Custom Form Builder User Guide

Why Churches Need a Powerful Form Builder

Every church faces countless moments when they need to collect information quickly and reliably. Whether it’s a first-time visitor filling out a connection card, a family registering for a summer camp, or a volunteer signing up for a ministry team, the right form can make all the difference. Without a flexible, easy-to-use form builder, churches often struggle with paper forms, scattered spreadsheets, or multiple disconnected tools that don’t talk to their church management system.

One Platform for Every Form Need

The OnlineGiving.org Custom Form Builder gives churches a single, powerful tool to create and manage forms for virtually any scenario. From simple contact forms and prayer requests to complex event registrations with payment collection and ChMS integrations, the Form Builder adapts to your church’s needs. Whether you’re collecting baptism sign-ups, mission trip applications, volunteer interest forms, small group registrations, or feedback surveys, you can build it in one place.

Designed for Church Staff & Volunteers

The Form Builder is built for church administrators and staff who may not have technical backgrounds. Its drag-and-drop interface lets you add fields, rearrange sections, and configure settings without writing code. You can preview how your form will look on mobile and desktop before publishing, and you can even use AI to help generate content for sections and descriptions. When your church uses ChMS integrations like MinistryPlatform, Rock RMS, Church Community Builder, Planning Center, or Aegis, the Form Builder can automatically sync form submissions into your database.

In this article, we’ll overview the OnlineGiving.org Custom Form Builder feature.

Custom Form Builder User Guide:

Key Takeaways

• The Form Builder is a visual, drag-and-drop designer for creating custom forms for your church.
• Forms support multiple field types, payment collection, and rich content blocks (text, images, video).
• Form submissions can trigger email notifications, webhooks, and ChMS integrations.
• Forms can be configured for multi-campus use, guest access, and conditional logic.
• AI Assistant and preview tools help you design and test forms before publishing.

Table of Contents

1. Getting Started
2. Form Layout & Sections
3. Adding Fields
   • Text Input Fields
   • Choice Fields
   • Contact Fields
   • Special Fields
4. Content Blocks & AI Compose
5. Payment Collection Setup
6. Form Settings
7. ChMS Integrations
8. Device Preview
9. How to Create a Form
10. How to Edit a Form
11. How to Copy a Form
12. How to Delete a Form
13. Multi-Campus Configuration
14. Advanced Settings
15. Frequently Asked Questions

Getting Started

To access the Custom Form Builder, go to the admin control panel and navigate to Custom Forms. From the Manage Custom Forms page, you can create a new form, edit an existing one, copy a form, or delete one. The Form Builder requires the Form Builder product to be included in your plan.

When you create or edit a form, you’ll see the main Form Builder interface with:

• A toolbar with Save, Settings, and Preview links
• Form Name and Form Label fields at the top
• Form Builder, Actions, and Page Layout tabs
• A left sidebar with buttons to add different field types
• A right panel with device preview (mobile and tablet)

Form Layout & Sections

Forms are organized into sections. Each section has a title and optional description, and can contain multiple elements (fields, content blocks, or payment). Sections help you group related questions together logically.

To add a new section, click the section icon in the left sidebar. You can drag sections to reorder them and drag elements within each section to change their order. Sections are collapsed by default in the builder; click to expand and edit.

Adding Fields

The Form Builder supports many field types. Click the plus icon in the left sidebar to open the dropdown menu and choose the type you want to add.

Text Input Fields

• Short Answer — Single-line text input. Use for names, short responses, or keywords.
• Fill In The Blank — A question with inline blanks. Use the word [blank] in the label where you want the input to appear.
• Paragraph — Multi-line text area. Use for longer responses like comments, prayer requests, or feedback.
• Money Input — Numeric input for currency amounts. Useful for donations or fees outside the main payment block.
• Number Input — Numeric input with optional min/max values. Use for quantities, ages, or counts.

For each input field, you can set a label, placeholder text, and mark it as required. You can also make it conditionally required so it only appears when another field meets a specific condition.

Choice Fields

• Multiple Choice — Radio buttons. Users select one option from a list.
• Checkboxes — Users can select multiple options.
• Dropdown — A select menu. Users choose one option from a list.

For choice fields, add options one per line. You can toggle “One Per Line” to display options vertically or horizontally. All choice fields support required and conditional logic.

