--- title: Troubleshooting Parent Signup and Child Claiming description: Troubleshoot DashPledge parent signup and child claiming, including missing schools, teachers or children, existing claims, multiple children, signup errors, and fundraiser publishing problems. url: "https://dashpledge.com/docs/troubleshooting-parent-signup-and-child-claiming/" updated: "2026-08-18" category: Troubleshooting --- # Troubleshooting Parent Signup and Child Claiming ## Troubleshooting parent signup and child claiming If you're having trouble joining a DashPledge fundraiser as a parent or guardian, finding your school or teacher, locating your child, or completing a child claim, use this guide before creating another account or student record. The normal parent flow connects your account to an **existing participating child** in the school's fundraiser roster. ## Before you begin It can help to have the following information available: - Your child's school - Your child's teacher - Your child's name - Fundraiser information provided by the school - The email address you want to use for your DashPledge account If the school provided a specific DashPledge signup or invitation link, use that link when possible. ## I already have a DashPledge account Sign in with your existing account rather than creating another one. An existing parent or guardian account can be used for eligible participating children connected through the DashPledge claiming process. If you forgot your password, use **Forgot Password** instead of creating another account. ## I can't find my school First, confirm that you're using the correct fundraiser signup process. Then check: - School name - Spelling - Fundraiser information provided by the school The school must be associated with an eligible DashPledge fundraiser before the applicable parent claiming process can continue. Do not create a duplicate school. If you still can't find the school, contact the school, fundraiser organizer, or DashPledge Support. ## I can see the wrong schools Do not select another school simply to continue the signup process. Your child must be connected to the correct participating school and fundraiser. If the expected school isn't available or the available choices appear incorrect, stop and contact DashPledge Support. ## I found my school but can't find the teacher Confirm that you selected the correct school first. Teacher availability depends on the teacher and fundraiser relationships associated with that school. If the teacher doesn't appear: - Confirm the teacher's name - Confirm you're using the correct school - Confirm you're joining the correct fundraiser Do not create another teacher. ## I selected the wrong teacher Go back to the teacher-selection step when the signup flow allows it and choose the correct teacher. Do not continue with a different child simply because the wrong teacher was selected. If you cannot return to the previous step, contact DashPledge Support. ## I found the teacher but can't find my child The child must already exist in the participating fundraiser roster and be associated with the appropriate campaign and teacher. Confirm: - School - Teacher - Child's name If the child still doesn't appear, the roster may need to be reviewed. Do not create another student record. ## My child appeared earlier but is now missing First, confirm that you're still using the same: - School - Teacher - Fundraiser - DashPledge account Also consider whether the child may already have been claimed. If the child unexpectedly disappears during signup, don't create another student. Contact DashPledge Support if you cannot continue. ## DashPledge says my child is already claimed A child who has already been successfully claimed may no longer be available through the normal unclaimed-child selection process. Sign in to your existing parent account and check whether the child is already connected. If you don't recognize the existing claim or believe the child was connected incorrectly, contact DashPledge Support. ## I already claimed my child, but they aren't on my dashboard Make sure you're signed in to the same parent or guardian account used during the claim. If you used another email address, you may be accessing a different DashPledge account. Do not claim or recreate the child again. If you're using the correct account and the child is still missing, contact DashPledge Support. ## I accidentally claimed the wrong child Stop making changes to that child's fundraiser. Do not: - Create another child - Create another parent account - Attempt to claim additional records to compensate Contact DashPledge Support so the incorrect relationship can be reviewed safely. ## I have more than one child participating Use your existing parent or guardian account. After claiming one child, use the available **Claim Another Child** option to connect another eligible participating child. You generally do not need a separate parent account for each child. ## My second child doesn't appear Repeat the school and teacher checks for the additional child. Siblings may: - Have different teachers - Be in different classrooms - Participate through different eligible campaign relationships Make sure you're looking under the correct teacher for the child you're trying to claim. ## My children attend different schools Continue using your existing DashPledge account when the available workflow supports it. Select the appropriate school, teacher, and eligible child for each fundraiser. Do not create duplicate parent accounts simply because your children attend different schools. ## Signup won't proceed to the next step Before trying again, make sure all required information on the current step has been completed. Check that you've made the required selection for the step, such as: - School - Teacher - Child Avoid repeatedly clicking the Continue or Next button. If the required information is selected but the signup process still doesn't continue, refresh the page once and try again. If the problem continues, contact DashPledge Support and identify the step where signup stops. ## The page went blank during signup Do not immediately start another signup. First: 1. Refresh the page. 2. Check whether your account was already created. 3. Try signing in with the email you used. 4. Check whether your child is already connected. If signup remains incomplete, contact DashPledge Support. ## I refreshed and now the information looks different Do not create duplicate records. Check whether your previous signup action was successfully saved. If a school, teacher, or child selection unexpectedly changes after refreshing, stop before completing another claim and contact Support when necessary. ## I completed signup but wasn't redirected to my dashboard First, try signing in using the account you just created. If the account exists and the child was successfully claimed, DashPledge should provide access to the appropriate parent experience. If you're able to sign in but cannot reach the expected dashboard, contact DashPledge Support. ## My fundraiser isn't published after claiming Claiming a child and publishing the child's fundraiser are separate steps. After a successful claim, you may need to prepare or review the child's fundraiser before publishing it. Depending on the campaign, this can include: - Fundraiser story - Student photo, when permitted - Fundraising goal - Fundraiser preview Follow the available parent fundraiser setup process. ## My child's photo isn't showing Student-photo visibility depends on the campaign's privacy settings. A photo may not appear publicly if student photos are disabled for the fundraiser. Do not repeatedly upload the same image as a workaround. Review the fundraiser settings or contact Support if the expected behavior is unclear. ## My child’s fundraiser was published, but the link doesn't work Return to the parent dashboard and select the correct child. Copy the child's public fundraiser link again and test it. If you have multiple children, make sure you're using the link associated with the intended child. If the published page still doesn't open, contact DashPledge Support. ## I didn't receive the fundraiser confirmation email After a child's fundraiser is successfully published, DashPledge may send a confirmation and sharing email. Check: - Inbox - Spam - Junk - Promotions Make sure you're checking the email address associated with your parent account. Even if the email is missing, check the Parent Dashboard to confirm whether the fundraiser was successfully published. ## I forgot to claim another child You can return later and use **Claim Another Child** for another eligible child. You may also receive a reminder when another eligible child remains unclaimed. Do not create another parent account. ## I accidentally created two parent accounts Stop using both accounts independently until the relationships are reviewed. See: **Accounts & Login → What to Do If You Have Duplicate DashPledge Accounts** or contact DashPledge Support. ## What information should I provide to Support? For a signup or claiming problem, helpful information includes: - Parent or guardian account email - School - Teacher - Child - Fundraiser, when known - The signup step where the problem occurs - What you expected to happen - What actually happened - Any error message - Screenshot, when helpful Do not send your password. ## What should I avoid doing? While a claiming problem is being investigated, avoid: - Creating another parent account - Creating another student - Claiming a different student as a workaround - Repeating the claim process on an already claimed child - Changing unrelated fundraiser information Preserving the existing records makes the problem easier to diagnose and correct. ## What's next? For detailed parent instructions, see: - **Parents & Students → How to Claim Your Child on DashPledge** - **Parents & Students → How to Claim Another Child on DashPledge** - **Parents & Students → What to Do If You Can’t Find or Claim Your Child** - **Parents & Students → How to Personalize Your Child’s Fundraiser** - **Parents & Students → How to Share Your Child’s Fundraiser** For login problems, visit **Accounts & Login**.