Charitable Documentation

Learn how to make the most of Charitable with clear, step-by-step instructions.

The Email Fields API

The Email Fields API was introduced in version 1.5 and provides a cleaner way to add new email tags or modify existing ones.

Defining a Field

An email field is defined as an array with a few arguments, and a key which is used for the show parameter in the [charitable_email] shortcode.

Arguments

  • description: The description that will be shown for the email tag.
  • preview: The placeholder value that will be used for this email tag in email previews.
  • callback: A function that will be executed to get the tag value for a particular email.
  • value: A fixed value for the email tag. If this is set, callback will not be used and is not required.

In addition, an email field has a key which will be used when the tag is added.

Callback arguments

The callback function will receive three arguments:

  • $value: The default value (an empty string). This is provided primarily for backwards-compatibility purposes.
  • $args: The shortcode arguments. This will always include the show parameter but may include other arguments if these are applicable to the email tag.
  • $email: An instance of Charitable_Email. You can use this to get the objects associated with the email (usually one of Charitable_Campaign, Charitable_Donation or Charitable_User).

Adding a Campaign email field

Campaign email fields can be added using the charitable_email_campaign_fields filter:

function ed_charitable_email_campaign_field_callback( $value, $args, $email ) {
    $campaign = $email->get_campaign();

    return $campaign->get( 'some_field' );
}

function ed_charitable_add_email_campaign_field( $fields ) {
    $fields['some_field'] = array(
        'description' => 'A description of this field',                    
        'preview'     => 'Placeholder value',
        'callback'    => 'ed_charitable_email_campaign_field_callback',
    );

    return $fields;
}

add_filter( 'charitable_email_campaign_fields', 'ed_charitable_add_email_campaign_field' );

Adding a Donation email field

Donation email fields can be addd using the charitable_email_donation_fields filter:

function ed_charitable_email_donation_field_callback( $value, $args, $email ) {
    $donation = $email->get_donation();

    return $donation->get( 'some_field' );
}

function ed_charitable_add_email_donation_field( $fields ) {
    $fields['some_field'] = array(
        'description' => 'A description of this field',                    
        'preview'     => 'Placeholder value',
        'callback'    => 'ed_charitable_email_donation_field_callback',
    );

    return $fields;
}

add_filter( 'charitable_email_donation_fields', 'ed_charitable_add_email_donation_field' );

Adding a User email field

Defining a new user email field follows the exact same process, but with the charitable_email_user_fields filter:

function ed_charitable_email_user_field_callback( $value, $args, $email ) {
    $user = $email->get_user();

    return $user->get( 'some_field' );
}

function ed_charitable_add_email_user_field( $fields ) {
    $fields['some_field'] = array(
        'description' => 'A description of this field',                    
        'preview'     => 'Placeholder value',
        'callback'    => 'ed_charitable_email_user_field_callback',
    );

    return $fields;
}

add_filter( 'charitable_email_user_fields', 'ed_charitable_add_email_user_field' );

Modifying Existing Email Fields

Existing email fields can also be changed with these filters. For example, you can use this to change the callback for an existing tag, or to edit the description.

Changing a field’s callback

function ed_charitable_donor_address_email_field_callback( $value, $args, $email ) {
    // Return the donor's address.
}

function ed_charitable_set_donor_address_email_field_callback( $fields ) {
    $fields['donor_address']['callback'] = 'ed_charitable_donor_address_email_field_callback';
    return $fields;
}

add_filter( 'charitable_email_donation_fields', 'ed_charitable_set_donor_address_email_field_callback' );

Changing a field’s description

function ed_charitable_set_user_login_email_field_description( $fields ) {
    $fields['user_login']['description'] = 'My user login description';
    return $fields;
}

add_filter( 'charitable_email_donation_fields', 'ed_charitable_set_user_login_email_field_description' );

Still have questions? We’re here to help!

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ambassadors New

🖨️ Introducing Fliers and Posters: Raise Money Away From the Screen!

A lot of peer-to-peer fundraising happens away from a screen: at the finish line of a 5K, on a school noticeboard, in an office kitchen. Charitable Ambassadors 3.4.7 adds 2 printables, a fundraiser flier carrying each fundraiser’s own story and QR code, and a recruitment poster that signs new fundraisers up. Both open as a normal web page and print straight from the browser. Why this is important:

  • 🏁 A flier for every fundraiser: Each one carries that fundraiser’s own photo, story and goal, with a QR code that opens their page rather than your main campaign.
  • 📌 A poster that recruits: It shows “Now Recruiting” above your campaign name with a large QR code that opens your sign-up form, so someone can start fundraising without waiting on a link from you.
  • 🪄 No design tool needed: Both printables render as a normal web page and print from the browser, with no PDF plugin and no designer.
  • 📄 2 flier layouts: Hand out carries the full story for giving to friends and family, and Post up carries a short hook with 5 tear-off tabs for a noticeboard.
  • 🛡️ Off until you switch it on: Fliers stay off after the update until you enable them under Charitable » Ambassadors » Other » Fliers, and only the owner or an administrator can open one.

Check out our announcement here.

Improvement Payments

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Fee Relief asks your donors one short question at checkout: would you like to cover the processing fee on this gift? Until now that question used a single rate for every donation on a gateway, so a $10 gift and a $500 gift were asked for the same percentage. Fee Relief 1.3.0 lets you set as many donation bands as you like, each carrying its own rate. Why this is important:

  • 🪙 Gentler on small gifts: A fixed transaction cost is a far bigger share of a $10 donation than a $500 one, so bands let you ask for less at the bottom.
  • 🎚️ As many bands as you need: Each band carries its own percentage and its own fixed amount, and the top band runs on with no upper limit.
  • 🛑 An optional ceiling: A Maximum fee field stops any donor being asked for more than a number you choose, however large the gift.
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  • 🛡️ Nothing changes until you say so: Your current rates stay exactly as they are until you switch Use Tiered Rates on under Charitable » Settings » Advanced » Fee Relief.

Check out our announcement here.

Donations Improvement

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Check out our announcement here.

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🎟️ Introducing Charitable Events: Sell Tickets Inside Your Campaigns!

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  • 🧾 Receipts ready for tax time: Give each ticket type a fair market value, and Charitable puts the correct tax-deductible amount on every donor receipt.
  • 📋 Attendee details at checkout: Ask every guest for a meal choice, shirt size, or access needs, with a separate attendee record created for each ticket.
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Check out our announcement here.

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🚀 Unleash AI Power in Charitable!

Your AI assistant can now build, edit, and manage your Charitable fundraising campaigns directly — just by asking. With Charitable Pro adding write support for the WordPress Abilities API, tools like ChatGPT, Claude, and Cursor can handle full administrative actions safely through MCP. Why this is important:

  • 🤖 Campaign creation in plain language: Prompt your assistant with a goal like “Set up a fundraiser for the shelter with a $5,000 goal”, and it builds a real draft campaign complete with suggested donation tiers.
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  • 🛡️ Safety and control by default: Write access stays strictly off until turned on in Charitable » Tools » AI MCP, keeping read-only reporting safe by default.
  • 📜 Full audit logging: Every change made by an AI assistant is tracked under Charitable » Tools » Logs, so you always know who (or what) updated your site.

Check out our announcement here.