How to Use Donorbox: A Step-by-Step Guide to Setting Up Online Fundraising

How to Use Donorbox for Online Fundraising

Donorbox makes it easier for nonprofits, charities, churches, schools, and community organizations to collect donations online and manage fundraising activities.

Whether you’re creating your first donation form or building a larger fundraising campaign, you can use Donorbox to manage the process from one centralized platform.

This guide explains how to use Donorbox step by step, from creating an account to collecting donations and managing supporters.

How to Get Started With Donorbox

The basic Donorbox workflow is:

Create Account → Set Up Organization → Connect Payments → Create Donation Form → Customize → Publish → Promote → Manage Donations

Let’s look at each step.

Step 1: Create a Donorbox Account

First, create your Donorbox account.

Provide your organization’s basic information and complete the initial setup.

Make sure the information accurately represents your nonprofit or organization because donors will see relevant details throughout the giving experience.

Step 2: Complete Your Organization Profile

Add important organization information, including:

• Organization name

• Logo

• Website

• Description

• Contact details

A complete profile helps establish trust with potential donors.

Use a clear organization description that explains what your organization does and whom it helps.

Step 3: Connect Your Payment Processor

To receive online donations, connect an available payment processor.

Depending on your location and configuration, Donorbox can support different payment methods.

Before launching, check:

• Available payment methods

• Processing fees

• Donor payment experience

• Currency availability

• Payout information

This ensures you’re ready to receive real donations.

Step 4: Create a Donation Form

From your Donorbox dashboard, create a new donation form.

Give it a clear name.

For example:

General Donation

Education Fund

Emergency Relief Campaign

Annual Fundraiser

Choose a name that makes the purpose of the form immediately understandable.

Step 5: Add Donation Amounts

Set suggested donation amounts.

For example:

$10

$25

$50

$100

Custom Amount

Suggested amounts help donors decide quickly while the custom option gives them flexibility.

Step 6: Enable Recurring Donations

If you want to receive ongoing contributions, enable recurring donations.

Depending on your setup, donors can be offered recurring giving options such as:

Monthly

Quarterly

Annually

Recurring donations can provide nonprofits with more predictable revenue.

Step 7: Customize Your Donation Form

Customize the donation form to match your organization.

Add your:

• Logo

• Branding

• Campaign description

• Donation amounts

• Giving options

• Donor questions

Avoid making the form unnecessarily complicated.

The goal should be:

Simple → Clear → Trustworthy → Easy to Complete

Step 8: Add Custom Donor Questions

Donorbox allows organizations to collect additional information through donation forms.

You might ask donors:

• Which program would you like to support?

• How did you hear about us?

• Would you like campaign updates?

• Would you like to receive our newsletter?

Only ask questions that are genuinely useful.

Too many fields can make the donation experience less convenient.

Step 9: Create a Fundraising Campaign

If you’re raising money for a specific goal, create a dedicated fundraising campaign.

For example:

Help Build a Community Center

Goal: $50,000

Explain:

• What you’re raising money for

• Why the project matters

• How donations will be used

• Who will benefit

• What the fundraising goal is

Step 10: Write Your Campaign Story

A strong campaign story should be easy to understand.

Use this structure:

The Problem

Explain what needs to be solved.

The Solution

Explain what your organization is doing.

The Impact

Explain how donations will help.

The Goal

Explain how much money you need.

The Call to Action

Tell people how they can contribute.

Step 11: Create Your Fundraising Page

Build a dedicated fundraising page for your campaign.

Include:

• Campaign title

• High-quality images

• Campaign story

• Fundraising goal

• Donation form

• Recurring donation option

• Progress information

Make sure visitors can quickly understand the purpose of the campaign.

Step 12: Add Donorbox to Your Website

You can integrate Donorbox into your organization’s website.

Place the donation experience in locations where visitors are likely to see it.

Good locations include:

• Homepage

• Donate page

• Campaign page

• Blog

• Event page

• Navigation menu

Make the Donate button easy to find.

Step 13: Create a Dedicated Donate Page

If your organization doesn’t have one, create a dedicated donation page.

A good donation page includes:

Why Donate

↓

How Your Donation Helps

↓

Donation Form

↓

Recurring Giving Option

↓

Thank You / Impact Message

Keep the page focused on fundraising.

Step 14: Test the Donation Experience

Before promoting your campaign, test the entire process.

Check:

• Donation form

• Suggested amounts

• Custom amount

• Recurring giving

• Payment options

• Confirmation

• Email notifications

• Donor information

Testing helps identify problems before real donors encounter them.

Step 15: Check the Mobile Experience

Open your donation page on a smartphone.

Make sure:

• Buttons are easy to tap

• Text is readable

• Forms work correctly

• Images load properly

• Payment options are accessible

• The page doesn’t feel crowded

A mobile-friendly donation experience is essential for online fundraising.

Step 16: Publish Your Campaign

Once everything works correctly, publish the campaign.

Your campaign is now ready to share with supporters.

But publishing is only the beginning.

You also need to promote it.

Step 17: Promote Your Campaign

Share your campaign through:

• Website

• Email

• Social media

• Community groups

• Events

• Supporter networks

Use different messages for different channels.

For example:

Email: Tell the complete campaign story.

Social Media: Use short, emotional updates.

Website: Provide detailed campaign information.

Step 18: Use Email to Reach Existing Supporters

Email is particularly useful for reaching people who already know your organization.

