Charitable Documentation

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

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Donor Management

Recurring Donations

Peer-to-Peer Fundraising

Integrations

Extensions

How to install and activate Charitable extensions

Charitable extensions are normal WordPress plugins which add extra features to Charitable.

1. Make sure you have activated your license

When you purchase a plugin license through wpcharitable.com, you will receive a single code to register Charitable as a paid (or a “pro” version, not a lite or free version).

After you make your purchase, check your email for the Purchase Receipt email.

Important: Can’t find email? Don’t worry. This code can also be found in your account dashboard on wpcharitable.com.

Once you activate your license in Charitable with this code you will be able to install Charitable extensions two ways.

2. Install the addon manually via wpcharitable.com.

You can download your plugin(s) through the wpcharitable.com account area. Simply log in using the account created when you made your purchase and then download the plugin from the Downloads tab.

Once you download a zip file of an extension you can install it on your site in one of two ways:

  1. Install it in the WordPress dashboard — the recommended approach.
  2. Install it through FTP.

How to install a plugin in your WordPress dashboard

You can install a Charitable extension in your WordPress dashboard. This is the way we recommend installing Charitable extensions, since it’s the easiest.

In your WordPress dashboard, go to Plugins > Add New:

Next, click on the Upload Plugin in the top left corner, attach the zip file you downloaded earlier, and finally click Install Now.

WordPress-plugin-install-with-a-zip-file

Skip ahead to find out how to activate your plugin.

How to install a plugin via FTP

If you have FTP access to your website server and you are comfortable with using an FTP program like Cyberducks or Filezilla, you can follow the steps below to install with FTP.

First of all, you will need to unzip the zip file you downloaded earlier. You will be uploading the plugin folder, not the zip file itself.

Next, log in to your website server using FTP. Navigate to the /wp-content/plugins directory in your WordPress installation files.

Upload the plugin folder to the plugins directory to install it.

Activate the plugin

Now that you have installed the plugin, the final step is to activate it.

If you installed the plugin via the WordPress dashboard, simply click on the Activate Plugin button:

You can also activate plugins by going to Plugins > Installed Plugins.

3. Installing via the addons screen in Charitable

You can also do a one-click install of an extension or addon you have available in your plan by going to the addons screen in the Charitable menu.

Still have questions? We’re here to help!

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Improvement Migrations

↔️ Importing From GiveWP, Donorbox, GiveButter… even CSV!

Whether you’re migrating from another platform or consolidating your records, moving your data to Charitable is now faster and more flexible than ever. We’ve streamlined the process so you can bring over your entire fundraising history in just a few clicks.

🔄 Native GiveWP, Donorbox, & GiveButter Support: Switching from a major platform? Our dedicated migration tools handle the heavy lifting, automatically mapping your donors and donations directly into Charitable—no technical skills required.

📂 Universal CSV Import: Moving from a custom system or a specialized CRM? If you can export it to a CSV, you can import it here. Our smart mapping tool lets you align your columns to Charitable fields like names, emails, phone numbers, and addresses in seconds.

⚡ Instant Donor Profiles & Custom Tags: Automatically create rich donor profiles and bring in custom tags to keep your data organized. Segment and engage your supporters from day one with a clean, professional database structure.

Ready to make the switch?

Check out our GiveWP Migration Guide

Learn more about our Import Tools

Improvement Payments

💳 New Braintree Features For Your European Donors

With the release of Braintree addon version 1.3.0, you can now empower your European donors with the payment methods they trust and prefer, making giving seamless for international supporters.

🌍 Six New European Payment Methods: Support popular local options like iDEAL (Netherlands), Bancontact (Belgium), BLIK (Poland), and more to meet donors where they are.

⚡ Frictionless Donor Experience: These bank-based methods allow donors to authenticate directly with their own bank in a secure popup… no credit card numbers required.

⚙️ Automatic Currency Sync: No complex setup needed. The builder automatically displays the correct payment buttons based on your site’s currency (EUR or PLN), ensuring a relevant experience for every visitor.

Campaigns New

🖼️ Campaign Featured Images: Pro-Level Visuals Made Simple

With the new Campaign Featured Image setting in our visual builder, you now have a single, dedicated place to manage how your fundraisers look across your entire site and beyond.

🖼️ One Image, Everywhere: Set a primary thumbnail that automatically syncs to campaign grids, lists, and shortcodes—no more relying on layout order.

📱 Social Sharing Optimized: Easily upload images at the perfect size to ensure your campaigns look stunning and professional when shared on social media.

🔍 SEO & Accessibility Ready: Add custom alt text directly within the builder to improve search rankings and ensure your mission is accessible to every supporter.

Improvement receipts

🗓️ Annual Receipts 2.0: Send Year-End Receipts to Every Donor in Minutes

You can now send annual receipts in minutes with a few clicks to all your donors.

📧 One-Click Bulk Send Wizard that guides you to sending to hundreds of donors simultaneously directly from your WordPress dashboard.

🔍 Smart “Dry Run” Mode: See exactly who will receive a receipt and who will be skipped (and why) before a single email leaves your server.

🛡️ SMTP-Aware & Limit Protection: Charitable now detects your email setup and automatically adjusts batch sizes and pauses for daily limits to ensure your emails land in inboxes.

✅ Complete Audit Trail: Dedicated system log and on the individual donor’s profile, giving you a clear history for every fiscal year.

Stop dreading tax season and start spending that time on your mission. Update to Annual Receipts 2.0 and automate your year-end reporting today.

Addon Donations Improvement

🎈Recurring Donations 2.0: Smarter Automation, Better Recovery, and More Control

We’ve completely rebuilt our Recurring Donations system to help you grow your reliable income stream while giving you (and your donors) more powerful tools than ever before.

What’s New:

🔒 Recurring-Only Campaigns: You can toggle “Recurring Only” mode in the campaign builder to hide the one-time option entirely, ensuring your supporters stay focused on long-term commitment.

📧 Automatic Payment Recovery: Our new Payment Failed Email fires automatically the moment a subscription fails.

🛠️ Self-Service Donor Control:The new Cancel Subscription Button appears directly in the donor dashboard, allowing supporters to pause or end their recurring gifts on their own terms—reducing your admin burden and payment disputes.

📊 Real-Time Revenue Insights: Track your growth, monitor active subscriptions, and see exactly how much predictable support is coming in each month at a glance.

Our new Recurring Donations addon gives you the professional-grade tools you need to grow your mission.

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