Charitable Documentation

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

3 Ways to Add Code Customizations to Your Site

One of the key benefits of using Charitable is that it provides many ways in which you can customize.

We manage a growing library of code snippets at https://library.wpcode.com/profile/wpcharitable/ which show different ways that you can tailor Charitable to your needs.

But if you want to add a bit of code to your site, how should you do it? There are several ways to do this.

Option 1: Create a custom plugin

Now, this probably sounds quite hard, but it is easier than you think! As long as you have FTP access to your website, this solution is the most efficient way to add custom code to your site.

Here’s how to create a custom plugin in three steps:

  1. Create a folder called my-custom-code.
  2. Inside this plugin, create a new file called my-custom-code.php.
  3. At the top of this file, paste the following:
/**
 * Plugin Name: My Custom Code
 * Description: A plugin with all my custom code.
 * Version:     1.0.0
 * Author:      Your Name
 * Author URI:  https://yourwebsite.com/
 */

Upload the my-custom-code folder to your wp-content/plugins folder via FTP, then navigate to the Plugins page in your WordPress dashboard and you should see your “My Custom Code” plugin listed there. Activate it.

You now have a custom plugin that you can drop code snippets into directly. The benefit of this approach is that it will work with any theme, and it gives you the maximum amount of control over what you are doing.

Option 2: Use the Code Snippets plugin

If you don’t like the idea of creating your own plugin, the next best approach is to use a plugin called WPCode.

Option 3: Use your child theme’s functions.php file

If you are using a child theme, you can add code snippets directly to its functions.php file. While you could also add this to a regular theme’s functions.php file, the risk with this approach is that you will lose your customizations when you update to a new version of the theme.

Still have questions? We’re here to help!

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Improvement New Security

📣 New Security Features

We’ve introduced a suite of new security tools to give you total control over who accesses your forms, plus a new way to tidy up your database.

Advanced Security Suite

Layered protection: Cloudflare, ReCAPTCHA, IP Controls, and Rate Limiting.

We have overhauled our security settings to stop bots without blocking real donors.

  • 🤖 Flexible Protection: Choose between Google reCAPTCHA v3 or the privacy-first Cloudflare Turnstile to block bots invisible.

  • 🚦 Rate limiting: Stop spam floods by limiting how many submissions an IP address can make in a set timeframe.

  • 🛑 Total control: Use the new IP Blacklist to block bad actors instantly, or the IP Whitelist to let your team bypass checks during testing.

The Clean Donation Tool

Go from “Testing” to “Live” in seconds.

Finished setting up your site and need to get rid of all those test transactions?

  • 🧹 Sweep it clean: Bulk delete test donations and donor records with a single click.

  • 📉 Accurate reporting: Ensure your revenue stats are 100% accurate for launch day.

  • ⚙️ Reset sequences: Automatically resets sequential invoice numbering.

donation form New

🏗️ Visual Donation Form Builder

Building the perfect donation form just got easier. We have completely reimagined how you create forms with a new drag-and-drop interface.

Design Visually, in Real-Time

No coding, no guessing. Just point, click, and build.

Say goodbye to confusing settings pages. You can now edit your form and see exactly what your donors will see, instantly.

  • 🖱️ Drag & Drop: Easily add fields like names, addresses, or file uploads by dragging them exactly where you want them.

  • 🎨 Customize everything: Click any field to tweak labels, placeholders, and requirement settings on the fly.

  • 👁️ Live preview: See your changes immediately as you make them—ensure your form flows perfectly before you hit publish.

Flexible & Powerful

Works with all your existing campaigns.

  • 🧩 Deep customization: Add custom HTML, shortcodes, or CSS classes for advanced branding.

  • ⚙️ Smart fields: Collect exactly what you need with support for dropdowns, checkboxes, dates, and hidden fields.

Leaderboards New

🏆 Donor Leaderboards!

Turn your fundraising into a community event. Recognize your most generous supporters and inspire friendly competition with our new leaderboard tools.

Gamify Your Fundraising

Celebrate your top donors and encourage others to climb the ranks.

Create a public “Hall of Fame” to give your donors the recognition they deserve.

  • 🎨 Two stunning layouts: Choose the List View for a clean, data-rich table or the Card View for a modern, visual grid with avatars.

  • 🥇 Automatic highlights: The top 3 supporters get special Trophy and Crown icons to make them stand out.

  • 🧩 Place it anywhere: Add it to any page using the new Gutenberg Block, or drop it directly into your campaign using the Visual Builder.

Total Customization

You decide what to show and what to hide.

  • ⚙️ Flexible data: Choose to display or hide donation amounts, donor counts, or avatars.

  • 🔄 Lifetime stats: Works seamlessly with Recurring Donations to show a donor’s all-time total impact.

Improvement New templates

🎨 New Templates & List Builder

Launch faster and design better. We’ve added three professional campaign templates and a versatile new content block to help you tell your story.

3 New Campaign Templates

Ready-to-use designs for specific fundraising needs.

Don’t start from scratch. Pick a template tailored to your cause and launch in minutes.

  • 🎄 Holiday Fundraiser: A warm, festive design perfect for year-end giving, toy drives, or food pantries.

  • 🎓 School Fundraiser: Built for PTAs and sports teams. clearly highlights goals like playground upgrades or classroom tech.

  • Church Fundraiser: A trustworthy layout designed for building funds, mission trips, and tithes.

The New “List” Block

Organize your campaign details without writing code.

Make your campaign pages easier to scan and more visually engaging with our new builder block.

  • 📝 Flexible layouts: Choose from 3 distinct styles to display sponsorship levels, donation perks, or project goals.

  • 🎨 Rich customization: Add colorful headlines, support for emojis, and unlimited list items.

  • 👣 Smart footers: Include a built-in footer for extra context or a final Call to Action.