A quick step-by-step guide to getting started with GiveForms
After you’ve registered for a GiveForms account, there are 4 steps you’ll need to complete in order to begin raising money.
Enter info about your organization in Settings → Organization
Organization Name - The name of your organization is used in GiveForms emails sent to donors.
Organization Type - This dropdown let’s us know what type of nonprofit you’re a part of so we can tailor communication and fundraising advice to your organization type.
Organization Email - This email address is used as a reply-to address on all emails sent through GiveForms. Note that all emails sent from GiveForms come from receipts@giveforms.com.
Organization Address - This address is placed at the bottom of emails sent from GiveForms to your donors. US law (under the CAN-SPAM Act of 2003) requires that emails sent from businesses (and nonprofits) must include a physical address. Failure to do so carries the potential of hefty fines. If your nonprofit has multiple locations, enter the location of your primary location or headquarters.
Timezone - This affects the date and timestamp of any donations made through GiveForms. Make sure to enter this correctly or the date and timestamps of your donations will be incorrect.
Organization Logo & Colors (found on the Branding tab) - Once set, these will be the default logos and colors used on your donor portal, donation forms and emails (though each campaign can be customized).
Connect a payment method in Settings → Payments
Before you can begin raising money, you’ll need to first connect a payment method. Though only one payment method is required, we strongly recommend connecting both Stripe and PayPal. Failure to connect both means missing out on donations because you don’t offer the preferred payment method of all donors. Our data shows that roughly 80-85% of donors prefer donating with a credit card, 10-15% prefer donating using PayPal, and 1-3% using ACH bank transfers.
Stripe - Allows you to accept credit card payments and ACH bank transfers (through Plaid) from around the world. Register for a Stripe account here.
PayPal - Allows you to accept PayPal payments and credit cards (through a PayPal account). Register for a PayPal account here.
Nonprofit Discounts - Both Stripe and PayPal offer discounted transaction fees for qualifying 501(c)3 nonprofits. Make sure to apply for both discounts to keep your transaction fees to a minimum.
Create a campaign in Campaigns
To create a new campaign, click the New Campaign button at the top right of the Campaigns screen. Once you’ve created a Campaign, you’ll need to setup the campaign’s donation form, emails and receipt.
Visit the Embeds page for your campaign for step-by-step instructions on how to embed a GiveForm on your website.
