> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.perkville.com/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.perkville.com/features/challenges.md). # Challenges You can create challenges to incentivize activity during a specified date range. If you offer memberships, you can also create new member challenges. {% hint style="info" %} **Customers do not have to click Join.** Turn on **Automatically enroll eligible customers** to enroll eligible customers when Perkville records their first qualifying activity. That activity also counts toward progress, and customers can earn milestone and completion rewards without manually joining. [Learn how to enable automatic enrollment](/features/challenges/automatic-enrollment-into-challenges.md). {% endhint %} ## How do customers enroll? * **Automatic enrollment enabled:** Eligible customers enter the challenge through their first qualifying activity. They do not need to select **Join**. * **Automatic enrollment disabled:** Eligible customers must select **Join** to earn challenge rewards. Both options follow the challenge's dates, participation restrictions, and reward requirements. **Challenge Requirements** You can customize challenges with any number of requirements, such as: * Spend $100 on retail * Check into your business 8 times * Take 4 classes * Refer one friend Each requirement can optionally award points, instant rewards, or both when an enrolled customer reaches its goal. These **milestone rewards** are separate from the reward for completing the entire challenge. For example, a customer could earn 25 points after attending 5 classes, then earn a separate final reward after completing all challenge requirements. ## **Who can participate in a challenge?** Challenges may be restricted to: * Active members * Active rewards program members * Certain locations * Custom attributes * Within a specified number of days of a member joining {% hint style="warning" %} New member challenges are only available if your business offers memberships. {% endhint %} ## **What activities can be required in a challenge?** Challenge requirements can be tied to: * Standard earning rules in your rewards program (e.g., check-ins, retail spend) * **Progress Activities** (0-point transactions logged on the user profile) {% hint style="info" %} If your business want to track certain things, like attending a class or signing up for a membership, but not give points for it, you would make use of Progress Activities. {% endhint %} ## **How are customers notified about a challenge?** The challenge is marketed in emails and on the site. [Challenge emails](/features/emails/challenge-emails.md) describes the notification types. Automated enrollment changes whether a customer needs to manually join; it does not make activities from an external booking or POS system count unless the integration actually records the qualifying activity in Perkville. Perkville sends the following challenge-related emails: * Challenge invite * For manually joined challenges, customers must join by the end of the challenge period to qualify for the completion reward. For automatically enrolled challenges, qualifying activity triggers enrollment. * Customers may navigate to the challenge URL at any time while the challenge is active to accept the challenge. This URL is not unique to each user and is configured on the challenge. Feel free to pick a memorable, easy to share URL! * Challenge progress update * Challenge complete Customers can opt out of challenge-related emails in their profile settings. Perkville automatically sends challenge invitations to eligible customers when they complete a relevant activity. Challenges are also displayed on your rewards website, where customers can view and track their progress. ## Do earlier activities count toward a challenge? Challenge progress depends on the **qualifying activity recorded in Perkville**, the activity date, the challenge's eligible dates and requirements, and the customer's enrollment and eligibility. * **Automatic enrollment:** An eligible customer's first qualifying activity enrolls them and counts toward progress. See [Automatic enrollment](/features/challenges/automatic-enrollment-into-challenges.md). * **Manual enrollment:** Qualifying progress may already be recorded before a customer joins. Progress alone does not award a milestone reward: the customer must also join the challenge and meet its eligibility requirements. If a requirement is already complete when the eligible customer joins an active challenge, its configured milestone reward can be awarded at that point. * **Backdated activity:** The completion-reward rules below permit qualifying backdated activities within the challenge's eligible date range, subject to the stated limitations. This does not mean every past activity in an external system is automatically imported or counted. If progress seems incomplete, check the challenge's dates, requirements and participation restrictions; the customer's enrollment; and whether the activity appears on the customer's Perkville history with the expected activity type, location, and date. For activities from a booking or membership system, also confirm the event reached Perkville. Share representative examples with [Perkville Support](/overview/support.md) instead of repeatedly adding duplicate transactions. ## When are challenge rewards distributed? #### Requirement completion rewards (milestone rewards) An enrolled customer can earn an optional reward for completing an individual requirement without waiting to finish the entire challenge. Each requirement can award points, instant rewards, or both, once per customer for that requirement. Customers must be enrolled and complete the requirement. **Automatic enrollment satisfies the enrollment requirement without a Join click:** the eligible customer's first qualifying activity enrolls them and can earn a milestone reward if it meets that goal. With automatic enrollment disabled, the customer must select **Join**. A completed progress bar before enrollment does not mean the reward has been received. Configure these rewards when adding or editing a [Challenge Progress Activity](/features/settings/challenges/challenge-progress-activities.md). #### Completion Reward If an enrolled customer completes all requirements within the allotted time, the reward is distributed immediately. If the challenge ends, a participant can still have progress added via backdated activities. These activities must fall within the challenge's eligible date range. At this time, this can only be done via the Perkville API. If they complete the challenge via these backdated progress activities, then the challenge will be marked as complete and their reward will be distributed. {% hint style="warning" %} Backdating progress activities to distribute a challenge reward will not work if the participant received the participation reward. Participants cannot earn both the participation reward and completion reward. {% endhint %} #### Participation Reward Customers who participated in the challenge but did not complete it will receive the participation reward within 3 days after the challenge ends. Milestone rewards are separate from these final outcomes. A customer may earn milestone rewards along the way and still qualify for either the final completion reward or, if they do not finish, the optional participation reward. They do not receive both final reward types. See [Challenge Rewards](/features/settings/challenges/challenge-rewards.md). {% hint style="info" %} **Continue reading** Set up enrollment, eligibility, activities, and rewards for your challenge. **Start with** [**Creating a challenge**](/features/challenges/creating-a-challenge.md) **→** {% endhint %} --- # Agent Instructions This documentation is published with GitBook. GitBook is the documentation platform designed so that both humans and AI agents can read, navigate, and reason over technical content effectively. Learn more at gitbook.com. ## Querying This Documentation If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation by asking a question. Perform an HTTP GET request on the following URL with the `ask` and `goal` query parameters: ``` GET https://docs.perkville.com/features/challenges.md?ask=&goal= ``` `ask` is the immediate question: it should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language. `goal` is what the user is ultimately trying to achieve, the reason they need the answer. Sharing it helps GitBook give you a better, more relevant answer. A goal is most helpful when it describes the outcome the user wants rather than restating the question. For example, with `ask=how do I create an API token`, a goal like `automate deployments from our CI pipeline` lets GitBook tailor the answer to that use case. The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation. Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.