A simple campaign sequence could be:

Email 1: Campaign announcement

Email 2: Why the campaign matters

Email 3: Progress update

Email 4: Impact story

Email 5: Final reminder

Don’t send the same message repeatedly.

Step 19: Encourage Recurring Donations

Make recurring giving visible throughout your fundraising campaign.

Explain the difference between one-time and recurring support.

For example:

$25 One-Time

vs.

$10 Every Month

Explain what ongoing support can accomplish.

Step 20: Use Peer-to-Peer Fundraising

You can also expand your campaign through supporters.

Instead of asking only your organization to promote the campaign, encourage supporters to share the fundraising campaign with their own networks.

The model is:

Organization → Supporter → Personal Network → New Donors

This can help reach people outside your existing audience.

Step 21: Manage Your Donors

As donations arrive, use Donorbox’s donor-management capabilities to organize supporter information.

Review:

• Donor history

• Donation amount

• Donation frequency

• Recurring status

• Campaign participation

This can help your team understand donor behavior.

Step 22: Identify Recurring Donors

Separate recurring donors from one-time donors when planning communications.

Recurring supporters may be particularly valuable because they provide ongoing contributions.

Consider sending them:

• Impact updates

• Special appreciation messages

• Program updates

• Recurring donor milestones

Step 23: Thank Every Donor

A simple thank-you message can improve the donor experience.

For example:

“Thank you for supporting our campaign. Your contribution helps us continue our work and create a meaningful impact in the community.”

Make the message specific whenever possible.

Step 24: Share the Impact

Don’t only tell donors that you received their money.

Show them what their support achieved.

For example:

$500 raised → 50 students received supplies

$2,000 raised → Community program expanded

$10,000 raised → New project launched

Impact reporting can strengthen donor relationships.

Step 25: Use Donor Activity Insights

Pay attention to important donor activity.

Examples can include:

• First donation

• Recurring donation cancellation

• Increased recurring donation

• Donation anniversary

These moments can provide opportunities for personalized communication.

Step 26: Manage Fundraising Events

If your organization runs fundraising events, Donorbox can also be used as part of the event fundraising workflow.

You can combine:

Event → Registration/Tickets → Donations → In-Person Giving → Follow-Up

This can make event fundraising more organized.

Step 27: Use Live Kiosk for In-Person Donations

For physical events, Donorbox Live Kiosk can provide another way to collect donations.

It can be useful at:

• Charity events

• School fundraisers

• Church events

• Community gatherings

• Conferences

This gives supporters an alternative to traditional cash donations.

Step 28: Monitor Your Fundraising Results

Regularly review your campaign performance.

Important metrics include:

• Total donations

• Number of donors

• Average donation

• Recurring donations

• Campaign progress

• Donor retention

Use these numbers to understand what’s working.

Step 29: Improve Underperforming Campaigns

If a campaign isn’t receiving enough donations, look at the entire donor journey.

Ask:

Is the goal clear?

Is the story compelling?

Is the donation form easy?

Is recurring giving visible?

Is the campaign being promoted enough?

Does the page work well on mobile?

Fixing these areas can improve the overall experience.

Step 30: Connect Donorbox With Other Tools

As your nonprofit grows, you may want to connect Donorbox with other systems.

Depending on your workflow, integrations can help connect fundraising with:

• CRM

• Email marketing

• Accounting

• Analytics

• Automation

This can reduce repetitive administrative tasks.

Step 31: Automate Donor Follow-Up

A simple automated workflow can look like:

Donation Received

↓

Donor Record Updated

↓

Thank-You Message

↓

Donor Segmentation

↓

Impact Update

↓

Future Fundraising Communication

Automation can help your team maintain communication without manually handling every step.

Step 32: Review Your Fundraising Strategy

After a campaign ends, analyze the results.

Ask:

• Which channel brought the most donors?

• How many donors became recurring supporters?

• Which donation amount was most popular?

• How many previous donors returned?

• Which campaign message performed best?

Use these insights to improve future campaigns.

How to Get Better Results With Donorbox

Keep Forms Short

Only request essential information.

Make Recurring Giving Easy

Give donors a clear recurring option.

Use Strong Campaign Stories

People need to understand the impact of their donation.

Show Real Progress

Keep supporters updated throughout the campaign.

Optimize for Mobile

Make sure the donation process works smoothly on smartphones.

Follow Up

Continue communicating with supporters after they donate.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Making the Donation Page Too Complicated

Keep the experience simple.

Hiding the Donate Button

Make your donation option easy to find.

Ignoring Recurring Giving

Recurring contributions can support long-term fundraising.

Asking for Too Much Information

Only collect information your organization actually needs.

Not Testing Payments

Always test the complete donation journey before launch.

Failing to Report Impact

Show supporters what their contributions accomplished.

Final Verdict

Donorbox can be used to manage much more than a simple online donation form.

Organizations can use it to create donation forms, recurring giving campaigns, fundraising pages, peer-to-peer campaigns, events, memberships, donor-management workflows, and in-person fundraising experiences.

The best way to get started is to keep your first campaign simple:

Create Account → Set Up Organization → Connect Payments → Create Donation Form → Add Recurring Giving → Build Campaign → Publish → Promote → Manage Donors → Track Results

Once the basic system is working, you can expand into peer-to-peer fundraising, events, donor segmentation, automation, and more advanced fundraising strategies.

For nonprofits looking to build a structured online fundraising workflow, Donorbox provides a practical starting point for turning website visitors and supporters into long-term donors.