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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automation update

⚡ Visual Automation Builder: Drag and Drop With No Code!

Charitable Automation Connect 2.3.0 introduces the Visual Automation Builder, a full-screen canvas that lays each automation out as a flow of connected cards: a trigger, optional conditions, and a list of actions that run in order.

🧩 Many actions, one trigger: Tag a donor, send an email, add a note, and fire a webhook from a single event, dragged into any order.

✉️ Act inside Charitable: New Send Email, Tag Donor, and Add Donor Note actions run with no external service required.

🔤 Merge tags: Personalize emails and notes with live fields like {first_name}, {total}, and {campaign_name}.

🔁 Apply to existing donors: Run Tag Donor and Add Donor Note against the donors you already have.

🖥️ Canvas or Simple: Switch views anytime, and automations built before 2.3.0 keep working unchanged.

Read more here.

Integration updated

📬 Introducing Brevo for Charitable: Turn Donors into Subscribers Automatically

The moment a supporter makes a gift is when they are most engaged. With the new Brevo integration for Charitable, you can automatically turn those one-time donors into long-term subscribers without touching a single spreadsheet.

Simply collect donor consent right on your donation form and start your welcome series immediately.

What’s New:

🔄 Automated Subscriber Sync: New donors who opt in are added straight to your Brevo contact list as soon as their payment clears—no manual exports or CSV imports required.

🎯 Granular Consent & Opt-In Control: Customize your checkbox label, choose whether it defaults to checked or unchecked, or turn on Brevo double opt-in to keep your list clean and compliant.

📋 Per-Campaign List Mapping: Route supporters to your global email list or map specific campaigns to targeted Brevo lists to tailor your follow-up messaging.

⚡ 5-Minute Setup: Connect instantly by pasting your Brevo API key into the Newsletter settings, map your contact fields, and start building your email list on autopilot.

Ready to grow your mailing list? Brevo is available now starting on the Charitable Plus plan—connect your account today!

recurring donations updated

💳 Introducing Card Updates: Fix Expired Cards Without Losing Subscriptions!

newExpired or updated credit cards are one of the biggest silent leaks in recurring fundraising. With Card Updates in the Recurring Donations extension, donors can now refresh their payment details directly—keeping their subscription, schedule, and giving history completely intact.

No canceled plans, no lost history, and zero administrative headache for your team.

What’s New:

⚡ 30-Second Self-Service: Donors get a dedicated “Update Card” button in their dashboard that opens Stripe’s secure, PCI-compliant Customer Portal to update card details instantly.

🔒 Scoped & Safe Access: Scoped exclusively to card updates by default, donors can’t accidentally cancel or alter their plans from inside the portal, keeping your webhooks and data in sync.

🤝 Admin-Assisted Support: Helping a donor on the phone? Open their secure Stripe portal in one click from your admin screen or generate a single-use update link to email them.

📋 Automatic Audit Trail: Every payment method update is recorded automatically with a timestamp in both system-wide logs and the individual donor’s profile.

Ready to protect your recurring revenue? Get the Plus or Pro plan and update Recurring Donations to 2.3.0+ and enable “Update Payment Method” under your Settings today!

Integration page builder

Divi Fans Rejoice! Native Divi 5 Campaign Progress Bar Module!

With our new native Divi 5 module, you can anchor your microsites with real-time fundraising stats directly on the visual canvas. Here’s how it works, and why it’s worth turning on today.

Create campaign updates that are VISUAL AND LIVE. You can also:

📊 Campaign Progress Bar: Drop a live progress bar into any Divi 5 layout and show goal progress in real time.

🎨 Deep styling controls: Easily customize the bar and track color, height, and radius to match your brand perfectly.

👁️ Visual Builder ready: Configure and preview everything directly on the Divi canvas as a first-class module.

🔁 Identical rendering: The same exact engine powers this module, meaning consistent design without legacy shims.

✅ Faster launches: Never leave the Divi 5 interface to configure shortcodes or guess how your goal labels will look.

Learn more here.

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.