Charitable Documentation

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

WPBakery + Charitable Integration

Charitable Pro includes native integration with WPBakery Page Builder (formerly Visual Composer), allowing you to easily add donation forms, campaign displays, and donation buttons to your pages using WPBakery’s visual editor.

All Charitable elements are located in the “Charitable” category when adding elements in WPBakery. Simply click the “+” button in WPBakery, navigate to the Charitable category, and select the element you need.

Quick Reference

Element NamePurposeKey SettingsBest Use Case
Charitable CampaignDisplay a single campaign with all its detailsCampaign selectionCampaign detail pages, featured campaign sections
Charitable Donation FormDisplay a complete donation form for a campaignCampaign selectionDedicated donation pages, campaign pages
Charitable Donate ButtonDisplay a button or link to the donation pageCampaign, Button text, Button type, New tab optionCall-to-action sections, sidebar widgets, banners
Charitable CampaignsDisplay a grid or list of multiple campaignsNumber, Columns, Order, Filters, Display optionsCampaign listing pages, homepage sections

The Four Elements

1. Charitable Campaign

What it does: Displays a single campaign with all its information, including campaign description, progress bar, donation form (if enabled), and campaign details.

When to use it: Use this element when you want to showcase a specific campaign on a page. Perfect for campaign detail pages, featured campaign sections, or highlighting a particular fundraising effort.

Settings & Options:

Campaign – Select which campaign to display from the dropdown menu. Only published campaigns are available.

Customization Options:

  • Extra class name: Add custom CSS classes for styling
  • Element ID: Assign a unique ID for CSS targeting or JavaScript
  • CSS box (Design Options): Use WPBakery’s built-in CSS editor for custom styling

Note: This element displays the full campaign template, which includes all campaign information configured in your campaign settings.

2. Charitable Donation Form

What it does: Displays a complete donation form for a specific campaign. Supports both visual forms (new form builder) and legacy forms.

When to use it: Use this element when you want to embed a donation form directly on a page. Ideal for dedicated donation pages, campaign pages, or any page where you want to accept donations.

Settings & Options:

Campaign – Select which campaign’s donation form to display. The form will be configured based on the campaign’s form settings.

Form Types Supported:

  • Visual Forms: Modern form builder with drag-and-drop field configuration
  • Legacy Forms: Traditional form layout (if visual form is not enabled)

Preview Behavior:

  • Forms are displayed as read-only previews in the WPBakery editor for security and performance
  • Multi-step forms show only the first step in preview
  • Payment method selection is not shown in preview (placeholder message displayed)
  • Full functionality is available on the frontend when visitors view the page

Customization Options:

  • Extra class name: Add custom CSS classes for form styling
  • Element ID: Assign a unique ID for CSS targeting or JavaScript
  • CSS box (Design Options): Use WPBakery’s built-in CSS editor for custom styling

Important: The form preview in WPBakery is read-only and may not show all fields. Always test the actual donation process on the frontend to ensure everything works correctly.

3. Charitable Donate Button

What it does: Creates a button or link that directs visitors to a campaign’s donation page.

When to use it: Use this element for call-to-action buttons, sidebar widgets, banners, or anywhere you want a simple way to direct visitors to donate. Perfect when you don’t need the full form on the page.

Settings & Options:

Campaign – Select which campaign the button should link to.

Button Text – Customize the text displayed on the button. Default: “Donate”

Button Type – Choose how the button appears:

  • Button – Styled button with background and padding
  • Link – Text link with underline (no button styling)

Default: Button

Open in New Tab – Check this box to open the donation page in a new browser tab when clicked.

Customization Options:

  • Extra class name: Add custom CSS classes for button styling
  • Element ID: Assign a unique ID for CSS targeting or JavaScript
  • CSS box (Design Options): Use WPBakery’s built-in CSS editor for custom styling

Tip: Use the “Link” button type for a more subtle call-to-action, or “Button” type for a prominent, eye-catching donation prompt.

4. Charitable Campaigns

What it does: Displays a grid or list of multiple campaigns with filtering, sorting, and display options.

When to use it: Use this element for campaign listing pages, homepage sections showcasing multiple campaigns, or any page where you want to display several fundraising campaigns at once.

Settings & Options:

Basic Settings:

Number of Campaigns – How many campaigns to display. Default: Your site’s posts per page setting

Columns – Number of columns in the grid layout (1, 2, 3, or 4). Default: 2

Order By – How to sort campaigns:

  • Date – Most recently created first
  • Popularity – Most donations first
  • Ending Soon – Campaigns ending soonest first
  • Title – Alphabetical by campaign name
  • Random – Random order
  • Amount Raised – Highest amount raised first

Default: Date

Order – Sort direction (Ascending or Descending). Default: Descending

Filtering Options:

Categories – Filter by campaign category slugs. Enter comma-separated category slugs (e.g., “education,healthcare”).