Contact Fields

• First & Last Name — Two fields for first and last name.
• User First & Last Name — Same as above, but pre-filled from the user’s profile if they signed in.
• Email — Email address field.
• User Email — Email field pre-filled from the user’s profile.
• Phone — Phone number field.
• Mailing Address — Street address, city, state, and ZIP code.
• User Mailing Address — Address fields pre-filled from the user’s profile.
• Date Picker — Date selection field.

User-prefilled fields (User First & Last Name, User Email, User Mailing Address) reduce friction for signed-in users by pulling data from their profile.

Special Fields

• Button — A clickable button. Can open a URL or trigger a section repeat action.
• Payment — Full payment/donation block. See section on Payment Collection Setup.

For each field, you can configure:

• Required — User must fill the field to submit.
• Conditional — Field only appears when another field meets a condition (e.g., equals, contains, is empty).
• Condition — When conditional is enabled, choose the field to evaluate, the operator, and the value.

Content Blocks & AI Compose

In addition to input fields, you can add rich content blocks:

• Text — A title and description block with rich text editing using TinyMCE. Supports HTML, formatting, and links.
• Image — An image with URL, width, and height. You can upload an image or use a URL.
• Video — An embedded video. Paste the embed URL from YouTube, Vimeo, or similar.

Text blocks use AI Compose to help generate content. When you add a text block, you can use the AI Compose button to generate or refine the introduction, descriptions, or instructions. AI Compose is available in content blocks and helps you craft engaging copy for your form sections.

The AI Assistant (Build with AI) is a separate feature that can help design entire forms from a description. Describe your form in the text area, click Build with AI, and the system will suggest sections, fields, and actions. You can review and adjust the generated content before saving.

Payment Collection Setup

The Payment element lets you collect donations or payments on your form. Add it to the last section of your form, typically as the last element.

When you add a payment block, you configure:

• Funds — One or more funds with optional sub-funds. You can set preset amounts or allow custom amounts.
• Frequency — One-time, recurring (weekly, monthly, twice monthly, quarterly, yearly).
• Installment options — No limit, end date, or fixed number of installments.
• Payment types — Allow all, credit card only, or ACH only.
• Anonymous giving — Whether to allow anonymous donations (when ChMS integrations support it).
• Conditional — Make the payment block conditionally required based on another field.

Funds can be conditionally required based on answers to other questions. You can also multiply amounts by a form answer (e.g., number of attendees times a per-person fee). Discount codes can be configured per fund when applicable.

Form Settings

Click the gear icon in the toolbar to open the settings modal. Configure:

• Title — The public-facing name of the form.
• Label — Internal label for admin reference (not shown to users).
• Status — Enabled or Disabled. Disabled forms cannot be submitted.
• Visibility — Visible or Hidden in navigation. Controls whether the form appears in the donation site menu.
• Guest Access — Yes or No. When Yes, users can view and submit the form without signing in.
• Email Notifications — One or more email addresses to receive notifications when the form is submitted (one per line).
• Webhook URL — A URL to send a JSON notification when the form is submitted. Useful for external integrations.
• Confirmation Message — Custom message shown after successful submission.
• Disable After Date — Date after which the form will be automatically disabled.
• Disable After Max Submissions — Maximum number of submissions before the form is disabled.

ChMS Integrations

Form submissions can trigger actions that integrate with your church management system. Go to the Actions tab to configure which actions run when the form is submitted.

Available actions depend on your enabled integrations:

• Email — Send email to the user or to custom addresses.
• Text — Send SMS to the user or custom phone numbers.
• Text Marketing — Add or remove phone numbers from text marketing lists.
• Church Community Builder (CCB) — Match or create person, add to process queue, add to group.
• Rock RMS — Match or create person, add to group, create workflow, create pledge.
• MinistryPlatform — Create contact, update participant, add to group, record event participation, create milestone, create opportunity, update campus, add address, create feedback, create pledge, create custom form response, add attribute, add event metric, and more.
• Planning Center Online — Add person to workflow, create pledge.
• Aegis — Create product order.
• Set User Campus — Set the user’s preferred campus in OnlineGiving, including auto-match from a question.
• Update User Contact — Update user profile fields from form answers.
• Webhook — Send webhook notification to a custom URL.

Actions can have conditions. Multiple conditions can be combined with AND or OR. Use variable placeholders like {user_first_name}, {user_email}, or {question_label} in email bodies, text messages, and action parameters.

Device Preview

The right panel shows a live preview of how your form will appear to users. Switch between Mobile and Tablet views to see how the layout adapts. The preview loads the actual form URL after you save, so you must save before the preview displays correctly.

