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How to Connect your Square Test Account in Charitable

Testing your Square payment gateway before going live is crucial for ensuring a smooth donation experience. This guide will walk you through connecting your Square test account (sandbox) to Charitable.

Prerequisites

Before you begin, make sure you have:

  • A Square account
  • Charitable plugin installed and activated
  • WordPress admin access

In this Guide

Step 1: Set Up Your Square Sandbox Environment

First, sign up for Square if you haven’t already, then log in to your Square developer console.

Note: The Developer Console is specifically for managing your developer applications and API access, while the Square Dashboard is for general business operations.

You should see a page like this:

Square application tab

Here, you’ll see a navigation menu on the left. Open the Sandbox test accounts page.

On this page, you’ll see a default test account along with a ‘Square Dashboard’ link.

Sandbox test tab with Square dashboard link

Click on this link and a new tab will open with your Sandbox Square dashboard.

You should see a Sandbox icon at the top of the page. This will indicate that this isn’t your live dashboard.

Square sandbox dashboard

Important: Keep this Sandbox dashboard tab open and active throughout the entire connection process. This is a requirement from Square (not Charitable) and is necessary for the connection to work properly.

You’ll want to keep this tab open for any future Square testing as well, not just the initial setup.

Step 2: Connect Square to Charitable

Now you’re ready to connect your Square sandbox account to Charitable.

Navigate to your WordPress admin dashboard. From the menu on the left, go to Charitable » Settings » Payment Gateways tab.

Here, you can enable Square by clicking on the Enable Gateway button, if you haven’t already done so:

Charitable Square enable gateway

On the same page, make sure Test Mode is enabled – this is crucial for sandbox testing. Enable this and hit the Save Changes button.

Turn on test mode

Now use the Gateway Settings button to access Square’s configuration options. On this page, find the Connection Status section. Click “Connect to your Square account (sandbox)” button.

Square connection status sandbox

Click Save Changes to finalize the connection.

Remember: The Square sandbox dashboard tab must remain open in another browser tab for the connection to be successful. After this, continue to keep the Square sandbox dashboard open in another tab. Any test transactions you make in Charitable will be recorded in your sandbox account.

Testing Your Connection

Once you’ve completed the setup:

  • Test sample payments to ensure the gateway is working correctly
  • Verify that transactions appear in both your Charitable dashboard and Square sandbox
  • Check that donation confirmations are being sent properly

Your Square test account is now connected to Charitable and ready for testing! You can process test donations to ensure everything works smoothly before switching to live mode.

FAQs on Connecting Square Test Account

When I try to connect my Square sandbox account, I see a blank white page. How do I fix this?

You will need to sign into your Square developer console and open the sandbox dashboard. This dashboard needs to be active in another tab while you connect your Charitable account to Square.

Why do I need to keep my Square sandbox dashboard active in another tab for this to work?

This is a requirement from Square (not Charitable) and is necessary for the connection to work properly. Keep your Sandbox dashboard tab open and active throughout the entire connection process. You’ll want to keep this tab open for any future Square testing as well.

How do I turn off Test Mode in Charitable?

Go to Charitable » Settings » Payment Gateways tab. Here, you can turn off test mode and save changes.

Where can I find tips and nonprofit advice from Charitable?

We regularly share practical guides, proven strategies, and insider tips to help you raise more funds and build stronger donor relationships. Join thousands of nonprofits who get our best content delivered straight to them:

No fluff, just actionable advice from people who understand the challenges you face every day.

Need help with other Charitable features? Check out our other documentation guides or contact support.

Still have questions? We’re here to help!

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What’s New:

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  • 🖱️ Place it Anywhere: Use the dedicated WordPress block or a simple shortcode to drop a donate button into sidebars, footers, or even mid-sentence in your storytelling.

  • 🎨 Full Design Control: Match your brand perfectly with customizable background colors, hover effects, border radius, and font sizes—all without touching a single line of CSS.

Whether you need a simple “Donate Now” link or a high-converting popup button, the Modal Donate Button gives you the flexibility to raise more with less effort.

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⚡ Reduce donor friction: Open the donation form in a modal overlay to keep donors on the page and reduce drop-off.

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👉🏻 Showcase Real Momentum with the Donations Feed

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🤝 Build instant trust: Overcome donor hesitation by showing a proven track record of community support.
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🛠️ Drop it anywhere: Easily add the block to your homepage, campaign pages, or confirmation screens in seconds.
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The Ultimate Discovery Experience

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⚡ No-Code Customization: Effortlessly change layouts, columns, and styles with a single click. Whether you want a clean grid or an interactive carousel, you can match your organization’s look without any CSS or JavaScript.

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The Ultimate Engagement Tool

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📣 Easy Storytelling: Quickly post text updates, milestones, or field reports to show exactly how donations are being put to work, keeping the momentum alive throughout your fundraiser.

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📩 Build Donor Trust: By consistently sharing progress and success stories, you create a transparent giving experience that encourages recurring support and deeper community involvement.

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