Exclude Campaigns – Hide specific campaigns by ID. Enter comma-separated campaign IDs (e.g., “12,34,56”).

Include Inactive Campaigns – Check to include ended or inactive campaigns in the list.

Tags – Filter by campaign tag slugs. Enter comma-separated tag slugs (e.g., “urgent,featured”).

Parent Campaigns – Show only child campaigns of specified parent campaign IDs. Enter comma-separated parent campaign IDs (e.g., “12,34”).

Parent Only – Check to show only top-level campaigns (campaigns with no parent).

Display Options:

Button Type – What appears on each campaign card:

  • Donate Button – “Donate” button on each card
  • Read More Link – “Read More” link on each card
  • No Button – No button or link (just the campaign information)

Default: Donate Button

Description Limit – Maximum characters for campaign description (0-500). Default: 100

Responsive Grid – Enable responsive grid layout that adapts to screen size. Default: Enabled

Masonry Layout – Enable masonry (Pinterest-style) grid layout where items are arranged to fill gaps.

Customization Options:

  • Extra class name: Add custom CSS classes for grid styling
  • Element ID: Assign a unique ID for CSS targeting or JavaScript
  • CSS box (Design Options): Use WPBakery’s built-in CSS editor for custom styling

Tip: Combine filtering options to create custom campaign displays. For example, show only “featured” campaigns from the “education” category, sorted by amount raised.

Common Features (All Elements)

All four Charitable elements share these common customization options:

Styling Parameters

Extra class name (el_class)

Add one or more custom CSS classes to the element. Separate multiple classes with spaces. This allows you to target the element with custom CSS in your theme or via the Customizer.

Example: my-custom-campaign custom-border

Element ID (el_id)

Assign a unique HTML ID attribute to the element. This is useful for:

  • CSS targeting with #your-id
  • JavaScript interactions
  • Anchor links (jumping to a section on the page)

Important: IDs must be unique on the page. Don’t use the same ID for multiple elements.

CSS box (Design Options)

WPBakery’s built-in CSS editor that allows you to add custom CSS directly to the element. You can style:

  • Margins and padding
  • Borders and backgrounds
  • Typography
  • Responsive breakpoints

This CSS is scoped to the specific element, so it won’t affect other elements on the page.

Feedback Tab

All Charitable elements include a “Feedback” tab in their settings panel. This tab contains a feedback form where you can share:

  • Suggestions for new features
  • Ideas for additional WPBakery elements
  • Bug reports or issues you’ve encountered
  • General feedback about the integration

Your feedback helps us improve the WPBakery integration and prioritize new features. All feedback is reviewed by our development team.

Note: The feedback form opens in a new tab, so you won’t lose your work in the WPBakery editor.

Developer Notes

Technical Details

  • All Charitable elements use standard WPBakery shortcodes that can be customized programmatically
  • Elements can be styled using standard WordPress CSS methods (theme stylesheets, Customizer, or inline CSS via Design Options)
  • The integration respects WPBakery’s preview mode limitations for performance and security
  • All elements are fully responsive and work with WPBakery’s responsive design features

Shortcode Equivalents

Each WPBakery element corresponds to a Charitable shortcode:

  • Charitable Campaign[campaign id="123"]
  • Charitable Donation Form[charitable_donation_form campaign_id="123"]
  • Charitable Donate Button[charitable_donate_button campaign="123"]
  • Charitable Campaigns[campaigns number="6" columns="2"]

You can use these shortcodes directly in your content if you prefer, or customize them programmatically in your theme’s PHP files.

Customization via CSS

All elements can be customized using CSS. Here are some common customization approaches:

  1. Extra Class Name: Add a class, then target it in your theme’s stylesheet
  2. Design Options: Use WPBakery’s CSS box for element-specific styling
  3. Theme Stylesheet: Target Charitable’s default classes (e.g., .charitable-campaign, .charitable-donation-form)
  4. Child Theme: Override Charitable templates if you need more extensive customization

Known Limitations

Preview Mode Limitations

For security and performance reasons, some features work differently in WPBakery’s preview mode compared to the frontend:

  • Donation Forms: Forms are displayed as read-only previews in the editor. Visitors can interact with forms normally on the frontend.
  • Multi-Step Forms: Only the first step is shown in preview. All steps are available on the frontend.
  • Payment Methods: Payment gateway selection is not shown in preview (a placeholder message is displayed). Full payment options appear on the frontend.
  • Form Interactions: Form fields cannot be filled out or submitted in preview mode. This is intentional for security.

