Maximizing Your Church’s Fundraising Efforts with Custom Giving Pages

Custom Giving Pages, available through OnlineGiving.org, can make a significant impact on how your church runs fundraising campaigns or specific giving initiatives. Whether you’re gearing up for a mission trip or launching a capital campaign for a new building, you often need a dedicated space for those funds. That’s where Custom Giving Pages come in.

These pages allow you to create specialized donation forms for individual causes while maintaining the same structure and ease of use as your church's primary donation form. Here’s why that’s a game changer: you have complete control over the page’s title, header text, labels, and even the payment options. For example, if you want to set up a page specifically for “Mission Trip Giving,” you can do that with just a few clicks.

Public or Private: Flexibility in Custom Giving Pages

You also get flexibility in deciding how these pages are presented. You can choose to make them public, meaning they’ll show up in your website’s navigation, or keep them hidden, accessible only through a direct link. This gives you control over how and when people find these giving opportunities.

Custom Giving Pages vs. Custom Forms

A common question is: what’s the difference between a Custom Giving Page and a Custom Form? Custom Giving Pages are specifically designed for donations, mirroring the structure of your primary donation form. They’re streamlined and focused solely on giving, making them ideal for fundraising campaigns where the primary goal is to collect financial contributions. In contrast, Custom Forms are more suited for event sign-ups, baptism sign-ups, or collecting additional information, like surveys, alongside payment or donations.

Streamlined Giving for Specific Causes

For causes where the goal is to collect donations in a straightforward way, Custom Giving Pages are the best choice. They simplify the process for your congregation and help avoid the friction that can come with more complex forms. For example, mission trip giving becomes a breeze with a dedicated Custom Giving Page, allowing you to focus on a specific fund and tailor the page to inspire generous support for that cause.

Using Custom Forms for Special Causes

It’s also important to note that Custom Forms can be used for special causes as well. You can configure them to limit payment types (such as only allowing credit cards or ACH payments) and restrict which funds are displayed, making it easier for donors to contribute to the intended cause. Just like Custom Giving Pages, these forms can be set to either be hidden or displayed publicly on your giving website.

Tailoring Custom Giving Pages for Your Campaign

Another advantage of Custom Giving Pages is the ability to use different layouts. This is particularly useful when you need to tell a longer story about the cause behind the giving focus. Whether it’s an in-depth mission project or a large-scale community outreach program, you can design the page to provide more context, helping donors feel more connected to the cause before they give.

Additionally, Custom Giving Pages offer the flexibility to cater to specific donation types. You can create pages that allow only ACH giving or even crypto-only donations for special causes. This is a valuable feature if your church wants to embrace newer forms of giving or cater to donors who prefer alternative methods.

Sharing and Managing Custom Giving Pages

Once your Custom Giving Pages are set up, sharing them is easy. You can send direct links via email, post them on social media, or create QR codes to take donors straight to the giving page. This feature is especially useful during a campaign—you can display the QR code on a screen during a service, allowing your congregation to donate directly from their phones.

Setting up a Custom Giving Page is straightforward. Simply log into the control panel, go to “Giving Pages,” and click "Create Custom Giving Page." From there, you can customize everything, from which funds are displayed to how the page looks and feels. You can limit payment options (credit cards, ACH, or crypto), enable or disable guest giving, and update or edit the page anytime as your campaign evolves.

Giving Pages User Guide

The Custom Giving Pages feature in the Online Giving control panel enables church administrators to create, manage, and customize supplemental giving pages for various purposes. These pages offer flexibility in fund segmentation, allowing churches to design specialized donation forms while maintaining the familiar layout of the primary donation form. For example, a popular custom giving page might focus on a "Mission Trip Giving" campaign. Administrators have complete control over the page title, labels, header text, payment options, and more.

Key Features:

• Custom Giving Pages allow for segmenting specific funds, such as "Mission Trip Giving."
• Administrators can customize titles, headers, and payment methods.
• Custom Giving Pages are in addition to the primary donation form and cannot replace it.
• Pages can be public (shown in the website navigation) or hidden (accessible only via a direct link).

Custom Giving Pages vs. Custom Forms

A common question is the difference between Custom Giving Pages and Custom Forms:

• Custom Giving Pages: Used when the church needs to create a secondary donation form displaying select funds. These pages are ideal for giving-related scenarios as they are designed for a streamlined donation experience, following the same structure as the primary donation form.
• Custom Forms: Better suited for collecting additional information, such as event signups or surveys. Custom Forms allow administrators to build sections with custom questions but are not tailored for the giving experience.

Best Practice: Always use Custom Giving Pages for anything related to donations, as they are designed for a smoother donation process compared to Custom Forms.

Table of Contents

1. Custom Giving Pages Overview
2. Custom Giving Pages vs Custom Forms
3. Custom Giving Pages User Guide
   • How to View Custom Giving Pages
   • How to Search Custom Giving Pages
   • How to Create Custom Giving Page
   • How to Edit Custom Giving Page
   • How to Display Giving Page in Navigation
   • How to Hide Giving Page from Navigation
   • How to Copy Giving Page Link
   • How to Limit Payment Types
   • How to Allow Guest Giving
   • How to Require Login
   • How to Add Header Text
   • How to Add Funds
   • How to Remove Funds
   • How to Change Labels
   • How to Delete Custom Giving Page

Custom Giving Pages Overview

The Custom Giving Pages feature in the control panel is designed to help church administrators create, manage, and customize additional donation pages. These pages are perfect for specific campaigns or causes, such as a "Mission Trip Giving" page. They provide a familiar layout that mirrors the primary donation form but with extra flexibility to modify titles, labels, header text, and payment options.

