30. For every day they hit their daily step goal, $1 goes to your cause. A missed day gives nothing, and they are charged once a month for the days they walked, up to their monthly gift. The more days they walk, the more your cause receives, up to their monthly gift.

How do supporters join?+

Every campaign gets its own join word. Supporters text it to the Steps phone number, or tap your link or scan your QR code, which opens iMessage or WhatsApp with the word already typed. Then they set their daily steps and their monthly gift. One Steps number serves every campaign, so the join word is how Steps knows it's yours.

Can our cause have a leaderboard?+

Yes. Each campaign can have its own leaderboard of days walked, on your campaign page and in the monthly message walkers get. Walkers are only on it if they choose to join, under a name they pick, and they can leave any time.

Where does the money go?+

Straight to your own Stripe account. Steps connects to it when we set up your campaign, and every gift is paid straight to you, so Steps never holds your money. Stripe sends each donor a receipt, and tax receipts stay with you, for the amount actually given.

What does Steps cost?+

Nothing for your nonprofit. When supporters give, they can add an optional tip to Steps, and those tips are how Steps is paid for. Stripe's usual card fees apply to gifts, as they would on any donation page.

All questions, answered →

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Give every family and alum a reason to walk for your school.

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