Important: Always test donation forms on the frontend to ensure the complete donation process works correctly.

Performance Considerations

  • Campaign lists are limited to 6 campaigns in WPBakery preview for performance
  • Pagination is disabled in preview mode
  • Some JavaScript features may be disabled in preview to prevent conflicts with WPBakery’s editor

Troubleshooting

Elements Not Showing in WPBakery

  • Check WPBakery Version: Ensure you’re running WPBakery 6.0 or higher. Older versions are not supported.
  • Check Charitable Pro Version: Ensure you’re running Charitable Pro 1.8.10.5 or higher.
  • Clear Cache: Clear any caching plugins and browser cache, then refresh the WPBakery editor.
  • Check Category: Look for the “Charitable” category in the element picker (not “Content” or other categories).

Form Preview Not Working

  • Check Campaign Settings: Ensure the selected campaign has a donation form enabled in its settings.
  • Check Form Type: Verify whether the campaign uses a visual form or legacy form in the campaign editor.
  • Preview Limitations: Remember that forms are read-only in preview. Test on the frontend for full functionality.

Styling Not Applying

  • Check CSS Specificity: Your custom CSS may need higher specificity to override default styles.
  • Use Design Options: Try using WPBakery’s CSS box (Design Options) for element-specific styling.
  • Clear Cache: Clear browser and WordPress cache to see style changes.
  • Check Theme Conflicts: Some themes may override Charitable styles. Use browser developer tools to inspect elements.

Campaigns Not Displaying

  • Check Filters: Review your filtering options (categories, tags, exclude lists) – they may be too restrictive.
  • Check Campaign Status: Ensure campaigns are published. Unpublished campaigns won’t appear unless “Include Inactive” is checked.
  • Check Number Setting: Verify the “Number of Campaigns” setting isn’t set to 0.

Feedback & Suggestions

We’re constantly working to improve the WPBakery integration based on user feedback. Your input helps us prioritize new features and enhancements.

How to Submit Feedback

You can submit feedback in two ways:

  1. Via Element Settings: Open any Charitable element in WPBakery, click the “Feedback” tab, and use the feedback form.
  2. Via Support: Contact our support team with your suggestions or feature requests.

What We’re Looking For

We’d love to hear your ideas for:

  • New Elements: What additional Charitable elements would be useful in WPBakery?
  • Feature Enhancements: How can we improve existing elements?
  • Display Options: What new display or layout options would you find helpful?
  • Integration Improvements: What would make the integration easier to use?
  • Workflow Improvements: How can we streamline your workflow when building donation pages?

Future Expansion Plans

Based on user feedback, we’re considering adding:

  • Additional campaign display layouts
  • More filtering and sorting options
  • Custom template options
  • Integration with WPBakery’s advanced features

Have a suggestion? We want to hear it! Use the Feedback tab in any Charitable element or contact our support team.

Thank You!

Thank you for using Charitable Pro with WPBakery Page Builder. Your feedback and suggestions help us create better tools for fundraising and making a difference in the world.

Support & Resources

Still have questions? We’re here to help!

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donation form New

👉🏻 New Campaign Selector For Donation Forms

Take your campaign management to the next level. Find the perfect fundraiser for any page and stay in your creative flow with our new Campaign Selector integration.

The Ultimate Selection Tool

No more hunting for IDs or creating one page for every donation form. Use the new Campaign Selector to allow users to switch to a campaign with no code.

⚡ Instant Search: Quickly find any campaign leaving your page or post.

⚙️ Editor Agnostic: Whether you’re using the Block Editor, Elementor, or WPBakery, selecting your campaigns is now a unified experience.

🚀 Real-Time Previews: See exactly which campaign you’ve selected instantly, ensuring your donors always see the right cause.

Integration New

WordPress Command Palette Integration

Take your fundraising workflow to the next level. Speed up your site management and stay in your creative flow with our new WordPress Command Palette integration.

Supercharge Your Workflow
Navigate your fundraising dashboard faster than ever.

The Ultimate Keyboard Shortcut Hit Cmd + K (or Ctrl + K) to launch the Command Palette and manage your campaigns instantly.

⚡ Instant Navigation: Jump directly to your Campaigns, Donations, or Settings from anywhere in the editor.

➕ Quick Create: Start a new fundraising campaign or add a manual donation with a single command.

Efficiency Redefined
The tools you need, exactly when you need them.

⚙️ Contextual Actions: See relevant Charitable commands based on whether you’re editing a page or viewing your reports.

🚀 Seamless Integration: Built directly into the WordPress core experience for a lightweight, native feel.

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.