Charitable Documentation

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

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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
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Integration page builder

👉🏻 New in Charitable: Native Elementor Widgets for Seamless Campaign Building

With native Elementor widgets, you design donation campaigns right alongside the rest of your page without touching code. Here’s how it works, and why it’s worth turning on today.

Create fundraising pages that are VISUAL, NATIVE, AND SHORTCODE-FREE. You can also:

⚡ Mini Donation: Add a compact, high-converting donation widget with preset amounts and full color control.

⏳ Campaign Countdown: Build urgency for a deadline-driven appeal, complete with optional confetti when the goal is hit.

📣 Donation Feed: Prove momentum by showing visitors the social proof of real people giving right now.

🏆 Donor Leaderboard: Celebrate top supporters with gold, silver, and bronze styling to spark friendly giving.

🖼️ Campaign Showcase: Feature multiple campaigns in a landing page grid or carousel, with search, filters, and badges.

Learn more here.

Addon New

🗒️ Custom Receipts… New Addon!

With Custom Receipts, you decide which page your donors see, on every campaign. Here’s how it works, and why it’s worth turning on today.

Left side shows a donation receipt with donation number, date, total, and payment method for a gift to Anywhere, titled 'One Family Gets Clean Water For A Week.'

Create receipts that are CUSTOM TO THE DONOR OR CAMPAIGN. You can also:

📅 Year-end appeal: Reinforce the goal and invite donors to share while momentum is high.

🎗️ Memorial or tribute campaign: Give a gentle, respectful thank-you that fits the moment.

💎 Major gifts: Show a special message only to donors who give above a threshold.

🔁 Recurring growth: Invite one-time donors to become monthly supporters right on the receipt.

🌍 Global campaigns: Surface a country-specific note, like a Gift Aid reminder, only where it applies.

Learn more here.

New templates

🤩 New Beacon Campaign Templates w/ “Hero” Block!

With the new Beacon Campaign Templates for Charitable Pro, you can launch a stunning, full-width fundraising page that instantly captures visitor attention above the fold.

Fundraising page header for Save Maple Grove Park with a donation widget and a small square photo of a sunlit tree thumbnail on the left.

🔦 Above-the-Fold Impact: Lead with a full-width hero image, your logo, and your goal with a donation widget locked right on top of the banner so your ask and momentum register instantly without scrolling.

📐 Two Flexible Layouts: Choose between a structured two-column layout for side-by-side storytelling and supporting details, or a clean one-column view designed for uninterrupted long-form narratives.

⚡ All-in-One Hero Field: Powered by the new Campaign Hero field, bringing background media, live progress bars, custom donation amounts, and recurring giving tabs together into a single cohesive block that can be dropped into any layout.

🎨 Automatic Theme Matching: The hero banner and donation widget automatically inherit your campaign theme’s button and accent colors, ensuring your entire presentation stays beautifully on-brand without touching a line of CSS.

Learn more here.

donation form Feature New

📝 Donation Form Block: Embed a Working Donation Form Anywhere

With the new Donation Form Block for Charitable Pro, you can drop a fully working donation form directly onto any page or post in the WordPress block editor. No redirects, no page reloads, and zero friction between reading your story and making a contribution.

📝 Drop Forms Anywhere: Place a working form directly onto your homepage, inside a story-driven blog post, on a dedicated landing page, or within a campaign announcement.

🎯 Dynamic Campaign Binding: Easily choose a specific campaign from the block sidebar or set it to automatically bind to whichever campaign is currently being viewed.

📐 Full vs. Minimal Form Views: Switch between a full layout or a compact minimal view to perfectly fit sidebars, narrow columns, or wide landing pages.

🎨 Scoped No-Code Styling: Customize typography, container spacing, border radius, amount buttons, and accent colors independently for every form instance without touching a line of CSS.

Learn more here.

ambassadors New

👤 Creator Profiles: Put a Face to Every Peer-to-Peer Campaign

Ambassadors 3.3.0 now provies Creator Profiles — giving your supporters a permanent, shareable public home that turns one-time fundraisers into ongoing relationships.

👤 Public Creator Pages: Give every fundraiser an instant, clean landing page at /creator/their-name/ to showcase their custom avatar, bio, and a browsable grid of their campaigns.

📊 Proof of Impact: Boost donor trust by displaying site-wide milestones on the profile—like total funds raised and total donor counts.

💳 Interactive Hover Cards: When donors hover over a creator’s name on a campaign page, a compact card expands with their bio and social handles right at the moment of decision.

📍 Responsible Location Sharing: Allow creators to safely show local supporters where they are based using only city, state, and country details.

🛠️ Self-Serve Customization: Fundraisers can update their own profiles and link up to six social networks directly from the My Campaigns hub, saving you admin time.

Ready to empower your advocates? Update to Ambassadors 3.3.0 and turn on “Enable Public Creator Page” today!

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