GiveWP

Posted on March 24, 2023 | Updated on March 28, 2023

Nonprofits often have a difficult time figuring out how best to reach new donors and help their organization thrive. That’s one of the reasons we were so excited to come across GiveWP and feature it as a WordPress plugin.

While we typically focus on small businesses, marketing agencies, designers and their needs, not-for-profit organizations have similar needs when it comes to web design and plugins. 

Independent Sector’s quarterly review of the United States nonprofit sector estimated about 1.8 million not-for-profit organizations in the country. People tend to have their favorite charities they donate to. If you want to attract new supporters, you must find ways to make giving as easy and intuitive as possible. 

When we stumbled across donation apps, we spent a bit of time studying different options for nonprofits that were affordable and easy enough for any size organization to use. Whether you run a small animal rescue or a large nonprofit backed by big names, GiveWP should fill the gap. 

GiveWP Top Free Features

givewp screenshot
Source: https://givewp.com

GiveWP has over 100,000 active installations and 590 reviews with a 4.5 out of 5-star rating. The company estimates over $250 million has been raised with the help of their plugin since 2015. 

The free version of the plugin is filled with features. Users can also purchase add-ons if the free version doesn’t quite meet their needs. Their blog is also a helpful resource, offering advice about improving fundraising efforts. Here are a few of our favorite things about GiveWP.

Custom Forms

One thing we liked about this plugin was how easy it is to customize and make it match the overall design of your website. You can fully integrate it into what you’re already doing without spending a small fortune on one-off solutions. 

Multi-Step Forms

One thing we love about this WP plugin is the way you can customize the buyer’s journey. As the person moves through the sales funnel on your nonprofit website, they first click on a “Donate Now” button and then move to a page with common amounts listed. Each page has only a step or two to keep the person moving through the funnel and highly engaged. 

Donor Wall

The plugin allows you to create a donor wall and give contributors recognition. You can even let people leave a few words of encouragement or a note about why they chose to give to the cause. 

You could also combine the plugin with MemberPress and offer special promotions, such as a free book with donation. 

Dashboard

Your donors can login and check out their past giving, download receipts for tax purposes or set up recurring payments to your organization. Allowing access to basic donor information saves your administration staff time to focus on building a bigger following. 

Favorite Paid Features

Need a little more flexibility than the free version of the plugin offers? GiveWP offers quite a few basic and premium add-ons. You can buy any single feature for $79 per year for basic ones and $149 per year for premium. However, your best value might be in their package prices, which we’ll talk about under the pricing section of this page. 

Some of the add-on features you can invest in include:

Custom Fields 

Rather than relying on the basic forms already created based on what’s popular, you can customize your forms for anything you can think of. For example, if you’re running an event where participants will get a T-shirt, you can request their tee size. 

Recurring Donations 

Do you want donors to be able to select recurring donations and give to you monthly or quarterly? This add-on creates a checkbox to make setting up the recurring donation simple. 

Currency Switcher

Do you want to reach donors around the world? Expand your supporter list by allowing people to donate in the currency of their choice. 

Fee Recovery

The costs of processing payments can eat into your donations. Give your supporters a chance to help you recover some of those fees. 

Designations

Do you have a number of causes you’re supporting? You can allow your donors to indicate which cause they want the donation to go to. The add-on is particularly useful to charities such as churches, where donors might give money for a general fund or special events, such as a youth retreat. 

Do I Need GiveWP Add-Ons?

Each organization is unique. Your fundraising campaigns will dictate which add-ons might be best for your needs. For example, the peer-to-peer fundraising feature might benefit a charity wanting to gain new followers. 

The price for adding on features can add up. As mentioned above, you can buy any basic add-on for $79 per year and any premium for $149 per year. The one exception is the peer-to-peer capabilities, which run more. 

givewp pricing donor plugin
Source: https://givewp.com/pricing

The better value is one of the giving plugin’s packages. 

  • Basic: All basic add-ons for $149 per year. You gain access to all payment gateways, as well, for a single site. 
  • Plus: $349 per year gives you everything in Basic plus all premium add-ons and recurring donations. 
  • Pro: Runs $499 per year and gives you all basic and premium add-ons plus peer-to-peer fundraising. 
  • Agency: Runs $599 per year and gives you everything but for up to five different websites. 

Since just a single basic add-on runs $79, paying for a Basic package covers the cost of two and gives you all the others as bonuses. 

How to Install and Configure GiveWP

GiveWP is one of the most intuitive programs we’ve seen for nonprofit websites running on WordPress. Installing and configuring the plugin happens in a few simple steps. 

Step 1: Install the Plugin

givewp dashboard

You can add GiveWP two different ways. You could download it from the website or from WordPress.org and upload it under Plugins/Add New/Upload Plugin. Alternatively, you can click on Plugins/Add New and search for the term “GiveWP” to find the correct plugin and automatically install it. 

We tend to prefer the second method, but it really makes no difference which you use. You can, of course, also upload the files to the plugins folder via FTP and then activate in your dashboard. 

Step 2: Change Settings

givewp settings

The GiveWP website offers a live demo so you can try it before you install the program. Once you’ve activated the plugin, you’ll see a tab on the left sidebar titled “Donations.” Hover over the tab and choose “Settings.” 

From here, you can tap into many pre-installed features such as a success page and choosing payment gateways. Set up automated emails under the Emails tab. 

Step 3: View Reports

givewp fundraising overview

We love how you can see your donor information at a glance, including the last time they gave and how much. You can even see if they’re a one-time donor or repeat supporter. Other reports include how much is in each fund and favorite donation methods. 

Isn’t It Easier to Just Take PayPal Donations?

While organizations can certainly take donations from various third-party websites, the convenience of having a central donation spot means you can tap into different payment types and keep track of giving. 

While organizations don’t necessarily need a giving plugin, as with many other digital tools, it makes the entire process easier for users and the charity. We suggest giving the free version a try or taking their live demo for a spin and seeing how it ramps up your fundraising efforts. 

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