HungerRush supports two ways for your restaurant to contribute to a charitable cause: fundraisers and donations. Both are easy to set up, but they work differently — and knowing which to use will save you time and keep your reporting accurate.
At a glance
Fundraiser — Best for planned campaigns
Pledge a percentage of sales over a set period to a specific organization, like a local school or sports team. Staff add a fundraiser item to qualifying orders, and you track totals with the Fundraiser Sales Report.
Donation — Best for ongoing giving
Let customers contribute to a charity at checkout on the customer-facing display (CFD). Customers can round up their total to the nearest dollar or enter a custom donation amount — no staff action needed.
Detailed comparison
| Fundraiser | Donation | |
|---|---|---|
| How it works | A staff member adds a fundraiser menu item to each qualifying order during the campaign window. | At checkout on the CFD, customers are prompted to donate. They can round up their total or enter a custom amount. The donation flows through as a line item. |
| Who initiates it | Your cashier, for every qualifying order | The customer, at their own discretion |
| Where it works | In-store POS | Customer-facing display (CFD) |
| Giving structure | You calculate and fulfill the pledge separately after the campaign ends | Customer gives the round-up amount or a custom dollar value — no calculation needed |
| Reporting | Fundraiser Sales Report (Reports → Sales → Other → Fundraiser) | Standard sales reports — use a dedicated report group to separate donations |
| Surcharges | Fundraiser items are not excluded from surcharges. Because fundraiser items are typically priced at $0.00, surcharges do not apply in practice. | Donation amounts are excluded from surcharge calculations. |
| Setup | Menu editor | Menu editor |
Which should I use?
Choose Fundraiser if you...
- Have a formal relationship with an organization (school, charity, community group)
- Want to give based on a specific date range or event
- Need a clear audit trail of participating orders to calculate your final pledge
- Are running the program at your physical POS terminal
Choose Donation if you...
- Want an ongoing, low-effort giving option that runs in the background
- Use a customer-facing display at checkout
- Want to support both round-up and custom donation amounts
- Want donation amounts automatically excluded from surcharge calculations
- Support multiple charities and want customers to choose at the point of purchase
Reporting tip: For both features, amounts are included in your total sales by default. Set up a dedicated report category and report group for your giving items so you can easily calculate your true net sales.
Questions about setting up fundraisers or donations? Contact HungerRush Support — we're happy to help.
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