How to Customize Donation Receipts and Emails

Payment gateways connect your donation forms to real-world transactions.

They allow you to securely process donations through credit cards, PayPal, or offline methods.

GiveWP supports several payment gateways, and the Faun WordPress Theme is fully compatible with all of them.

Access the Payment Gateway Settings #

1. In your WordPress dashboard, go to GiveWP → Settings.
2. Open the Payment Gateways tab.
3. You’ll see a list of all available gateways.
   Common options include:
   • Stripe
   • PayPal Donations
   • Offline Donations
   • Other add-ons such as Authorize.net or Mollie (if installed)

Each gateway can be enabled, configured, or tested individually.

Enable the Gateways You Want to Use #

1. In the list of gateways, toggle the ones you wish to activate.
2. Each activated gateway will appear in your donation forms’ Payment Gateways block.
3. You can enable multiple gateways simultaneously to offer donors more payment choices.

Example: Enable both Stripe and PayPal Donations to accept credit cards and PayPal transactions side by side.

Configure Stripe #

Stripe is one of the most reliable and popular gateways for GiveWP.

1. In GiveWP → Settings → Payment Gateways → Stripe, click Connect with Stripe.
2. Sign in to your Stripe account or create one if needed.
3. Allow GiveWP to connect automatically through the Stripe API.
4. Choose your mode:
   • Live Mode for real transactions
   • Test Mode for sandbox testing
5. Save your settings when connected.

You can also configure which card types and wallets (Apple Pay, Google Pay) are displayed to donors.

Configure PayPal Donations #

PayPal Donations is included with GiveWP and easy to set up.

1. In GiveWP → Settings → Payment Gateways → PayPal Donations, click Connect with PayPal.
2. Log in with your PayPal business account credentials.
3. Approve access when prompted.
4. Choose Live or Test Mode depending on your stage of setup.
5. Click Save Changes.

PayPal will now appear as a payment option in all donation forms that use the default gateways block.

Configure Offline Donations #

Offline donations are for donors who prefer to send checks, bank transfers, or cash contributions.

1. Go to GiveWP → Settings → Payment Gateways → Offline Donations.
2. Enable Offline Donations.
3. Edit the Instructions field to explain how donors can complete the donation.
   Example: Please send your donation by bank transfer to: Charity Name IBAN: XX00 XXXX 0000 0000 Reference: Your Name - Donation
4. Save your settings.

When donors choose this option, GiveWP records the donation as “Pending” until marked as complete manually by an administrator.

Set a Default Gateway #

To define which gateway is preselected on your donation forms:

1. Stay under GiveWP → Settings → Payment Gateways.
2. Find the Default Gateway dropdown.
3. Choose one option, such as Stripe or PayPal Donations.
4. Save your settings.

The selected gateway will load automatically when a donor opens a form.

Test Your Payment Gateways #

Before accepting live donations, test all payment gateways to ensure proper configuration.

1. In GiveWP → Settings → Payment Gateways, switch Test Mode to Enabled.
2. Visit one of your campaign pages.
3. Submit a small test donation using sample payment data provided by Stripe or PayPal.
4. Verify that the transaction appears in Donations → All Donations.
5. After confirming successful processing, disable Test Mode and switch back to Live Mode.

Troubleshooting Common Issues #

• Gateway not showing: Confirm that it’s enabled under Payment Gateways and included in the donation form’s Payment Gateways block.
• Transactions failing: Verify API keys or reconnection with your payment provider.
• Duplicate payments: Ensure caching or optimization plugins are not interfering with form submissions.
• Currency mismatch: Check that your GiveWP currency and your payment account currency match.

Best Practices #

• Offer at least two payment gateways for donor convenience.
• Keep Test Mode enabled during setup and disable it after verification.
• Use HTTPS (SSL) for all pages containing donation forms.
• Periodically reconnect Stripe or PayPal to refresh tokens.
• Review gateway reports monthly to ensure all transactions are processing correctly.