Requires:
- Charitable Pro 1.8.16+
- Charitable Ambassadors 3.0.0+
Charitable Ambassadors 3.0 needs Charitable Pro 1.8.16 or later to work. If your Pro is on an older version, you’ll see a yellow warning when an Ambassadors 3.0 update is available. Updating Charitable Pro first is all it takes to clear it.
This page covers what the warning looks like, the right order to update, and what to do if anything looks off.
The warning on your Plugins screen
When a new Ambassadors 3.0 update is offered but your Charitable Pro is older than 1.8.16, you’ll see a yellow heads-up under the Ambassadors row:
Heads up: Charitable Ambassadors 3.0 requires Charitable Pro 1.8.16 or later. Your current version: 1.8.15.3. Please update Charitable Pro first.
The exact version numbers reflect what your site has now and what Ambassadors would update to.
If you don’t see that yellow paragraph, your Pro is already on 1.8.16 or newer and you can update Ambassadors directly.
The right order: Pro first, then Ambassadors
- Update Charitable Pro. Find Charitable Pro on the Plugins screen and click update now. When it finishes, the row should show version 1.8.16 or higher.
- Update Ambassadors. The yellow warning paragraph disappears on the next page load. Click update now on the Ambassadors row and the update proceeds normally.
You can also tick both rows under Plugins > Updates and click Update Plugins to do them together. WordPress processes them in order, so Ambassadors sees the newer Pro by the time its turn comes up.
What happens if you update Ambassadors before Pro
It depends on which Ambassadors version is currently installed:
- On Ambassadors 2.3.11 or later: the update is stopped before your existing files are replaced. WordPress shows a clear error explaining that Pro needs to update first. Your site keeps running on the version it had a moment before.
- On Ambassadors 2.3.10 or earlier (or if you uploaded a 3.0 zip manually): the update completes, but Ambassadors lands in a paused mode. Donations to existing fundraiser pages keep coming in, but the Ambassadors admin area is locked behind a clear “update Charitable Pro” notice until you do.
Either way, your data is safe. Campaigns, donations, ambassadors, and teams are not touched.
If Ambassadors 3.0 is already installed and Pro is still older than 1.8.16
If you ended up here, your site is in the paused mode. Recovery is short:
- Update Charitable Pro to 1.8.16 (or later). As soon as the update finishes, the Ambassadors admin unlocks on the next page load. The notice disappears and the normal tabs return. Any fundraiser submissions that arrived while admin was paused are waiting for review.
If you can’t update Pro right now:
- Click “Deactivate Ambassadors” on the upgrade notice page. Your data is untouched. You can reactivate later once Pro is current.
- Or roll back to a previous Ambassadors version by downloading the 2.3.x zip from your wpcharitable.com account and uploading it via Plugins > Add New > Upload Plugin. Most sites won’t need this, but the option exists.
After Ambassadors 3.0 is installed
Two things change immediately:
- The admin menu moves Ambassadors out from under Charitable > Settings and gives it its own top-level item at Charitable > Ambassadors.
- A welcome notice appears at the top of the new Ambassadors screen with a link to the 3.0 release notes.
Your saved settings, campaigns, fundraisers, and donations all carry forward. No data migration is needed.
Troubleshooting
No Pro update is offered
If Charitable Pro shows your current version but no “update now” link, the update list may not have refreshed yet.
- Go to Dashboard > Updates and click Check Again.
- Confirm your license key is active under Charitable > Settings > General > Licenses. An expired or deactivated license stops update offers from reaching your site.
If the license is current and the update still doesn’t appear, contact us from your account at wpcharitable.com.
Your license has expired
Ambassadors 3.0 is a paid upgrade. If your support and update window has lapsed, your site won’t be offered the update. You can:
- Renew at wpcharitable.com to restore the update offer.
- Keep running your current Ambassadors 2.x version. It keeps working.
- If you already landed on 3.0 with an expired license, use the Deactivate Ambassadors link on the upgrade notice page to park the plugin cleanly. Your data stays in the database.
You’re running Charitable Lite, not Pro
Ambassadors 3.0 needs Charitable Pro. If your site is on Charitable Lite, you’ll see the same warning and the upgrade is blocked. To use Ambassadors 3.0, add a Charitable Pro license. Your existing Lite donations and campaigns continue working when Pro is activated alongside.
You uploaded an Ambassadors 3.0 zip manually and the install failed
If you grabbed the Ambassadors 3.0 zip from your wpcharitable.com account and tried to install it via Plugins > Add New > Upload Plugin, the safety check stops that path too. Update Charitable Pro first, then re-try the Ambassadors zip upload. Your existing install stays untouched in the meantime.
FAQ
Why Pro 1.8.16 specifically? That’s the Pro release that introduces the helpers Ambassadors 3.0 relies on. Older Pro versions don’t have them.
Will this affect my Ambassadors 2.x site if I’m not upgrading? No. The check only fires when an Ambassadors 3.0 install is being attempted. Running Ambassadors 2.x against an older Pro keeps working normally.
Can I update Ambassadors and Charitable Pro in the same batch? Yes. WordPress processes them in order, so Ambassadors sees the newer Pro by the time it’s checked.
Will my campaigns, donations, or ambassadors be lost? No. Your data carries through every path on this page: updates, lockouts, deactivation, and even rolling back to 2.x.
Does this affect multisite networks? Yes. Each subsite checks its own active Charitable version. Update Pro network-wide first, then push Ambassadors 3.0.
