Form Submissions: Track and Manage Every Response
When someone fills out a custom form on your giving website—whether it’s a connection card, event registration, baptism sign-up, or a donation form with additional fields—that response lands in your control panel as a form submission. Form Submissions is where you view, search, and manage every response your church receives. It’s the central hub for staying on top of who submitted what, when, and how to follow up.
Why Form Submissions Matter
Custom forms power a wide range of church activities. A visitor fills out a connection card and shares their contact info and interests. A family registers for VBS and provides emergency contacts. A donor gives to a special fund and adds a note about why it matters to them. Each of these is a form submission. Without a clear way to view and manage these responses, staff can miss follow-up opportunities, lose track of registrations, or struggle to reconcile form data with donations.
The Form Submissions feature gives you a single place to see all responses across your custom forms. You can filter by form, date range, or specific user. You can search within form data to find submissions containing certain keywords. You can export results to a spreadsheet for reporting or mail merge. And when you open a submission, you see the full response, the donor’s profile (if they were logged in), any linked transaction or recurring gift, and the status of integrations like webhooks and ChMS actions.
From List to Detail: A Complete Workflow
The workflow is straightforward. From the left navigation, go to Custom Forms and then Submissions. You’ll see a table of submissions with a preview of form data, the date, and quick links to view the full submission or jump to the donor’s profile. When you filter by a specific form (for example, by clicking the submission count on the Custom Forms page), the list narrows to that form only. A date range filter helps you focus on a particular period, and a form data search lets you find submissions that mention a specific word or phrase.
Clicking a submission opens the detail view. There you see every field the person filled out, the donor panel (with links to their profile, donations, and payment methods), and—for forms with integrations—the actions that were performed (e.g., adding them to a ChMS group, sending a welcome email). If the form includes a payment, you’ll see a link to the transaction. You can print a submission for records, export filtered results to CSV, or delete a submission if needed. For forms with webhooks, you can resend the webhook if a delivery failed.
In this article, we’ll overview the OnlineGiving.org Form Submissions feature.
Form Submissions User Guide
The Form Submissions feature in the OnlineGiving.org control panel lets you view, filter, search, and manage responses from your custom forms. Each submission stores the form data, the submitter (logged-in user or guest), the date and time, and any linked transaction or recurring gift. You can export submissions to CSV, view a geographic heatmap of submission locations, and drill into donor profiles and integration actions.
Access requires the Form Builder product. From the left navigation, go to Custom Forms and then Submissions. The admin URL is /admin/formsubmissions. You can also reach submissions from the Custom Forms page by clicking the submission count for a specific form, or from a user profile by clicking View Form Submissions.
Key Takeaways
- View all submissions in one place: See responses from all custom forms or filter by a specific form, date range, user, or household.
- Search within form data: Use the form data search field to find submissions containing specific keywords.
- Open full submission details: Each submission shows every field value, donor info (if logged in), linked transaction, and integration actions.
- Export to CSV: When viewing submissions for a specific form, export filtered results to a spreadsheet with all form fields and user/transaction data.
- Geographic heatmap: When a date range is applied, view a map of submission locations (where IP geolocation data is available).
- Integration actions and webhooks: See which ChMS actions ran, replay actions if needed, and resend webhooks for forms with webhook URLs.
Table of Contents
- Accessing Form Submissions
- Viewing the Submissions List
- Filtering Submissions
- Viewing Submission Details
- Exporting Submissions
- Geographic Heatmap
- Integration Actions and Webhooks
- Printing and Invoice View
- Deleting Submissions
- Frequently Asked Questions
Accessing Form Submissions
You can reach Form Submissions from several places in the control panel. The most direct path is the left navigation under Custom Forms.
From the Left Navigation
- Log in to the control panel.
- In the left navigation, expand Custom Forms.
- Click Submissions.
The Submissions link opens /admin/formsubmissions. By default, you may see submissions from all forms, or the system may apply a date range (e.g., form creation date through end of current year) when you arrive from a form-specific context.
From the Custom Forms Page
- Go to Custom Forms from the left navigation.
- Locate the form whose submissions you want to view.
