Step-by-Step Guide to Building Recurring Donation Forms in WordPress
Many organizations seek to establish consistent funding streams through automated contributions. Implementing a recurring donation form on your WordPress site provides supporters with a convenient method to sustain their giving over time.
This approach enables non-profits to forecast income more accurately, supporting better financial planning for ongoing initiatives and long-term projects.
This guide will walk you through several methods to create effective recurring donation forms within the WordPress environment.
The Benefits of Recurring Donation Forms
Recurring donations represent ongoing financial commitments where supporters authorize automatic payments at regular intervals, such as monthly, quarterly, or annually.
While single contributions provide immediate support, they often lack the predictability needed for strategic planning. Automated recurring payments create a reliable revenue stream that helps organizations allocate resources more effectively.
This system also simplifies the giving process for donors, eliminating the need to manually initiate each payment. Many supporters appreciate the convenience of automated contributions, which helps maintain consistent support even when they might otherwise forget to donate.
Some organizations enhance engagement by integrating donation systems with membership platforms, offering recognition or rewards to consistent contributors. This approach can foster community and increase donor retention.
Below are three distinct approaches to creating recurring donation forms in WordPress. You can navigate directly to each method using the following links.
- Creating a Recurring Donation Form with Charitable
- Creating a Recurring Donation Form with WP Simple Pay
- Creating a Recurring Donation Form with WPForms
Building Recurring Donation Forms Using Charitable
Charitable provides a comprehensive solution for organizations seeking to implement recurring donation systems. This plugin offers extensive fundraising capabilities specifically designed for non-profit operations.
Beyond basic donation form creation, the platform includes various extensions that enhance functionality. These may include email marketing integration to maintain communication with donors and peer-to-peer fundraising features for multi-project campaigns.
The system operates without charging transaction fees, ensuring that the full donation amount reaches your organization.
Begin by installing and activating the Charitable plugin on your WordPress site. Once activated, navigate to the Charitable » Addons section.
Locate the 'Charitable Recurring Donations Addon' and select 'Install Addon,' then activate the extension.
Next, access the Charitable » Settings page. Under the Payment Gateways tab, enable the Stripe gateway by clicking 'Enable Gateway' next to the Stripe option.
Select the 'Connect with Stripe' button to establish the connection between your WordPress site and your Stripe account.
A setup wizard will guide you through the connection process. Enter the email associated with your Stripe account. If you don't have an account, you'll need to create one to process donations.
After successfully connecting your Stripe account, you'll return to the settings page. The Connection Status should indicate that Stripe is 'Connect In live mode.' Save your changes.
Now proceed to create your donation form by navigating to Charitable » Add New.
A prompt will appear requesting a campaign name. Enter an appropriate title and select 'Create Campaign.'
The platform offers multiple pre-designed templates to simplify form creation. You can choose from various layouts including blank, single-column, or two-column designs based on your requirements.
For demonstration purposes, we'll select the 'Club / Organization' template. Hover over the template and click 'Create Campaign.'
You can now customize your form's appearance and functionality. The drag-and-drop interface allows you to add form fields, modify text, insert buttons, images, or videos, and adjust the layout.
To add a form element, simply drag it from the left panel to the desired position in the editor on the right.
Click on any existing field to edit its properties. Adjustments to text, colors, alignment, and other visual elements can be made through the 'Layout Options' tab that appears when a field is selected.
Navigate to Settings » Donation Options to configure donation parameters. Scroll to the 'Recurring Donations' section and enable 'Allow Recurring Donations.'
Consider also activating 'Allow Recurring Custom Donations' to let supporters specify their preferred contribution amount. You can set default recurring donation amounts or allow donors to select their preferred donation frequency.
