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Control Panel User Guide › Giving Settings

Control Panel Giving Settings User Guide

The Giving Settings feature from OnlineGiving.org allows church administrators to take control of nearly every aspect of their church’s online giving experience. From custom payment links to email templates, this feature lets you tailor the giving process to fit your church’s unique needs.

Control Your Church’s Branding and Messaging

One of the standout aspects of Giving Settings is the ability to manage your church's general giving website settings, including logos, footer information, and email templates. Whether you’re looking to keep your church’s branding consistent or make quick updates to messaging, it’s all easily accessible.

Full-Service Support or DIY Flexibility

Importantly, OnlineGiving.org is a full-service company, meaning many of these settings are handled by our support staff during the onboarding process or upon request. So, if managing these details feels overwhelming, don’t worry—our team can take care of it. However, for those who prefer a more hands-on approach, you can jump in and make adjustments as needed, offering flexibility to fine-tune things to your liking.

Account-Specific Features for Customization

OnlineGiving.org also offers account-specific features that can be enabled upon request. Once activated, these features will appear in your Giving Settings panel, allowing even further customization to meet your church’s specific needs.

Key Features of the Giving Settings

  • Custom Payment Links: Create pre-filled donation forms for targeted campaigns, enabling donors to give with a single click. This is especially useful for directing donations toward specific funds or causes.
  • Email Template Management: Customize automated messages that donors receive, aligning them with your church’s branding. You can add logos, adjust messaging, or use conditional logic to personalize emails based on donation details.
  • Text Giving Customization: Update the church name that appears in text messages sent to donors, ensuring consistent messaging and a cohesive identity.
  • Webhook Notifications: For tech-savvy teams, you can set up webhook notifications, allowing developers to receive real-time updates on approved donations.

Free Support to Guide You Every Step of the Way

OnlineGiving.org provides free support to help you every step of the way. Whether you need assistance with logos, footers, or setting up custom payment links, we’re always available to assist.

Giving Settings User Guide

Welcome to the Online Giving guide on the Giving Settings feature. This feature allows church administrators to manage and customize various elements of their church’s online giving platform. From creating custom payment links to managing email templates, this guide walks you through essential functions to help you efficiently manage your church’s giving settings. We aim to make the process simple and intuitive, while also providing you with the resources to make adjustments specific to your church's needs.

Key Functions:

  • Manage your church’s online giving settings, including payment links, express donations, email templates, and more.
  • Customize donation forms and integrate text giving features.
  • Access developer tools such as webhook notifications for approved donations.

Key Takeaways:

  • Easily navigate and customize giving settings from the control panel.
  • Reach out for free support whenever you need help with updates or customization.
  • Developers have access to advanced features for further integration and customization.

Table of Contents

Giving Settings Overview

The Giving Settings feature in the control panel allows church administrators to manage various aspects of their church’s online giving platform. These settings include everything from custom payment links and email templates to text giving and webhook notifications. The guide provides instructions on the most popular settings church administrators typically use.

Note: Some advanced settings are designed for IT staff and are not covered here. Our team offers free support for settings updates. If you need assistance updating details such as your church logo, website link, or any other settings, feel free to reach out to us. We are always happy to assist you.

How to View Giving Settings in Control Panel

  1. Log in to your control panel.
  2. Click on Giving Settings from the left navigation section.

Custom payment links allow administrators to create pre-filled donation forms that can be shared via email or on the church’s website. These links can be customized to include a pre-set amount, fund, sub-fund, and donation frequency. This is particularly helpful for linking to specific funds/sub-funds directly from emails or websites.

  1. Log in to the control panel.
  2. Click Giving Settings from the left navigation.
  3. Under the Express & Custom Payment section, click the edit icon for Generate Custom Payment Links.
  4. Enter the pre-populated gift details in the form.
  5. Click Create Payment Link to generate the link.
  6. Copy the generated link from the Generated Payment Link box.

Repeat steps 3-6 for additional links as needed.

How to Manage Express Donations Settings

The Express Donations feature allows for streamlined, quick donations. Follow these steps to access the settings:

  1. Log in to the control panel.
  2. Click Giving Settings from the left navigation.
  3. Under the Express & Custom Payment section, click the edit icon for Express Donations Settings, Links & Forms.

For more details, refer to the Express Donations documentation in the Developers knowledge base.

How to Manage Email Templates

Email templates can be customized to fit your church’s messaging needs. You can use our visual editor or, for advanced customization, utilize our Email Template language that supports conditional logic based on gift information.

  1. Log in to the control panel.
  2. Click Giving Settings from the left navigation.
  3. In the Email Templates section, click the edit icon for the template you wish to modify.
  4. Make the necessary edits in the web form.
  5. Click Save to apply the changes.

If you need assistance, we provide free support for setting up and modifying email templates, including adding your church logo.

  1. Log in to the control panel.
  2. Click Giving Settings from the left navigation.
  3. In the General Settings section, click the edit icon for Frontend Footer.
  4. Use the visual editor to make changes.
  5. Click Save to apply your edits.

How to Update Church Name in Text Giving

If you need to update the church name displayed in text giving messages:

  1. Log in to the control panel.
  2. Click Giving Settings from the left navigation.
  3. Under the Text Payment Settings section, click the edit icon for Church Name for Text Display.
  4. Change the church name as needed.
  5. Click Save to apply the changes.

Note: Text giving setup is handled by our IT staff at the time of account provisioning. Please contact us if you need to make any changes to your Twilio credentials.

How to Setup a Webhook Notification for Approved Donations

Webhook notifications allow developers to receive real-time notifications each time a donation is approved. These server-to-server notifications deliver a JSON payload with donation details. This feature is for developers only.

  1. Log in to the control panel.
  2. Click Giving Settings from the left navigation.
  3. Under the Webhook Notification section, click the edit icon for Webhook Notification URL.
  4. Enter the desired webhook notification URL.
  5. Click Save to apply the changes.

For more information on the JSON payload or webhooks, check out our Developer's knowledge base or contact us directly.

FAQs

1. How do I get help with customizing my Giving Settings?

We provide free support for any setting updates. Simply contact us, and we’ll assist you with updates like adding your church logo or customizing payment links.

2. Can I create custom donation forms?

Yes! You can generate custom payment links through the Giving Settings feature. These links can prefill donation amounts, funds, and more.

3. What is the difference between Express Donations and Custom Payment Links?

Express Donations allow for quick, one-time donations, while custom payment links offer more flexibility in pre-populating forms with specific information like fund designations or gift amounts.

4. Who can help with setting up webhook notifications?

Webhook setup is designed for developers. If you need assistance, please refer to our Developer’s knowledge base or contact us for more guidance.

5. Can I update the church name in text giving?

Yes, you can update the church name displayed in text giving messages under the Text Payment Settings in the Giving Settings section.

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