Accepting Donations on Squarespace: Your Quick How To Guide
If you've been trying to figure out how to start accepting donations on Squarespace, or you’ve been frustrated with your limited options, you're in the right place. Squarespace has made some exciting updates to the donation capabilities that can help you collect donations more effectively. You may already know that Squarespace has a donation block, and perhaps you’re already using it. However, the old version had some limitations. In this guide, I’ll show you the features Squarespace has added/updated to make accepting donations easier and more flexible!
I’ll walk you through everything below, but if you prefer watching or listening to a demo, be sure to view the companion video on my YouTube channel.
Squarespace Donation Capabilities
Squarespace's donation block has some significant updates that make it far more versatile. Here's a detailed breakdown of what’s new and how you can use it:
1. Set Specific Donation Amounts: In addition to defining specific donation amounts that users can choose from, you can also toggle on the custom amount feature, allowing donors to contribute an amount they decide on.
2. Recurring Donations: One of the game-changing updates is the ability to accept weekly or monthly recurring donations in Squarespace. This offers a great way to maintain a steady stream of contributions and offer flexibility for you and your users.
3. Disclaimer Customization: In addition to the above two functions, you can edit or add disclaimers or descriptive text to show on the donation block under the fund settings.
4. Design Flexibility: The donation block is now rendered as a form (not just a button), so you can design/format it like any other form.
Step-by-Step Guide to Accepting Donations on Squarespace
Follow the steps below to add the donation block and start accepting donations on your Squarespace 7.1 website:
1. Add a Donation Page, Section, or Block:
You have three options for adding donations to your Squarespace website.
Add a new donations page and select a page layout template under “Giving Pages.”
Add a new donations section to an existing page and select a section layout under “Donations.”
Add a donation block directly to an existing page/section on your website.
2. Connect Your Payment Processor and Enable Customer Accounts
Before you can accept donations, you’ll need to set up your payment processor and enable customer accounts. If you haven't done that yet, Squarespace will prompt and guide you through the process.
Once these are configured, you’ll be able to track donations right in Squarespace, and your customers who donate can keep track of their donations by logging into their customer account!
3. Fund Settings and Donation Options:
Here’s how you configure the donation specifics:
Click on 'Edit' to access the block settings.
Open the 'Fund Settings' to manage the details.
Under ‘Details’, add any disclaimers or information you want donors to know.
Set specific donation amounts and descriptions for each amount (e.g., $10 for entry-level support), and toggle the custom amount option if desired.
Toggle on ‘Custom Amounts’, if you want users to be able to choose their own donation amount.
Enable or disable recurring donations (monthly or weekly).
Once you save these settings, your donation block will be configured and ready to use.
Tips for Using the Squarespace Donation Features Effectively
Below are some helpful tips for effectively using donation blocks in Squarespace. By leveraging the platform's enhanced donation capabilities wisely, you can make it easier for visitors to support your cause.
1. New Donation Blocks in Squarespace 7.1 Only:
These new custom donation and recurring donation features functionalities apply only to new donation blocks in Squarespace 7.1. If you've used donation blocks on your site before this update (July 2024), you must delete your current donation block(s) and replace them with the new ones. If your website is still on Squarespace 7.0, you cannot use this block.
2. Donation Options Increase Flexibility:
The ability to offer fixed and custom donation amounts makes your donation process more flexible for users, so you should utilize them whenever possible. Be clear in your descriptions for different donation levels, as this can encourage more contributions.
3. Enabling Recurring Donations:
Enabling recurring donations in Squarepsace can significantly boost your fundraising efforts because they make it simpler for users to “set it and forget it!” Plus, they provide a predictable revenue stream, making it easier for you to plan and budget.
4. Keeping Users Informed:
Use the disclaimer, information settings, and any other text on your donations page/section wisely. Provide clear, concise details about how the donations will be used. Transparency builds trust and can increase the likelihood of contributions. Depending on the nature of your donations, consult with your legal team to ensure any disclaimers or other text is appropriate.
Conclusion
Now that you see how easy it is to set up and start accepting donations on Squarespace, nothing is holding you back from getting started. It only takes a few minutes, and with more robust flexibility and options like one-time, custom, and recurring donations for users to choose from, you’ll be able to improve the success rate of your campaigns and have more visibility into what’s working!
I'd love to know your thoughts about Squarespace's new donation capabilities. Have you used the donation blocks before? Are you excited about these new features? Share your experiences and ask any questions in the comments below.
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