Donations and Wish List - Help Guide

Donations and Wish List - Help Guide

The Donations and Wish List module enables your organization to manage both monetary and material donations effectively.

Donations:

If you already have an Online Payment Gateway like PayPal or Authorize.net set up, you can start accepting monetary donations right away. Simply go to the Donations and Wish List module and copy the Donations URL located at the bottom of the page. You can add this link to your website's navigation or individual pages using the Website Content Manager.

Wish List:

If your organization has specific items it needs, you can create a Wish List to inform potential donors and give them the option to contribute money or purchase items from the list.

To set up the Wish List, go to the Donations and Wish List module. From there, you can click the "Add New Item" link or choose "Change" next to an existing item to update it. On the next page, you'll find the following options:

1. Item Name: The name of the item you want donors to contribute.

2. Item Description: A brief description of the item.

3. Donation Page Verbiage: Use this area to explain why you need the specific item. Sharing how it will make a difference and including photos can be very effective.

4. Item Price: The price of the item.

5. Quantity Needed: If you require a specific number of items, such as table settings for a shelter, enter the required quantity here. The system will track how many have been purchased toward the goal. If the item is a consumable and an ongoing supply is needed, you can check the "Unlimited Quantity" box.

6. Simple Process: All donation information is gathered on one simplified page.

7. Donor Tracking: Connect donations to individual members and contacts in your database. Allow members to enter their email address instead of logging in to track their donations.

8. Donation Types: Choose between Simple Donation (default), Memoriam, In Honor of, and Bequest.

9. Memoriam/Honor Indicator: Customize the label to collect details about donations made in honor of someone.

10. Purpose of Donation: Donors can include a note about their donation.

11. Gift Amount: Set pre-selected amounts or allow donors to enter any dollar amount.

12. Individual Campaigns/Funds: Create separate fundraising funds for specific campaigns.

13. Anonymous Donors: Allow donors to give anonymously, keeping their donation private and excluding them from mass emails and marketing campaigns.

14. Recurring Donations: Offer the option for donors to establish recurring monthly donations (requires Authorize.net payment gateway with CIM setup).

15. Custom Confirmation/Thank You: Personalize the thank you email sent to donors after their contributions.

16. Goal Tracking Thermometer Graphic: Display a visual graphic on your website to show progress toward a fundraising goal.

17. Donation Reporting: Generate reports based on various criteria, including donor, campaign, amount donated, and date range. Reports include graphs, total donation amount, CSV downloads, and lists of donations that can be sorted by different parameters.

Additional Features:

- Wish List: Post specific materials your organization needs (desks, office supplies, t-shirts) and allow donors to contribute products in addition to monetary donations.

- Sponsorship Packages: Create predefined donation packages (gold, silver, platinum) in a wish list format, giving donors the option to select and contribute to specific sponsorship levels.