Configuring Activity Types & Units

Summary

Activity Types and Units define what participants can log and how activity totals are calculated in a Peer-to-Peer (P2P) campaign. These settings affect nearly every downstream feature, including activity logs, leaderboards, badges, pledges, imports/exports, and participant goals.

In P2P Activity Tracking, the participant is the child fundraising campaign. A child campaign is required for activity logging, totals, badges, and pledges.

What are Activity Types?

An Activity Type is a category of activity participants can log, such as running, cycling, or workout time.

Each activity type includes:

A Label (displayed in the UI)
A Unit (how activity is measured)
Campaign-level scope (configured per campaign)

Examples

Activity Type	Unit	Example Entry
Run/Walk	Miles	3.2 Miles
Cycling	Kilometers	12 Km
Workout Time	Minutes	45 Minutes
Steps	Steps	8,500 Steps

What are Units?

A Unit defines the measurement used for an activity type (Miles, Kilometers, Minutes, Steps, etc.). Units ensure consistent tracking, totals, and pledge calculations.

Key rule:
Each activity type must use one unit only. Mixing units within the same activity type (for example, Miles and Kilometers) can cause reporting and pledge calculation issues.

What configuring Activity Types & Units enables

Once configured, administrators can safely use:

Activity logs – Participants and admins log activity using defined types.
Participant goals – Goals can be set per activity type.
Badges – Badge progress can be evaluated by activity type.
Pledges – Per-unit pledges rely on consistent units.
Leaderboards & summaries – Totals and rankings are calculated from logged activity.
Imports/exports – CSV validation depends on matching activity types and units.

Recommended setup workflow

Step 1: Decide what participants will track

Choose the activity type that align with your campaign goal. Too many activity types often lead to inconsistent logging and confusing reports.

Step 2: Choose a unit for each activity type

Select one unit that will apply to all logs for that activity type.

Examples

Distance events: Miles or Kilometers
Time-based challenges: Minutes
Step challenges: Steps

Step 3: Configure labels carefully

Activity type labels appear in:

Activity logging screens
Admin log management
Imports/exports
Participant summaries and badges

Label tips

Use clear, participant-friendly language.
Match your event terminology (e.g., “Ride” vs. “Cycling”).
Keep labels consistent with other campaign terminology.

Step 4: Validate with test logging

Before opening logging to participants:

Open a test child fundraising campaign.
Log sample activities for each type.
Confirm totals appear correctly in summaries and leaderboards.
If using Strava, confirm activity mapping rules are correct.

Common configuration patterns

Walk/Run event

Run/Walk → Miles
Best for traditional run/walk events and per-mile pledges.

Fitness challenge

Workout Time → Minutes
Run/Walk → Miles
Cycling → Miles
Best for multi-activity campaigns.

Steps challenge

Steps → Steps
Best for wellness challenges and simple leaderboards.

How Activity Types & Units affect other features

Activity logs

Each log requires:

Activity type
Date
Numeric value
The unit is implied by the activity type and displayed automatically.

Badges

When badges are scoped to an activity type, progress is calculated using:

The activity type and unit
The participant’s accumulated total

Tip: Changing activity types mid-campaign may cause confusing badge progress.

Pledges

Per-unit pledges multiply the pledge rate by the participant’s activity total.
Flat pledges are not unit-dependent but often display alongside progress.

Choose units that align with how supporters expect pledges to be calculated.

Imports and exports

Exports include activity type labels and units.
Imports require activity types to match existing campaign configuration.

Tip: Configure activity types before performing bulk imports.

Troubleshooting

Participants can’t select an activity type

Confirm the activity type exists and is active.
Confirm the correct parent campaign is being managed.
Confirm the participant has a valid child fundraising campaign.

Totals appear incorrect

Verify logs are recorded under the correct activity type.
Check units (Miles vs. Minutes).
Look for duplicate or test logs.

Per-unit pledge totals don’t match expectations

Confirm the pledge is tied to the correct activity type.
Verify the activity type unit.
Review participant logs for that activity type.