- Click the submission count in the Submissions column (e.g., “42” or “None”).
This opens the Form Submissions list filtered to that form only. The page title will show the form name (e.g., “Connection Card Form Submissions”). You can also use the form’s actions menu (gear icon) and choose View Submissions.
From a User Profile
When viewing a user profile or donor record, use the dropdown or actions menu and select View Form Submissions (or View All Form Submissions). This opens the submissions list filtered by that user, so you can see every form they’ve submitted.
Viewing the Submissions List
The submissions list is a table with form data preview, date, and action buttons. Each row represents one submission.
List Columns and Preview
The table has two main columns:
- Form Data: A preview of the first few form fields and values. When viewing all forms, the form title appears above the preview. For forms with payments, a View Transaction button or transaction number may appear.
- Date: The submission date and time in your domain’s timezone.
On smaller screens, the layout may collapse so the date and a condensed preview appear together. Click any row or the View Submission link to open the full submission detail.
Sorting
Click the column headers (Form Data or Date) to sort. The default sort is by date, newest first. Clicking again toggles between ascending and descending order.
Results Per Page
Use the Results Per Page dropdown to show 10, 20, 50, or 100 submissions per page. The total count appears at the bottom (e.g., “Found 1,234 results”).
Filtering Submissions
Filters appear in the table header row and as removable chips when active. Use them to narrow the list to the submissions you need.
Filter by Form
When you arrive from the Custom Forms page by clicking a form’s submission count, the form_id filter is applied automatically. You can also add form_id to the URL (e.g., /admin/formsubmissions?form_id=123) to filter by form. The page title reflects the form name.
Filter by Date Range
Use the date range picker in the Date column to filter by submission date. Select a start and end date. The list updates to show only submissions created within that range. The geographic heatmap (see below) becomes available when a date range is applied.
Filter by User or Household
Add user_id or household_id to the URL or use links from a user profile. Filtering by user_id shows all submissions from that user. Filtering by household_id shows submissions from any member of that household.
Search Form Data
Type keywords in the Form Data search field and press Enter (or submit the form). The system searches within the stored form data for submissions containing those keywords. Multiple words are treated as separate search terms; submissions matching any of them may appear.
Removing Filters
Active filters appear as chips above the table (e.g., “Created At: 01/01/2025 to 12/31/2025”). Click the X on a chip to remove that filter. The list refreshes automatically.
Viewing Submission Details
Click a submission row or choose View Submission from the gear menu to open the detail view. The page shows the form title and submission ID in the header.
Form Data Panel
The main content area displays every form field and the value the person entered. Fields are shown as label-value pairs. Multi-line text, checkboxes, and other field types are displayed in a readable format. This is the complete record of what was submitted.
Donor Panel
The right sidebar shows the Donor panel. If the submission came from a logged-in user, you see their name, avatar, campus, email, address, and a dropdown with quick links:
- View All Conversations
- View All Donations
- Sign In as User
- View User Profile
- Edit User Profile
- View All Recurring
- View All Payment Methods
- Donor Virtual Terminal
- View All Form Submissions
If the submission was from a guest (not logged in), the panel shows “Guest User” and a note that the session did not originate with a linked user profile.
Submission Metadata
The Form Submission panel shows:
- Custom Form: Link to the form in the Custom Forms section.
- Submission ID: The unique ID for this submission.
- Created At and Last Update: Timestamps in your domain’s timezone.
The Action Parameters panel (when present) shows metadata used by form actions, such as ChMS integration parameters.
Linked Transaction or Recurring
If the form includes a payment and a transaction was created, you’ll see a View Transaction button. If a recurring gift was set up from the submission, you’ll see a View Recurring button. These link directly to the Donations (Transactions) and Recurring Schedules sections.
Exporting Submissions
When you’re viewing submissions for a specific form (i.e., the form_id filter is applied), an Export Results button appears. Click it and choose Export CSV Spreadsheet.
