> ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.wegive.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Set Up an Impact Story > WeGive Help Center article: Set Up an Impact Story Impact Stories let you share the real-world results of your supporters' generosity — a photo or video, a headline, and a short story — and deliver it to exactly the right people. This guide walks through every field on the **Create Impact Story** screen, explains how the audience rules work, and shares best practices and examples. *** ## What is an Impact Story? An Impact Story is a shareable post (banner image or video, a title, and a description) that you can: * Publish to a supporter's profile in the donor portal * Restrict to a specific, rule-defined audience of supporters * Make completely public with a shareable link Stories are how you close the loop with donors: instead of "thank you for giving," you can show them the school that got built, the meals that were served, or the milestone they helped reach. *** ## Before you start Have these ready so you can finish in one pass: * A **16:9 banner image** (JPG), or a **YouTube / Vimeo link** if your story is a video * Your **headline and story copy** * A clear idea of **who should see it** (everyone? only certain donors? a single supporter?) *** ## Step-by-step setup Open **Impact Stories → Create Impact Story**. The form is a single page with the fields below. ### 1. Media Upload a story image and crop it to a **16:9 banner**. Click the upload area or drag and drop a JPG. This is the hero image at the top of your story. If your story is primarily a video, you can skip the image and use the video link field below instead — though a strong banner image still helps the story display well in lists and previews. ### 2. Publish on date/time Set the date and time associated with the story's publication. This stamps **when** the story is published and is the date supporters see on the post. Whether the story is actually live is controlled separately by the **Published** toggle (see below), so set this date and then publish when you're ready. The time picker uses your organization's time zone. Double-check AM/PM. ### 3. Visibility This is one of the most important choices. There are three options, and they interact with the audience you tag (see Audience Rules below): | Setting | Who can view | Can it be shared? | | - | - | - | | **Private (login required)** | Only the supporters you tag | No — even if a tagged supporter shares the link, others can't view it | | **Supporters only (login required)** | The supporters you tag | Yes — tagged supporters can share it with other logged-in supporters | | **Public** | Anyone with the link | Yes — no login required | **Rule of thumb:** * Use **Private** for personal, donor-specific updates ("Here's the impact of *your* gift"). * Use **Supporters only** when you want a sense of community but still want to keep it inside your logged-in supporter base. * Use **Public** for stories you'll post on social media, in newsletters, or anywhere you want maximum reach. ### 4. YouTube or Vimeo link Optional. Paste a full YouTube or Vimeo URL and the video will embed in the story. Use this when video is the centerpiece of your update. ### 5. Impact Story Title (required) Your headline. Keep it short and outcome-focused. 💡 Type the `@` symbol to insert contextual data (merge fields). This lets you personalize the title with supporter data where supported. ### 6. Impact Story Description (required) The body of your story. Tell the supporter what happened and why their contribution mattered. 💡 The `@` symbol works here too for contextual data. ### 7. Published / Save as draft A toggle controls whether the story goes live: * **Toggle off (Save as draft):** the story is saved but not published. Nothing is visible to supporters yet. * **Toggle on (Publish):** the story publishes when you save. You'll be asked to confirm before it goes live. Save as a draft while you're still writing or waiting on approval, then publish when you're ready. You can return to a draft and publish it at any time. ### 8. Audience Rules This is where you define **which supporters the story is tagged to** — i.e., who it's delivered to and (for Private / Supporters-only stories) who is allowed to view it. This section is powerful, so it has its own detailed walkthrough below. *** ## Audience Rules Audience Rules let you build a precise segment of supporters using **groups** of **rules**. Once you save, matching supporters are tagged into the story, and the story appears on their supporter profile. A live preview at the bottom — **"Preview N people that are in your audience now"** — recalculates as you build, so you always know how many supporters currently match. There are **two layers of logic**: 1. **Between groups** — set at the top with **Match all groups (AND)** or **Match any groups (OR)**. 2. **Within a group** — each group combines its own rules with AND or OR. This two-layer structure is what lets you express things like *"(is a monthly donor AND gave over \$500) OR (lives in Texas)."