You’re starting a Community Support Fund in 2026. Before you apply, lock in the CSF-specific choices that determine whether the fund stays simple to use: donation methods, fee expectations, and disbursal method.
A Community Support Fund (CSF) is managed by BrightLeaf Giving and hosted by Rekonect. It’s built for ongoing fundraising for social causes, emergencies, or community projects. It also ensures donations are tax-deductible. The CSF itself is the infrastructure. The only way to make it frustrating is to skip the small decisions that keep donations and disbursals moving cleanly.
Start With What “Success” Means For A CSF
A successful CSF is operational. Donations come in without donors needing special handling. The net funds available match what you expected, because you planned around the actual fees. When it’s time to move money, you already know how disbursals will be handled, so there’s no last-minute scramble.
Confirm A CSF Is The Right Program Type
A CSF is meant for ongoing fundraising. It stays open as a continuing support channel, rather than a single push with a finish line.
If what you need is shorter-term fundraising with a target goal and an end date, that’s a Social Impact Campaign (SIC) instead. This isn’t a branding detail. It shapes expectations. A CSF should not be framed like a countdown campaign. It should be framed as an ongoing fund aligned with a defined cause.
Make this decision before you apply. It keeps the rest of your setup consistent.
Define The Cause Clearly Enough To Govern The Fund
Before you submit an application, decide how you will describe what the fund supports. The cause description is not marketing copy. It’s a working definition that keeps the fund aligned. This is particularly important given the unique challenges in 2026, as Forbes recently reported.
Keep it specific enough that “earmarked for your cause” stays meaningful. A vague cause description forces people to interpret the fund’s purpose differently, and that creates confusion later. On the other hand, if you over-narrow the cause in a way that doesn’t match reality, you end up needing to twist the wording every time you explain it.
A clean cause statement is usually one or two sentences. It should describe the need or project in plain language. It should also make clear what kind of support the fund is meant to provide. If your statement starts turning into a list of unrelated goals, that’s a sign you should either narrow the fund or separate your efforts into distinct programs.
Apply To Start Your Community Support Fund
Once you have your cause statement, your donation method defaults, your fee expectations, and your default disbursal method, the application becomes straightforward. Applying is free to start, and the application flow is already available on the CSF page.
If you apply without locking these inputs, you don’t gain speed. You just push decisions into live operation, where small mistakes create more friction.For any additional questions you may have, feel free to reach out to BrightLeaf Giving.