A donation form in WordPress lets supporters give on your own site, in your own colors, without sending them to a platform that takes a share of every gift. With preset amounts and an option to give monthly, it can raise more than a plain donate button. This guide is for teams at nonprofits, schools, churches and community groups. We show the fields, the amounts, monthly giving and the thank-you, and how to set up an online donation form in about 20 minutes.
The short version
- Offer 3 or 4 preset amounts, with the middle one marked as most common.
- Connect Stripe or PayPal; Echo Forms takes 0% of every gift.
- Add monthly giving with Signature, for steady support.
- Send a thank-you email with what the gift makes possible.
Why host the donation form on your own site?
Because the money, the data and the design stay yours. Some donation platforms add a fee of their own on top of card processing, or ask donors to tip the platform. On your own WordPress site with Echo Forms, we take nothing, so only the card processor’s fee applies, such as Stripe’s standard 2.9% plus 30 cents in the US. You also keep every donor’s details in your own database, instead of a platform’s.
Which amounts should you offer?
Three or four preset amounts work best, with one in the middle that most people pick. For a small charity that might be:
| Amount | What it pays for |
|---|---|
| $10 | A meal for a family |
| $25 | A week of after-school club |
| $50 | A month of supplies |
| $100 | A full term for one child |
Saying what each amount does turns a number into a picture, which helps people choose. A Pick-one items field shows the amounts as choices with their prices, and the Total adds up the gift.
How to build an online donation form, step by step
- In Echo Forms, create a form with name and email fields.
- Add a Pick-one items field with your amounts, or a Single item for one fixed gift.
- Add a Total, then connect Stripe or PayPal on the Payments settings.
- With Signature, set How often to charge to Every month to offer monthly giving.
- Write a thank-you email and a confirmation message that says what happens next.
- Test it in test mode with a test card, then switch to live.
The payments guide walks through test mode, currencies and each payment service, and prices and totals covers the priced fields.
Should you offer monthly donations?
Yes, if you can. A monthly gift of $20 is $240 over 12 months, and it lets you plan. With Echo Forms Signature, choosing Every month starts a subscription with Stripe or PayPal, and each renewal is noted on the entry. Donors can cancel at any time, which makes it easier for them to say yes. Put the monthly option beside the one-off amounts, so people see both.
What should the thank-you say?
Thank them by name, say what their gift will do, and tell them how a receipt reaches them. Send it within 10 minutes, while the decision is fresh. A short story or photo in a follow-up 3 days later shows the gift at work, and that is what brings people back next year.
A donation form in WordPress that keeps 100% of the gift minus card fees is one of the simplest wins for a small organization. Start with one form on your donate page, and add monthly giving once the first gifts arrive. See all payment features for every way to take money.
Every gift goes to your cause
Echo Forms takes no fee on payments, on any plan. Monthly giving comes with Signature, from $49.99 a year.
