Free Fundraising Thermometer Maker
Set your goal and how much you have raised, then download a goal thermometer for social media, email or a printed poster. Free, no sign-up, no watermark, and everything runs in your browser.
Make your fundraising thermometer
$16,250 of $25,000, 65% of your goal.
Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn
100% in-browser. Your campaign details are never uploaded. The image is drawn on your own device.
Want a live goal tracker on your website?
See how →Raise More on Your Website
The thermometer gets attention. These free Common Ninja widgets turn that attention into gifts once people land on your site.
Progress Bars
Show your fundraising goal as a live progress bar on any page, and update the amount whenever new gifts come in.
Donation Form
Take donations right on your website with preset amounts, so the people your thermometer inspires can give in a few taps.
Donation Button
Add a simple donate button anywhere on your site that sends supporters straight to your payment page.
Countdown
Count down to the end of your campaign or to Giving Tuesday, so visitors know there is a deadline.
Explore More Free Tools
More free tools for events, campaigns and engagement.
Free Tier List Maker
Rank anything into S, A, B, C, D tiers and download a shareable PNG.
Use Tool →Free Alignment Chart Maker
Place items on a lawful-to-chaotic grid, rename the axes, and download a PNG.
Use Tool →Free Printable Bracket Maker
Print a tournament bracket with the first round seeded from your list.
Use Tool →Free Engagement Score Calculator
Calculate your website engagement score from session data.
Use Tool →Free Gamification ROI Calculator
Estimate the revenue impact of adding gamification to your site.
Use Tool →Free Quiz Lead Generator Calculator
Work out how many leads an interactive quiz can bring in.
Use Tool →How It Works
How to make a fundraising thermometer
No account, no sign-up, completely free. The thermometer is drawn in your browser, so your campaign details are never uploaded anywhere.
Enter your goal and total
Type the goal and how much you have raised so far. The thermometer fills to match as you type.
Name it and style it
Add your campaign name, a deadline line and your give link, then pick a style, size, color and milestone marks.
Download or print
Download a PNG for social media and email, or print a full-page poster. No watermark, no limits.
The Basics
Why a goal thermometer helps a campaign
A thermometer turns a number into a picture. Anyone can see in a second how far you have come and how far is left, without reading a word.
goal → raised so far → % filled → share → more gifts
The goal sets the top of the glass and the amount raised sets the fill. Every update is a new, visible step, which gives supporters a reason to look again and pass it on.
Use one for any campaign with a clear target and an end date: a school playground, a Giving Tuesday appeal, a church building fund, a team travel fund or a workplace food drive. The format works as well on a hallway poster as it does in an Instagram Story.
Every image you download is a snapshot. When the total changes, change the number here and download again. If you want a tracker that is always current, put a live progress bar on your website and update it in one place.
Sizes
Which size to download
Four sizes cover almost every place a campaign shows up. Print always uses the poster size, whichever one you have on screen.
| Size | Pixels | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Square post | 1080 x 1080 | Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn feed posts. The safest all-round choice. |
| Story | 1080 x 1920 | Instagram and Facebook Stories. Extra space at the top and bottom keeps text clear of the app buttons. |
| Poster | 1700 x 2200 | US Letter (8.5 x 11 in) at 200 dpi. Hang it in a lobby, classroom, office or church hall. |
| Email banner | 1200 x 600 | Newsletter headers and website banners, with the totals beside the gauge. |
Where to Use It
Fundraising thermometer ideas by group
The same thermometer works for very different campaigns. Here is where each kind of group tends to put it.
| Group | Where it goes | What works |
|---|---|---|
| Schools and PTAs | Hallway poster, parent newsletter, class Facebook group | Update the poster every Friday so families see the week’s progress at pickup |
| Nonprofits | Giving Tuesday posts, year-end appeal emails, donation page | Post a fresh image at each milestone (25%, 50%, 75%) to give people a reason to share again |
| Churches | Building fund board, bulletin, livestream slide | Use the print poster in the hall and the square post for the weekly announcement |
| Clubs and teams | Uniform drive, travel fund, booster club | Put the deadline in the line under the name so supporters know when it ends |
| Workplaces | Charity match, food drive, internal chat | Use the progress bar style for a clean look in Slack or Teams |
Avoid These
Six mistakes that make a thermometer fall flat
The graphic is the easy part. These are the habits that decide whether it actually moves people to give.
An image nobody updates
A thermometer stuck at 40% for three weeks reads as a campaign that stalled. Decide up front how often you will post a new one, and keep to it.
Set an update rhythmA goal with no reason
People give to outcomes, not numbers. Name what the money does in the campaign title: a playground, 200 meals, a new roof.
Name the outcomeToo many milestone marks
Ten tiny labels on a phone screen turn into noise. Four or five marks are easy to read at a glance, even in a story.
Keep marks readableNo way to give
The graphic gets attention, then the reader has nowhere to go. Always put your donation link or text-to-give number in the footer.
Add the give linkFill color that disappears
A pale fill on a light background is hard to see, especially in print. Pick a strong color against your background, or switch to the dark theme.
Keep strong contrastGoing quiet after the goal
Reaching the goal is the best news you will post. Share the "Goal reached!" version and thank everyone. It builds trust for the next campaign.
Celebrate the finishBest Practices
8 tips for a thermometer that keeps gifts coming
All Common Ninja widgets mentioned below are free to start.
01
Start with a head start
Line up a few early gifts before you go public, so the first thermometer people see already shows progress rather than an empty glass.
02
Post at every milestone
Each time you pass a mark, download a new image and post it. A visible jump gives supporters something new to share.
03
Put the deadline on it
Use the line under the campaign name for the end date, such as Giving Tuesday, December 1. A clear finish line helps people act now rather than later.
04
Make the give link short
A long URL will not fit on a poster and nobody will type it. Use a short, readable address in the footer.
05
Keep a live tracker on your site
Images go out of date. A progress bar on your donation page updates in one place and is always current for anyone who visits.
Add Progress Bars free →06
Let people give on the same page
When the thermometer sends people to your website, let them donate right there instead of sending them off to yet another page.
Add a Donation Form free →07
Match the size to the channel
Square for feeds, story for Stories, poster for paper, banner for email. One campaign, four images, all from the same numbers.
08
Say thank you in public
When you hit the goal, post the full thermometer with a thank-you. Supporters who see their gift counted are more likely to come back.
Glossary
Fundraising terms, briefly
Six terms that come up when you plan and share a campaign.
From the Blog
Further reading
More from the Common Ninja blog on donations, nonprofits and engagement.