Charitable Documentation

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

Popular Resources

Start Here

Donor Management

Recurring Donations

Peer-to-Peer Fundraising

Integrations

Extensions

How to Upgrade to the Charitable Pro Plugin

This guide will walk you through the simple steps to upgrade from Charitable “Lite” to a paid license, unlocking even more powerful features to support your non-profit, cause, or fundraising website. The upgrade process is straightforward and will ensure a seamless transition without losing any of your existing donation campaigns and records.

Important Note for Existing Customers: If you are an existing customer with a valid Charitable license, simply download the latest version of the plugin from the Downloads page in your Charitable account, upload it to WordPress, and make sure your license key is verified. See how here » In case you’re still facing issues, deactivate your license key and then reverify it. The rest is taken care of for you. You’re all set to use the new & improved Charitable Pro plugin. You do not need to purchase a new plan. You are eligible to download and use the Charitable Pro plugin if you have subscribed to any of our premium plans, including Basic, Plus, Pro, and Elite.

Table of Contents

Here are the steps to upgrading to Pro:

Purchasing a Charitable Pro License

To begin, visit our Charitable Pro Plans page. This page details all the enhanced features available with our paid license levels, specifically designed to help you achieve your fundraising goals. Take some time to review the options and see which best fits your organization’s needs.

Once you’ve found the right plan, click the Get Started button to proceed to checkout.

Charitable plan features

On the checkout page, we automatically apply a discount for your first year for upgrading to our Pro plugin. You will need to enter your account and payment information.

Auto applied discount on pro checkout

After completing all the required fields, click the Complete Checkout button to finalize your order. Once processed, you will see a receipt of your purchase on screen with a link to go to your Charitable Pro account.

Note: This receipt and the information you need to get started will also be sent to the email address you provided.

Accessing Your Charitable Pro Account

When you complete your purchase, a Charitable Pro account is automatically created for you to access your plugin downloads, license keys, receipts, and customer support any time you need.

In the receipt you see on your screen, click on “in your account” and it will take you to your account dashboard.

Charitable purchase confirmation receipt

When you open your account, the first thing you want to do is visit the Profile tab in your account. Here you’ll see your personal information that you entered in the checkout form.

Charitable profile tab in account dashboard

Scroll down to the password section and set a new password for your account. Keep a note of your credentials safely so that you can log back in when you need.

Change your password in Charitable account dashboard

Now head over to the Downloads tab and you’ll see a license key there. Click on the clipboard icon to copy this key and keep it ready for the next step.

Charitable license key in account

Important Note: Once you’ve purchased your license, you simply need to add the license key to your Charitable plugin settings in WordPress. This will automatically install the paid version of the plugin for you.

Activating The Charitable Pro Plugin

Note: The following steps are for self-hosted WordPress websites.

Make sure you are using the latest version of Charitable “Lite” (1.8.5+). If you are not, it’s best to upgrade to the latest version before you begin. If you have a long standing Charitable “Lite” install you might need to do a manual installation.

Log in to your WordPress website and go to Charitable Pro » Settings. On this page, you will find a field labeled License Key.

Verify charitable license key

Paste the copied key into this field and click the Verify Key button.

The automatic verification process will begin. Once your license key is verified, you will be redirected to a new screen asking for confirmation to proceed.

Charitable_connect

Click the Connect and Install Charitable Pro button to start the installation.

The paid plugin will now be automatically installed. This might take a few moments. Once complete, you will see a success message.

Charitable_connect_success

Note: If the automatic installation fails, it could be due to restrictions set by your hosting provider. In this case, you’ll need to manually install the paid version. The paid version of Charitable Pro is available on your download tab when you view your account on wpcharitable.com, just like any paid addons and extensions. You can refer to this guide here for more information.

After clicking OK on the success message, you will be redirected back to the Charitable Pro settings page. The paid version is now installed and ready to use.

You should see that your license key is verified and your license type is displayed.

Deleting The Old Charitable Plugin

Once Charitable Pro is successfully installed, you can safely delete the old version from your WordPress plugins page.

All your existing donation forms and settings will be automatically managed by the paid plugin, so no data will be lost by deleting the free version.

Navigate to the Plugins » Installed Plugins page in your WordPress admin menu. Now, find the deactivated Charitable plugin and click the Delete option.

Delete Charitable lite

That’s it! You’re all set to use Charitable Pro!

Frequently Asked Questions

Here are some common questions about upgrading to Charitable Pro.

Will my existing donation campaigns from Charitable Lite still be available after I upgrade?

Yes! After installing Charitable Pro and deleting the old plugin, all the donation forms and campaigns you created will still be there and fully functional.

What are the different plans available in Charitable Pro?

Charitable Pro offers flexible pricing tiers:

  • Basic ($69/year)- Perfect for small organizations
  • Plus ($99/year) – Ideal for growing nonprofits
  • Pro ($199/year) – Best for peer-to-peer and crowdfunding causes
  • Elite ($299/year) – Best for established charities and agencies

Each tier includes progressively more features and capabilities to match your organization’s needs.

Which plan do I need for Recurring Donations?

The recurring donations feature is available in Plus, Pro, and Elite. 

Is there a money-back guarantee?

