How to Use Donation Forms (Embeds) — Deprecated Feature
Donation Forms (Embeds) are no longer being developed. No need to worry. If you have them in use, they'll keep working, and you can still edit them. But we recommend switching when it's convenient, like when you set up your next campaign. To learn how, see How to Turn Your Older Donation Forms to New Embeddable Fundraising Pages or How to Embed a Fundraising Page on Your Website.
MonkeyPod offers your organization the flexibility of accepting online donations through two channels:
- Fundraising pages: Standalone pages that you can publish in five minutes or less and embed in your own website if you choose.
- Simple donation forms to embed on your own website (no longer developed): MonkeyPod's Donation Forms (Embeds) provide an easy way to accept online donations directly on your own website, and still have all those donations recorded automatically in your MonkeyPod.
Note: Donation Forms (embeds) are only available to organizations that already had at least one before the October Fundraising Page update. If yours did, you’ll still see the Donation Forms section.
Is there a newer way to accept donations on my website?
Yes! Fundraising Pages can now be embedded directly on your website, so you no longer need a separate Donation Form to let donors give without leaving your site. You can create one Fundraising Page for a campaign, share its link in emails and social posts, and paste its embed code on your website. Every gift lands on the same page, with the same progress bar and the same reporting.
Embedded Fundraising Pages offer a lot that Donation Forms never did:
- Modern templates: choose from three designs (Maui, Hawaiʻi and Kauaʻi) that use your organization's color and logo.
- More than one donation option: donors can choose between, say, your Scholarship Fund and your General Fund right from your website. They can even donate to multiple funds with a single gift. Donation Forms are limited to one.
- A step-by-step giving flow: donors move through short steps instead of one long form, which is especially helpful on a phone.
- Apple Pay and Google Pay: digital wallets are available on websites you add to your Allowed Domains list.
- Pledges inside the frame: donors can choose Send Payment Offline and make a pledge without leaving your website.
- Better reporting: the Online Conversion report shows visits and gifts from your website separately from visits to the page's own link.
If you'd like help using the old forms, read on below.
How do I create a donation form to use in my website?
First, define at least one donation option to set up the basic giving parameters and accounting settings for gifts you receive.
Next, choose Fundraising > Donation Forms (Embeds) from the main menu.
Your MonkeyPod displays a list of any existing embed donation forms. Click Create a New Embedded Form to add a new one.
Each donation form includes a few settings to configure:
Basics
- Name of the Embedded Form (internal only): An internal (not publicly visible) name for the embed for your reference.
- Donation Option: Choose from existing donation options. Unlike MonkeyPod's fundraising pages (which support multiple donation options on the same page), donation embeds require that you select exactly one donation option.
Visual Design
- Header Image (Optional): Recommended size 600px wide & 150px high.
- Intro Text (Optional): By default, the donation option description is used. You can replace that with custom text by entering it here.
- Font/Font Size: Choose from a selection of fonts and sizes to match your website.
- Layout: Choose a condensed, medium, or spacious layout to match your website.
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Border/Corners: Choose from rounded, square or borderless edges for your form.
- Button Colors: Select the background and text color for form buttons. Fun tip: if you want to match a color on your website, just click the color box, select the eye dropper icon, and then click the desired color on your website to have it entered here.
- Button Position: Position the button either left, right, or center at the bottom of the form.
Other Settings
- Class for donation accounting (optional): Assign a class to all donations received through the embedded form.
- Tag donations (optional): Assign a tag that can be used for tracking purposes.
- Intro paragraph in donation receipts: Add a sentence or two to include at the top of donation receipts sent when someone donates through this form.
A preview of the form is displayed on the right side of the page so you can see how your changes to the settings impact your form. You can even click through the pages of the form (like "Contact Info" and "Payment Info"). Once you're happy with how the form is configured, you are ready to embed it into your website as described below!
How do I embed my donation form in my organization's website?
To embed your form, return to the "Embed Donation Forms" page by choosing Fundraising > Donation Forms (Embeds) from the main menu. (Or if you're editing one of your donation forms, click the "Back to Donation Forms" link at the top of the page.)
Once you're on the Donation Forms page, select Embed Code for your form to copy the embed code to your clipboard. Then you can paste the code into your website (similar to how you would embed a YouTube video).
Note: Specific instructions for how to embed code on your website will vary. Check the documentation for your website building/hosting software to learn more.
How do I edit or delete an existing donation form?
Edit and delete buttons are available at the top of the form if you need to modify or delete your embedded donation forms.
Frequently Asked Questions
What payment options are available in the embedded donation forms?
Donors using a Donation Form (embed) may pay online using credit or debit cards or ACH payments. MonkeyPod's new embedded fundraising pages allow for more flexibility, including Google Pay and Apple Pay. Learn more about Embeddable Fundraising Pages.
Is there a limit to the number of embeds I can use on my website?
There's no limit! You may embed as many as you need.
Can the donation form be used in a modal window instead of embedded on a webpage?
Yes! As an alternative to embedding the donation form on a web page, you might want to have it load in a modal window instead. There are a number of advantages to this approach, including reduced visual distractions while someone is donating and less risk of a style contrast between the donation form and the rest of your site. MonkeyPod makes it easy, provided you have some basic knowledge of HTML and the ability to load an external javascript file on your site. If that's not something you're comfortable with, ask your web developer for help.
Get started by selecting the Donate Button option for your form and then follow the onscreen instructions.
