End-to-end overview
How it works
From your first school request through the day we hand off your program’s share, here is the full path for Heart & Hustle Fundraising campaigns in Illinois school programs.
Request a fundraiser
The Organizer (coach, sponsor, or lead fundraising contact) submits one intake form for the school program.
Usually the Head Organizer or fundraising contact completes the form with school and district details. Their email is the one Heart & Hustle ties to the HH campaign setup code. School administration typically signs required Illinois paperwork when Heart & Hustle sends it—not necessarily the person who submitted this form.
Compliance & Illinois paperwork
We review every request and complete required steps before any campaign goes live.
Heart & Hustle follows Illinois-oriented compliance practices. Required paperwork is sent, collected, and verified. Requests remain pending until this step is satisfied.
Approval & campaign setup code
Approved programs receive a one-time HH campaign setup code tied to the Organizer’s email.
Heart & Hustle emails the code to the Organizer (or your team’s designated contact). That code is only for creating the campaign on the website—not for participants joining in the app.
Organizer activates & builds the campaign
The Organizer opens Organizer login, enters their email and code, creates a password, then completes fundraiser details.
On the website they use Organizer login → Start with my code: same email the code was assigned to, the HH code, then a password they’ll use on return visits. After that they enter school and team info, goals, dates, and optional logos. When the campaign is active, the platform assigns a 7-character team join code for participants (plus an optional legacy web link for bookmarks).
Participants join & share
Participants join in the mobile app with the 7-character team code from their Organizer.
Each participant gets a personal donation link. Contacts and reminder texting use the same participant model whether someone uses the mobile app or the web—one record per person per campaign.
Donations & tracking
Supporters donate through secure checkout; progress is visible to Organizers and participants.
Donations are processed through Stripe. The campaign dashboard shows raised amounts and activity so the team can see momentum through the end date.
Campaign closes
When the scheduled end date passes, fundraising for that campaign is complete.
Final totals are available in the Organizer dashboard. Under the Terms of service (Fundraising Services Agreement), 90% of funds raised is allocated to the organization and 10% is retained by Heart & Hustle as its service fee; card processing is the Company’s responsibility from its 10% share and does not reduce the program’s 90%.
Payout to your program
Heart & Hustle initiates disbursement of the program’s share after Stripe-cleared funds are available.
Subject to a W-9 and executed agreement on file, Company initiates disbursement of the organization’s share within three (3) business days after applicable funds have cleared through Stripe’s payment processing (settled and available for payout), in the manner described in the Terms of service — including bank timing, verification, and chargeback holds. See Terms of service (Section 7) for the full payout terms.
Ready to begin?
Schools start with a request. Approved Organizers use Organizer login with their emailed code the first time, then email and password after that.