Yes! Charitable Pro comes with a 14-day money-back guarantee. If you’re not completely satisfied with your Pro purchase, you can request a full refund within 14 days of your purchase – no questions asked.

Is there customer support available with Pro?

Absolutely! All Pro plans include customer support:

  • Basic and Plus plans get standard support with 48-hour response time
  • Pro and Elite Plans get priority email support with same-day response

Will I lose my data if I upgrade?

No, upgrading from Lite to Pro is seamless and preserves all your:

  • Existing campaigns
  • Donor information
  • Campaign settings
  • Donation history
  • Website customizations

The upgrade simply adds new features without affecting your current data.

I’m an existing customer, how do I get the Pro plugin?

If you are an existing customer, we made it easy to upgrade to the Pro plugin. Go to your Charitable account and open the Downloads tab. Here, download the latest version of the plugin available. Now go to your WordPress site and open the Plugins » Add New » Upload Plugin page. Here you can upload the plugin file. Make sure your license key is verified. That’s it.

Congratulations! You have now successfully upgraded to Charitable Pro and can access a wide range of additional features designed to enhance your fundraising efforts.

We encourage you to explore the new Pro Plugin’s features available to create even more impactful donation forms for your cause.

Still have questions? We’re here to help!

Submit a Support Ticket
Contact Us

Last Modified:

What's New In Charitable

View The Latest Updates
🔔 Subscribe to get our latest updates
📧 Subscribe to Emails

Email Subscription

Join our Newsletter

We won’t spam you. We only send an email when we think it will genuinely help you. Unsubscribe at any time!

ambassadors New

🔑 Introducing Passwordless Fundraisers: Sign Up With Just an Email!

Supporters arrive wanting to help, and then the form asks them to invent a password for a website they may only visit twice. A lot of them stop right there. Passwordless Fundraiser Accounts, new in Charitable Ambassadors 3.5.0, let a supporter start a peer to peer fundraiser with nothing but an email address. Why this is important:

  • 🔑 No password step to lose them at: Switch it on in Charitable » Ambassadors » Templates » Submit Form and the create-fundraiser form asks only for a name, an email address and a page title.
  • 👤 Still a real WordPress account: One click in one email confirms the address, signs them in and creates the account, so they can come back later to edit their story, change their photo and see who has donated.
  • 🎚️ Your call on every campaign: Each peer to peer campaign can follow the site default or override it, which matters when a campaign pays fundraisers through Stripe Connect and those people do need a password.
  • 📋 See who has not clicked yet: The Charitable » Ambassadors » Directory » Awaiting Sign-In tab lists everyone still waiting, with the campaign they joined and a Resend button, so a typo or a spam folder is something you can spot and fix.
  • 🛡️ Links a scanner cannot use up: Opening the link only shows a page, and your fundraiser is signed in when they press the button on it, so corporate email scanners never burn the link. Each one works once, expires on its own and is stored only as a hash.

Check out our announcement here.

ambassadors New

🏃 Introducing Activity: Show Progress on More Than Money!

Most peer-to-peer fundraisers are about more than the money. A read-a-thon is about minutes read, a walkathon is about miles walked, and a food drive is about meals packed. Activity for Charitable Ambassadors lets your fundraisers show that effort right beside the dollars they raise. Why this is important:

  • 🎯 Progress on what you actually count: A progress bar shows each thing you count against its own target, sitting right beside the money raised.
  • 🏅 Milestones for the yes or no things: A milestone badge marks the efforts that are simply done or not done, with no number to chase.
  • ✍️ Fundraisers log their own numbers: Your supporters enter their totals from their own pages, so the effort stops living in a spreadsheet, a comment, or nowhere at all.
  • 🤖 Some numbers count themselves: An AUTOMATIC tag appears wherever the site worked the figure out from completed donations, so you can see at a glance what nobody typed in.
  • 🧩 Set it up once, use it anywhere: You decide what gets counted one time, then choose which campaigns count it. Available now in Charitable Ambassadors 3.4.7, with no new plugin and no developer.

Check out our announcement here.

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

💸 Introducing Tiered Rates for Fee Relief: Match the Ask to the Gift!

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.
  • 🔌 Set per payment gateway: Stripe can run on four bands while Windcave and Payfast stay on a single rate, because bands belong to a gateway and not to your whole site.
  • 🛡️ 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

📊 Your Pro Dashboard Can Now Compare, Export, and Score!

Most fundraising dashboards only tell you how much you have raised. Charitable Pro 1.8.19 rebuilds the dashboard and the Reports Overview around the harder questions: whether anything is broken, whether this period beat the last one, and which single change would make the most difference today. Why this is important:

  • 📈 Every figure has a trend: Pick a period and the tiles and the chart move together, with each total shown against the previous period.
  • 🗓️ Charts that stay readable: Short ranges group donations day by day, while longer ranges group by week or month, so a full year reads as a curve instead of a flat line.
  • 🔀 Compare any 2 periods: Not just consecutive ones, so you can ask how this December did against last December. That matters because fundraising is seasonal.
  • 📤 Export the whole summary: Send the full overview out as CSV or PDF, ready for a board pack or a funder report.
  • 🎯 Score your setup for free: Have your fundraising setup scored, so the one change worth making next is the one you can see.

Check out our announcement here.

View All Announcements