* ### Each rule has three parts 1. **Field** — what you're segmenting on (e.g., *Full Name*, *Total Given*, *Tag*, or any custom field). 2. **Comparator** — how to compare (e.g., *is*, *is not*, *contains*, *greater than*). 3. **Value** — what to compare against (a name, number, tag, etc.). Some comparators need no value (e.g., *is empty*). ### Available fields The field list is built from three sources: * **Standard supporter fields** — core donor attributes such as name, email, giving totals, and tags. (Selecting **Full Name** with **is** gives you a searchable picker so you can target one specific supporter — this is how you tag an individual.) * **Supporter Custom Fields** — any custom fields your organization has defined on the donor record. * **Household Custom Fields** — custom fields defined at the household level. The available comparators depend on the field type — a text field offers options like *is / is not / contains*, while a number or date field offers *greater than / less than / between*, and so on. The form only shows comparators that make sense for the field you picked. ### Combining groups: AND vs OR * **Match all groups (AND):** a supporter must satisfy **every** group to be included. Use this to *narrow* — each group adds another requirement. * **Match any groups (OR):** a supporter is included if they satisfy **any** group. Use this to *combine distinct audiences* — each group is its own segment. ### Add Group / Add Rule / Remove * **Add Group** creates a new group; the AND/OR selector between groups controls how it joins the others. * **Add Rule** adds another condition inside a group. * **Remove Group** deletes a group and its rules. ### Rule Tinker (truth table) ⚙ The gear icon opens **Rule Tinker**, a sandbox for testing your logic. It shows your current rule groups and a **Truth Table** where you can toggle each rule on/off and **Add Test Case** to see how different combinations resolve to "in" or "out." Use it to sanity-check complex AND/OR setups before you publish — it's the fastest way to catch a group that's accidentally excluding everyone. ### Live audience preview As you edit, WeGive recalculates the number of unique supporters who match (you'll briefly see *"Calculating audience preview…"*). The count is **distinct** — a supporter who matches more than one group is only counted once. ⚠ **A preview of 0 usually means your logic is too strict.** Most often this is because you used **Match all groups (AND)** when you meant **OR**, or stacked too many AND rules inside a single group. Loosen the logic and watch the count update. *** ## Worked examples **Example 1 — A single supporter (a personal thank-you)** * Visibility: **Private** * Group 1: `Full Name` **is** *"John Smith"* * Result: only John sees the story, even if he forwards the link. **Example 2 — Major donors only** * Visibility: **Supporters only** * Group 1: `Total Given` **greater than** *5000* * Result: every supporter who has given more than \$5,000 is tagged and can share it with other logged-in supporters. **Example 3 — Two distinct audiences (OR between groups)** * Top selector: **Match any groups (OR)** * Group 1: `Tag` **is** *"Monthly Donor"* * Group 2: `Total Given` **greater than** *1000* * Result: anyone who is a monthly donor **or** has given over \$1,000 is included. **Example 4 — A narrow, high-value segment (AND between groups)** * Top selector: **Match all groups (AND)** * Group 1: `Tag` **is** *"Capital Campaign"* * Group 2: `Total Given` **greater than** *10000* * Result: only supporters who are tagged *Capital Campaign* **and** have given over \$10,000. **Example 5 — A public story for everyone** * Visibility: **Public** * Audience Rules: leave empty (or set a broad rule) * Result: a shareable link anyone can open — ideal for newsletters and social posts. *** ## Best practices * **Match visibility to audience.** If you tag a specific person, pair it with **Private** so a forwarded link can't leak the story. Save **Public** for content you actively want spread. * **Use OR for "any of these," AND for "all of these."** When in doubt, read your setup out loud as a sentence — it should match what you intend. * **Verify with Rule Tinker before publishing**, especially when you mix AND and OR. A 30-second test case can save you from sending a story to the wrong list. * **Always glance at the live count before you publish.** If it's 0 or wildly off, fix the logic first. * **Lead with the outcome in your title.** "200 families housed this winter" beats "An update from our team." * **Draft first, publish when ready.** Use Save as draft for anything awaiting copy edits or approval, then flip to Publish. * **Personalize with** `@` **merge fields** in the title and description where it adds warmth, but preview to make sure every field resolves. * **Double-check the publish date/time and AM/PM** so a scheduled story goes live exactly when you expect. 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