Administrators should note that Custom Giving Pages are intended to complement the primary donation form, not replace it. These pages can either be visible in the giving website’s navigation or hidden, accessible only through a direct link.

Custom Giving Pages vs Custom Forms

A common question is the difference between Custom Giving Pages and Custom Forms:

• Custom Giving Pages: Used when the church needs to create a secondary donation form displaying select funds. These pages are ideal for giving-related scenarios as they are designed for a streamlined donation experience, following the same structure as the primary donation form.
• Custom Forms: Better suited for collecting additional information, such as event signups or surveys. Custom Forms allow administrators to build sections with custom questions but are not tailored for the giving experience.

Best Practice: Always use Custom Giving Pages for anything related to donations, as they are designed for a smoother donation process compared to Custom Forms.

Custom Giving Pages User Guide

How to View Custom Giving Pages in Control Panel

1. Log in to the control panel.
2. Select "Giving Pages" from the left navigation.
3. Click on the Giving Page title in the search results to view the page.

Tip: To copy the Giving Page URL, right-click the page title and select "Copy" from your browser’s drop-down menu.

How to Search Custom Giving Pages

1. Log in to the control panel.
2. Select "Giving Pages" from the left navigation.
3. To filter/search by title, enter a keyword into the Title input field and press Enter.

How to Create Custom Giving Page

1. Log in to the control panel.
2. Select "Giving Pages" from the left navigation.
3. Click "Create Custom Giving Page" at the top right of the page.
4. Complete the form with the necessary details (title, funds, etc.).
5. Click the "Save" button to commit changes.

How to Edit Custom Giving Page

1. Log in to the control panel.
2. Click on "Giving Pages" from the left navigation.
3. If needed, search for the page using the search function.
4. Click the Gear icon next to the page and select "Edit Page" from the drop-down menu.
5. Modify any fields as needed, such as labels, header text, or payment options.
6. Click "Save" to apply changes.

How to Display Giving Page in Giving Website Navigation

1. Log in to the control panel.
2. Select "Giving Pages" from the left navigation.
3. If needed, search for the page using the search function.
4. Click the Gear icon and select "Edit Page."
5. Select "Show in donation website navigation" from the drop-down menu.
6. Click "Save" to commit the changes.

How to Hide Giving Page from Giving Website Navigation

1. Follow the same steps as above, but in step 5, choose "Do not show in donation website navigation."

How to Copy Giving Page Link for Emailing or Website

1. Log in to the control panel.
2. Select "Giving Pages" from the left navigation.
3. Right-click on the Giving Page title and select "Copy" from the drop-down menu.

How to Limit Payment Types

1. Log in to the control panel.
2. Select "Giving Pages" from the left navigation.
3. If needed, search for the page using the search function.
4. Click the Gear icon and select "Edit Page."
5. To restrict payments:
   • Choose "Limit gifts on page to card only" to allow only credit card payments.
   • Choose "Limit gifts on page to ACH only" to allow only ACH (electronic check) payments.
   • Select "Allow both card and ACH gifts" to offer both payment options.
6. Click "Save."

How to Allow Guest Giving on Giving Page

1. Log in to the control panel.
2. Select "Giving Pages" from the left navigation.
3. If needed, search for the page.
4. Click the Gear icon and select "Edit Page."
5. Select "Allow Guest Giving" from the drop-down menu.
6. Click "Save."

How to Require Login on Giving Page

1. Follow the same steps as allowing guest giving, but select "Require donor to log in to give" from the "Allow Guest Giving?" drop-down menu.

How to Add Header Text to Giving Page

1. Log in to the control panel.
2. Select "Giving Pages" from the left navigation.
3. Search for the page if needed.
4. Click the Gear icon and select "Edit Page."
5. Enter the desired text in the "Giving Page Header" text editor.
6. Click "Save."

How to Add Funds to Giving Page

1. Log in to the control panel.
2. Select "Giving Pages" from the left navigation.
3. Search for the page.
4. Click the Gear icon and select "Edit Page."
5. Choose from the following options:
   • Pick all sub-funds of the selected primary funds: Displays all sub-funds related to a selected primary fund.
   • Pick sub-funds from various fund locations: Allows more precise control over which funds are shown.
6. Select the funds from the "Select Page Funds to Display" drop-down.
7. Click "Save."

How to Remove Funds from Giving Page

1. Follow the same steps as adding funds, but uncheck the funds you want to remove.

How to Change Labels for Giving Page

1. Log in to the control panel.
2. Click on "Giving Pages" from the left navigation.
3. Search for the page if needed.
4. Click the Gear icon and select "Edit Page."
5. Edit the labels under the "Giving Page Labels" section.
6. Click "Save."

How to Delete Custom Giving Page

1. Log in to the control panel.
2. Select "Giving Pages" from the left navigation.
3. Search for the page if needed.
4. Click the Gear icon and select "Delete Page."

FAQs

Q1: Can a Custom Giving Page replace the primary donation form?

No, Custom Giving Pages are designed to work alongside the primary donation form, not to replace it.

Q2: Can I restrict which funds appear on a Custom Giving Page?

Yes, you can specify which funds or sub-funds are displayed on each Custom Giving Page.

Q3: Can I hide a Custom Giving Page from the public?

Yes, Custom Giving Pages can be hidden and accessed only via a direct link.

Q4: Can I offer both credit card and ACH payment options?

Yes, you can either allow both or limit the page to one type of payment.

Q5: What if I need to collect additional information from donors?

Use a Custom Form if you need to collect non-donation-related information, such as event registrations or surveys.