Guide: Portal, Checkouts, Designations, and Campaigns

🏦 Donor Portal

The Donor Portal is a customizable space where supporters manage their giving experience. You control the design and donor-facing features through the dashboard.

Key Portal Setup Tasks:

• Branding: Add your logo, adjust colors, upload a favicon, and set a custom header

• Navigation: Show/hide tabs, add custom links to your menu

• Sections to Manage:

  • Badges: Toggle achievements (e.g., "Recurring Donor") on/off

  • Profile Tab: Choose visibility of email, pledges, and tax docs

  • Tax Documents: Donors can download summaries per year

  • Recurring Plans: Donors can update payment methods or amounts

  • Chat: Enable/disable support chat for donor communication

You’ll link your donor portal from your website using the registration URL provided under the Donor Portal tab.

💳 Checkouts

Checkouts are donation forms you embed or link to from your website. Each checkout can be customized for the type of giving experience you want to offer.

Types of Checkouts:

• Default Checkout: Your main giving form (use this for general giving)

• Custom Checkouts: Create separate ones for campaigns or specific audiences

Customizable Features:

• Suggested Amounts: Add default amounts and descriptions

• Recurring Settings: Default to monthly, allow upgrades via recurring program page

• Information Card: Add description, image, or remove entirely for minimal layout

• Page Layout: Choose stepper (multi-step) or single-page format

• Thank You Video: Embed a YouTube video post-donation

• Payment Methods: Enable/disable ACH, credit/debit cards, bank login (via Plaid)

• Fee Cover: Customize what % of transaction fees donors are asked to cover

You’ll access these via Elements > Checkout, then click into your default or any custom checkouts.

💸 Designations

Designations are donor-facing funds (e.g., General Fund, Scholarship Fund) that supporters choose from on your checkout.

Setup Steps:

• Go to Payments > Designations

• Add each fund with a name (optionally, add description and thank-you video)

• On your checkout, choose:

  • Fixed Designation (locked to a fund)

  • Selectable Designation List (donor chooses from dropdown or prominent selector)

Use Case Example:

Let’s say you have three ongoing funds: General, Scholarships, and Staff Support. Create all three as designations and allow donors to choose from them in your default checkout.

If you’re running a time-bound initiative (e.g., sabbatical campaign), create a custom checkout with a fixed designation and dedicated branding.

🌟 Campaigns

Campaigns are internal tools for tracking fundraising initiatives across emails, checkouts, and donations.

Campaign Setup:

• Go to Campaigns tab and create a new campaign

• Track:

  • Related donations

  • Supporter activity

  • Marketing performance (e.g., email click-throughs)

How Campaigns Work:

• Campaigns do not appear to donors

• When a campaign is associated with a checkout, the URL changes

• All donations via that checkout will show in the campaign's analytics

• Campaigns can also be linked to emails for performance tracking

Best Practices:

• Use campaigns for internal goals (e.g., $5k in April for sabbatical)

• Use designations for donor clarity (e.g., "I want to support the Sabbatical Fund")

📆 Recommended Next Steps