Goodworld provides flexible controls for managing when campaigns are open to donors and employees, while still allowing admins to maintain data integrity and operational access. Campaign status is governed by two related—but distinct—mechanisms:
Enabled / Disabled status
Open and Close Dates
Understanding how these work together helps ensure campaigns behave as expected across front-end and back-end experiences.
Key Concepts at a Glance
Enabled vs. Disabled
Enabled campaigns allow new pledges and transactions from front-end users.
Disabled campaigns are closed to new pledges from all front-end users, regardless of role or affiliation.
Open / Close Dates
Open and close dates define when a campaign is available.
Updating a close date can automatically reopen a campaign if the new date is in the future.
What Happens When a Campaign Is Disabled
Disabling a campaign immediately affects who can take action and where.
Front-End Behavior (Donors & Employees)
When a campaign is disabled:
No new pledges can be submitted by donors or employees.
This restriction applies universally—there are no exceptions for company roster employees.
Users attempting to pledge will see a “Campaign is closed” button and cannot proceed.
Recurring Donations (Exception)
Existing recurring donations continue to process automatically, even when a campaign is disabled.
This ensures donor commitments are honored without interruption.
Back-End Access for Disabled Campaigns
While front-end access is restricted, back-end access depends on role-based permissions.
Admin & Manager Access
Platform Admins and users with appropriate permissions (e.g., Campaign Managers) can:
View existing pledges
Edit existing transactions
Add new transactions manually via Transactions → Create New
Donors cannot edit their own pledges once a campaign is disabled.
Role-Based Permissions
Access to manage disabled campaigns depends on permissions such as:
Transaction – View
Transaction – Update
Campaign management permissions
Custom roles may or may not retain access depending on how these permissions are configured.
Open & Close Date Logic
Campaign open and close dates work in tandem with enabled status.
Setting a Close Date
When a campaign reaches its close date, it becomes closed to front-end users.
This functions similarly to disabling a campaign for donors and employees.
Reopening a Campaign by Updating the Close Date
If an admin updates a campaign’s close date to a future date:
The campaign should automatically flip back to an enabled state.
The campaign remains open until the new close date is reached.
No need to manually remove or clear the original close date.
This behavior aligns campaign status with admin intent and reduces manual steps.
Common Scenarios Explained
Scenario 1: Campaign Disabled Mid-Cycle
Donors and employees cannot submit new pledges.
Existing recurring donations continue.
Admins can still manage transactions in the back end.
Scenario 2: Admin Needs to Add a Late Pledge
Admin navigates to Transactions → Create New.
Transaction can be entered manually if permissions allow.
Scenario 3: Campaign Reopened After Being Closed
Admin updates the close date to a future date.
Campaign automatically re-enables.
Front-end users regain access until the new close date.
Data Integrity & System Consistency
In some cases, campaigns may appear enabled despite having passed their close date. When this occurs:
A backend script may be required to realign campaign status with intended behavior.
This ensures consistency between system state and user experience.
Goodworld’s campaign controls are designed to balance flexibility with data integrity. Disabling a campaign reliably prevents new front-end pledges while preserving admin access and recurring donations. Open and close dates further automate campaign availability, allowing campaigns to reopen seamlessly when dates are updated.
By understanding how enabled status, close dates, and role-based permissions work together, admins can confidently manage campaign lifecycles without disrupting donors or internal workflows.
If you have questions about Enabled vs. Disabled Campaigns, schedule a support call with our success team.