Use “Save & Preview” to save and refresh the preview in one step.

How to Create a Form

1. Go to the admin control panel and navigate to Custom Forms.
2. Click Create or the equivalent button to open the Form Builder.
3. Enter a Form Name and Form Label.
4. Add sections and add elements (fields, content blocks, payment) to each section.
5. Configure the Actions tab for email notifications, webhooks, or ChMS integrations.
6. Open the settings modal and configure status, visibility, guest access, email notifications, webhook, confirmation message, and expiration options.
7. Click Save.
8. Use the form link to share or embed the form.

How to Edit a Form

1. Go to the Manage Custom Forms page.
2. Find the form you want to edit and click Edit.
3. Make your changes in the Form Builder, Actions, or Page Layout tabs.
4. Update settings as needed.
5. Click Save.

Changes are saved in real time. The form link stays the same when you edit.

How to Copy a Form

1. Go to the Manage Custom Forms page.
2. Find the form you want to duplicate and click Copy.
3. You are redirected to the edit form for the new copy. The title will have “COPY” appended.
4. The copy has no submissions, and webhook and email notification URLs are cleared.
5. Edit the copy as needed and save.

Copying is useful when you want to create a similar form for a new event or campaign without starting from scratch.

How to Delete a Form

1. Go to the Manage Custom Forms page.
2. Find the form you want to delete and click Delete.
3. Confirm the deletion.

Important: You cannot delete a form if it has active recurring gifts or transactions linked to it. Resolve those first before deleting.

Multi-Campus Configuration

For multi-campus churches, the Form Builder supports campus-specific options. When configuring actions or integrations, you can:

• Select a specific campus for the form.
• Use the Auto-match campus based on user response option to let a question answer determine the campus.

The Set User Campus action can set the user’s preferred campus in OnlineGiving. When using auto-match, specify which question variable (e.g., {campus}) contains the campus selection.

Advanced Settings

Additional capabilities include:

• Conditional logic — Show or require fields based on answers to other questions. Use operators like equals, contains, is empty, or not empty.
• Variable substitution — Use {variable_name} in email bodies, text messages, and action parameters. Variable names are lowercase with underscores (e.g., {user_first_name}, {user_email}).
• Page Layout — The Page Layout tab (optional) lets you customize the header and layout of the form page.
• Form expiration — Disable forms automatically after a date or after a maximum number of submissions.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I allow guests to submit forms without signing in?

Yes. In the form settings, set Guest Access to Yes. Users can then view and submit the form without an account.

How do I receive an email when someone submits a form?

In the form settings modal, enter one or more email addresses in the Email Notifications field (one per line). You will receive a notification for each submission.

Can I collect payments on my form?

Yes. Add a Payment element to your form. Configure funds, frequency, and payment type options. The form will collect donations or payments when submitted.

Why can’t I delete my form?

Forms cannot be deleted if they have active recurring gifts or transactions linked to them. You must resolve those first.

How do I use form data in my ChMS?

Configure actions in the Actions tab. Choose the appropriate ChMS action (e.g., MinistryPlatform Create Contact, Rock Add to Group) and map the form fields to the action parameters using variable placeholders.

What is the difference between Form Name and Form Label?

Form Name is the public-facing title shown to users. Form Label is an internal-only label for admin reference.

Can I show a field only when another field has a specific answer?

Yes. Enable Conditional on the field and configure the condition: select the field to evaluate, the operator (equals, contains, etc.), and the value. The field will only appear when the condition is met.

How do I use the AI Assistant?

Click the AI Assistant button to expand the AI section. Describe your form in the text area (e.g., “event registration form with name, email, date, and payment”) and click Build with AI. The system will suggest sections, fields, and actions. Review and adjust before saving.

How do I embed a form on my website?

After saving your form, use the form link provided. You can share the link directly or embed it in an iframe on your website.

Can I limit how many people can submit a form?

Yes. In the form settings, use Disable After Max Submissions to set a maximum number. The form will be disabled once that limit is reached.

What is the difference between User Email and Email?

User Email is pre-filled from the signed-in user’s profile. Email is a blank field. Use User Email when you want signed-in users to avoid re-entering their email.

How do I add someone to a group in Church Community Builder (CCB)?

In the Actions tab, add the CCB Add Individual to Group action. Select the CCB group. Ensure you have a CCB Match or Create Person action so the person exists in CCB before being added to the group.

Need help? Contact OnlineGiving.org support at support@onlinegiving.org or call (615) 206-4000.