The export includes:
- User fields: first name, last name, email, campus
- Transaction fields (when applicable): amount, fund, sub-fund, gateway transaction ID, charge status, payment type, gateway response message
- Submission metadata: created_at, updated_at, and other submission properties
- All form field values as columns
The CSV uses the current filters (form, date range, user, etc.). Dates are formatted in your domain’s timezone. The filename includes the form title and a timestamp (e.g., Connection_Card_Form_Submission_Export_1234567890.csv).
Geographic Heatmap
When a date range filter is applied, a geographic heatmap appears above the table. It shows where submissions originated based on IP geolocation data. Submissions without usable location data are not included. Use the Expand and Collapse buttons to resize the map for easier viewing.
If no submissions in the filtered range have mappable location data, a message appears: “No mappable form submissions.”
Integration Actions and Webhooks
Custom forms can trigger actions when a submission is received—for example, adding the person to a ChMS group, sending a welcome email, or creating a contact in Ministry Platform. The submission detail view shows what ran and lets you replay or resend when needed.
Actions Performed
The Actions Performed panel lists each action that was executed for this submission. Each action shows its type (e.g., “MP Group Recording”, “Send Email”) and the parameters that were used. If no integration actions were configured for the form, the panel shows “No integration actions found for submission.”
Replay Actions
If actions failed or you need to re-run them (for example, after fixing a ChMS configuration), click Replay Actions. A confirmation prompt warns that replaying may create duplicate data in your ChMS. After confirming, the actions are queued and typically complete within a few minutes. Use this sparingly to avoid duplicate records.
Webhook Payload and Resend
If the form has a webhook URL configured, a Webhook Payload panel appears. It shows:
- Webhook Delivery Status: Pending, Sent, Invalid URL, or Error.
- Payload: The JSON payload that was (or would be) sent to the webhook URL.
- Current Webhook URL: The URL configured on the form.
If delivery failed or you need to resend, click Resend. A confirmation warns that this may cause a duplicate notification. After confirming, the webhook is sent again. Refresh the page to see the updated status.
Printing and Invoice View
The submission detail view can be printed for records or sharing. Use the browser’s print function, or if an invoice-style view is available (e.g., from a modal or print link), it shows the form title, submission date, donor info (when present), and all form data in a clean layout. The print view omits navigation and focuses on the submission content. A Print button may appear in the modal footer.
Deleting Submissions
How to Delete a Submission
- Open the submission detail view or locate the submission in the list.
- Use the delete action (typically from the gear menu or a delete link).
- Confirm the deletion when prompted.
Deleting a submission removes it permanently. Linked transactions and recurring gifts are not deleted, but the submission record is gone. Use deletion only when necessary (e.g., duplicate submissions, test data, or compliance requests). There is no undo.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why don’t I see the Export button?
The Export CSV option appears only when you’re viewing submissions for a specific form. If you’re on the “All Forms” view, filter by form first (e.g., by clicking the submission count on the Custom Forms page). Then the Export Results dropdown will appear.
Can I search for submissions by email address?
Use the Form Data search field and type the email address. The system searches within the stored form data. If the form collects email in a field, submissions containing that email will appear. You can also filter by user_id when you know the user (e.g., from their profile).
What happens when I replay actions?
Replay Actions re-runs the integration actions (e.g., ChMS group add, email send) that were configured for the form at the time of submission. This can create duplicate records in your ChMS (e.g., the same person added to a group twice) or send duplicate emails. Use replay only when an action failed and you’ve fixed the underlying issue. The system queues the replay and may take a few minutes to complete.
Why does the heatmap show “No mappable form submissions”?
The heatmap requires submissions with valid IP geolocation data. Some submissions may not have location data (e.g., certain privacy settings, VPNs, or invalid IPs). The heatmap only shows submissions where latitude and longitude could be determined. If none of your filtered submissions have usable data, the message appears.
Can I change or edit a submission after it’s been submitted?
Form submissions are stored as submitted and are not editable through the control panel. If you need to correct data (e.g., a typo in an email), you would typically update the user profile or contact record in your ChMS. The submission itself remains a historical record of what was submitted at that moment.
Where can I get help with form submissions?
OnlineGiving.org provides courtesy setup assistance. Contact support@onlinegiving.org or call (615) 206-4000 for help with custom forms, exports, ChMS integrations, webhooks, or any other questions.