Introduction
Once your charity profile is in place, your project profile becomes part of the experience that helps donors connect with a specific need. This is where you move from describing your organization broadly to explaining one concrete initiative, what is at risk, who is affected, and why support matters now. A strong project profile combines clarity, structure, and emotional credibility so donors can quickly understand the opportunity to help.
Why your project profile matters
Your charity profile introduces the organization. Your project profile gives donors a reason to act. It is the place where your need becomes tangible, your impact becomes specific, and your story becomes easier to support. The strongest project profiles feel focused, real, and complete. They do not just explain what funding is missing. They show what that loss means for people and communities.
What a strong project profile should communicate
Specific need
The project should clearly explain which program, initiative, or service is affected.
Human impact
Donors should quickly understand who is affected, how they are affected, and why that matters.
Credible case for support
The profile should show why this project matters now, supported by clear impact details, strong images, and relevant categories.
Understanding the character bar
The color-coded character bar helps you judge whether your content is likely to display well and remain easy to scan.
Blue means you are below the recommended range
Green means you are within the recommended range
Yellow means you are above the recommended range, which is still allowed, but may affect display
Different project fields have different length expectations. Overviews tend to be shorter, while impact fields allow more detail.
Overview
The Overview page is the first page in project setup and the main place to enter the project’s core details. It includes the project name, region served, Project Overview field, and impact fields.
Use this page to clearly define the project before moving on to budget, contact information, images, and categories. The Project Overview field explains the project itself, while the impact fields explain what changed because of the funding gap and what may happen next.
Project title and region served
The project name and region served fields help donors understand what the project is and where it operates before they read the full overview.
Project Title
Use a project name that is clear, specific, and connected to the actual program, service, or initiative. Avoid vague names such as “General Support,” “New Project,” or “Community Program” unless they clearly describe the work.
Region Served
The Region Served by this Project field should reflect the actual reach of the project, not the overall reach of your organization. This helps donors understand scale at a glance and helps Charity Bridge Fund surface the project more accurately.
Writing a project overview that works
The Project Overview field should describe the specific program, service, or initiative being added to Charity Bridge Fund. It should help donors understand what the project does, what gap or risk it is responding to, and what continued support helps protect or restore.
Keep this field focused on the project itself. Avoid using it only to describe the funding loss, and avoid turning it into a full organization overview. The strongest project overviews are specific, easy to understand, and connected to the impact details that appear later on the Overview page.
Project overview template
“[Project Name] aims to [main activity] for [target population] in [region] to [outcome].”
Project overview example
“School Lunch Rescue aims to restore daily meal service for 20 schools in Orange County to ensure no child goes hungry and learning is not disrupted.”
Best practices for the overview page
Start with the specific program, service, or initiative being affected.
Keep the focus on one project instead of describing the full organization.
Explain the project in plain language donors can understand quickly.
Connect the funding gap to a real service, activity, or operational risk.
Show what support helps protect, continue, restore, or stabilize.
Leave detailed consequences for the impact fields.
Aim to stay within the green range of the character bar for the best display
Building a stronger impact section
The impact fields are where the project becomes emotionally and socially meaningful. Instead of repeating the overview, this section should explain what has changed, what the immediate consequences are, and what is at risk over time if support is not restored. The impact section follows a three-part structure: Summary Impact, Short-Term Impact, and Long-Term Social Impact.
Understand the three impact fields
Summary Impact
A short, high-level statement of the immediate impact of the funding gap.
Short-term Impact
A more detailed explanation of the immediate consequences for people, services, or operations.
Long-Term Social Impact
A projection of the broader and ongoing consequences if the funding is not restored.
How to write the Summary Impact
The Summary Impact field is used in smaller project placements, such as the giving cart and the project preview shown from the charity profile. It does not appear as the main impact section on the full project profile page, so it should be brief, direct, and easy to understand at a glance.
Use this field to summarize the most immediate impact of the funding gap in one short statement. Focus on what changed and who or what is affected, without adding the full background or long-term consequences.
Character guidance
Aim for 150 to 200 characters, with a maximum of 400.
Template
Because of [a funding gap, defunding, grant termination], [the project, program, service, or activity] is at risk of [reduction, pause, delay, or interruption], affecting [people, households, communities, services, or operations].
Example
Because of a funding gap, the school lunch program may be discontinued in 100 of 300 schools, affecting 25,000 students who rely on daily meals.
How to write the Short-Term Impact
This section should explain what the immediate consequences look like in practice. Focus on real disruption, not abstract concern. What changed for participants, families, staff, schools, or communities as soon as support was lost? Strong responses usually connect a direct program cut to clear near-term consequences and then add one layer of ripple effect.
Character guidance
Aim for 500 to 700 characters, with a maximum of 1,000.
Template
“Cutting [program or service] in [area] immediately impacted [X people]. [Group] now [challenge], while [secondary effects]. Families or beneficiaries face [consequence].”
Example
“Cutting the school lunch program in 100 schools left 25,000 children without a daily meal. Teachers already report more students arriving hungry, distracted, and missing class, while families struggle with higher grocery bills.”
How to write the Long-Term Social Impact
This section should help donors understand the longer arc of harm if the project is not restored. Avoid making it sound theoretical. The best version connects present disruption to future consequences, so:
Use the following writing aids for the Long-Term Social Impact field.
Character guidance
Aim for 500 to 700 characters, with a maximum of 1,000.
Template
“If this funding is not restored, [population] may face [long-term consequences]. This could result in [broader effects]. For example, [story or illustration].”
Example
“If the program remains cut, these students risk falling behind academically, facing serious health problems, and experiencing lower graduation rates. The loss of school lunches today could limit opportunities for an entire generation.”
