How to Add a Donation Button

Yes. Guests can donate without bidding on an item. Use Donation Button on your campaign. It puts a donate control on your event page so people can give anytime.

A donation is not the same as Buy Now. Buy Now lives on an auction item in Item Catalog. Donation Button is its own Fundraising Module for gifts with no item and no bid.

Open Donation Button

Go to your dashboard.
Click Manage auction on the auction card. That opens Campaign Hub.
In the left sidebar, under Fundraising Modules, click Donation Button.

If Donation Button is not in the sidebar yet, use Add Fundraising Module. Add the donate button module (the picker copy says add a donate button to your site). Then open Donation Button again.

The page title is Donation Button. The URL includes /admin/auctions/{id}/live-event-features/donations/donation-button.

Turn the button on

Turn on Enable Donation Button.
When it is on, guests can donate anytime on your event page.

Leave it off until your copy and amounts are ready if you prefer.

Set button and form copy

Enter Button text (the label guests see).
Optionally enter Button description.
Optionally enter Custom message for the donation form.

Set amounts and goal

Enter Fundraising goal if you want a goal on the module.
Enter Offline donation total if you already collected cash or checks outside CharityAuctions and want that in the total.
Set Preset amounts guests can tap.
Turn on Allow custom amounts if guests may type their own amount.

Display and donor options

Turn Show on mobile and Show on desktop on or off.
Turn Require contact information on if you need name or email before they give.
Turn Allow anonymous donations on if guests may hide their name.
Turn Show overall amount raised on if you want the running total on the event page.

Show donor names, Show donation amounts, and Allow invoice donations may appear as Coming soon. Do not rely on those until they are live.

Thank you, preview, and save

Enter Thank you message. Guests see it after they donate.
Click Preview event page to check the guest view.
Click Save.

Payments still use the Stripe setup for your campaign. See Credit Card Processing in CharityAuctions and What Payment Methods Are Supported.

Need help with Donation Button? See How to Contact CharityAuctions Support.

Frequently asked questions

Can donors donate without bidding?

Yes. Use Donation Button. Guests donate on your event page without bidding on an auction item. From Campaign Hub, in the left sidebar, under Fundraising Modules, click Donation Button. Turn on Enable Donation Button, then Save.

Where is the donate button?

Open Campaign Hub. In the left sidebar, under Fundraising Modules, click Donation Button. If you do not see it, use Add Fundraising Module and add the donate button module. The page title is Donation Button.

How do I turn on donate without bidding?

On Donation Button, turn on Enable Donation Button. Guests can then donate anytime on your event page. Click Save when you finish editing.

Is a donation the same as Buy Now?

No. Buy Now is a price on an auction item in Item Catalog (Online Auction). Donation Button is a separate Fundraising Module for cash gifts with no item and no bid. Do not use Buy Now when someone only wants to donate.

Can I set suggested donation amounts?

Yes. Under Preset amounts, enter the amounts you want guests to pick. You can also turn on Allow custom amounts so they can type their own.

Do guests have to enter contact information?

Only if you turn on Require contact information. You can also turn on Allow anonymous donations. Set those switches on the Donation Button page, then Save.

How do I check how it looks for guests?

On Donation Button, click Preview event page. That opens the guest view so you can confirm the button and form before you rely on it.