Budget
The budget page is not just a technical step. It anchors the project in reality. A donor does not need a long financial explanation here, but the platform does need a clear statement of the total project budget and the amount defunded.
The budget information also powers the funding donut shown on your live project profile, helping donors quickly see the project’s total budget and the portion affected by defunding.
Budget section best practices
Clearly state the total budget for the project
Enter the amount defunded or funding gap accurately
Make sure the figures align with the story told in the impact section
Review for consistency before publishing
Contact Info
The Contact Info page lets you review optional contact and follow-up details for the project. Most fields may already be filled in using saved charity or account information, so this page is usually a quick review rather than a full writing step.
If you choose to display project contact information, those details will appear on the public project profile. Use information you are comfortable making public and choose a contact who can answer questions about the project.
Best practices for the Contact Info page
Review any prefilled information before moving forward.
Use a contact who can answer questions about the project.
Make sure the email address and phone number are current.
Only display contact details you are comfortable making public.
Add a project-specific webpage, campaign page, or program page when available.
Images
Project images should reinforce the story, not just fill space. The goal is to help donors see the people, setting, and reality behind the project. Strong images feel authentic, relevant, and emotionally grounded. Weak images usually feel generic, overly designed, or disconnected from the actual work.
Image best practices for projects
Make sure you are following these guidelines:
What to upload
Upload both vertical and horizontal images so the project displays properly in different layouts.
What works best
Use high-resolution, authentic photos that show the program, the people served, or the visible outcome of the work.
What to avoid
Avoid stock imagery, logos, and heavy text overlays. Focus on real moments and credible visuals.
How to avoid display issues
Follow the recommended image sizes so the photos do not stretch or pixelate.
Suggested image approach by format
Vertical image
Use a closer, more personal image, such as a beneficiary receiving support or a participant engaged in the program.
Horizontal image
Use a wider image that shows the project environment, a group, or the broader setting where the work takes place.
Use AI to Prepare Project Images
Your project profile should include both a horizontal image and a vertical image so it displays properly across different parts of the platform. If your original photos are not already in the correct format, you can use AI to resize them for upload. These prompts are designed to preserve the image’s proportions, avoid distortion, and create clean results that look natural on the site.
Horizontal image prompt
Required size: 640 × 360
Aspect ratio: 16:9
Attach the image to the AI chat box and use this prompt:
“Please resize this image to 640×360 for horizontal website use. Do not stretch or pad the image. Keep the original proportions by cropping only the outer edges as needed, then resize to the final dimensions. The image should look natural and clean with no distortion.”
Vertical image prompt
Required size: 360 × 480
Aspect ratio: 3:4
Attach the image to the AI chat box and use this prompt:
“Please resize this image to 360×480 for vertical website use. Do not stretch or pad the image. Keep the original proportions by cropping only the outer edges as needed, then resize to the final dimensions. The image should look natural and clean with no distortion.”
For additional help, check the following article:
Categories
Categories help organize the project and shape how it appears within the platform, but they should stay focused. Choose categories based on the specific purpose of the project, not the full scope of your organization.
For example, if your organization works across education, food access, and community development, but this project is focused on school meals, the project category should reflect that food access work.
Category best practices for projects
Choose the category or categories that best match the actual project
Use no more than 4 categories
Remember that in many cases 1 category is enough
Avoid selecting categories only because your organization works in those areas more broadly
Keep categories aligned with the project overview and impact sections
For more guidance, see:
Final review before publishing
Before publishing, review the project as a donor would. Make sure the story feels consistent across the Overview page, impact fields, budget, contact information, images, and categories.
Make sure the project name is specific and useful
Confirm the region served matches the actual scope of the project
Check that the Project Overview clearly explains the project and the need
Review all three impact fields for clarity and consistency
Confirm the budget and funding gap details are accurate
Verify the project contact information
Upload both vertical and horizontal images and double-check their quality
Choose focused categories
Use the character bar as a guide and aim for the green range where possible
Confirm all required sections are complete and publish the project.
FAQ
How do I publish my project?
Once all required sections are complete, use the Publish option in the project editor, which is found at the bottom right corner of any project page, below the Save Buttons.
Do project contacts need to be the same as charity contacts?
No. Project contacts can be different team members. The best choice is the person most directly connected to the project and able to respond to questions.
What should I include in the Project Overview field?
Explain the specific program, service, or initiative being added to Charity Bridge Fund. Focus on what the project does, what gap or risk it is responding to, and what support helps protect, continue, restore, or stabilize.
What is the difference between the Project Overview and the impact fields?
The Project Overview explains the project itself. The impact fields explain what changed because of the funding gap, what the immediate effects are, and what may happen over time if support is not restored.
What is the difference between Summary Impact and Short-Term Impact?
Summary Impact is a brief statement used in smaller project placements, such as the giving cart and project previews. Short-Term Impact gives more detail about the immediate effects on people, programs, services, or operations.
Why do I need both vertical and horizontal images?
The platform displays project images in different layouts, so providing both helps the project look complete and professional across the site.
How many categories should I assign to a project?
For most projects, one focused category is enough. If the project genuinely spans more than one cause area, you can select multiple categories, but Charity Bridge Fund recommends using no more than four.
Can I publish a project before completing all required sections?
No. Required sections must be completed before publishing. A complete project profile also improves clarity, visibility, and donor confidence.
A strong project profile helps donors understand the specific need behind the funding gap and the real-world impact of what is at risk. When each section is completed thoughtfully, from Overview and impact fields to budget, contact information, images, and categories, your project becomes clearer, more credible, and easier to support.