How To Set Up Donations On Squarespace

This guide will walk you through the step-by-step guide to setting up Donations on your Squarespace website

A donations page allows visitors and customers to contribute to your mission or services.

Squarespace allows you to set up donations block and integrate it with payment processors like Stripe and Paypal.

Prerequisites

• You need to be subscribed to at least the Business Plan on Squarespace (Personal plan does not currently support a donation page)

• Donations can only be set up using a laptop or desktop (the set-up is not supported on mobile devices)

• You must connect your website to a payment processor to make it effective (payments can only be made through your selected payment processor)

Step 1: Connect Your Website to a Payment Processor

1. Go to the Store Payment Panel in your Squarespace dashboard.

2. Select Connect Stripe or Connect PayPal, depending on your preference.

3. Log in to your Stripe or PayPal account and follow the instructions to link it to your Squarespace site.

Step 2: Add a Donation Block

1. Navigate to the page where you want to add the donation block.

2. Click on Edit.

3. Hover over the section of the page where you want the donation block.

4. Click on Add Block and select Donation Block from the block options.

5. The donation block will appear on your page. Now you can proceed to customize it.

Step 3: Customize the Donation Block

You can customize the donation block to fit your needs. Here are the available customization options:

• Add a Title: Add a clear title for the donation block (e.g., “Support Our Mission”).

• Description: Provide a short description explaining the purpose of the donation and how it will be used.

• Suggested Amounts: Add multiple suggested donation amounts. Donors can also input a custom amount.

• Add a Form: Include a form to collect additional information from donors, such as their name, email, and address.

• Edit Label Text: You can modify the label text on the donation button (e.g., “Donate” or “Drop a Tip”).

• Button Alignment: Align the donation button to the left, center, or right, based on your design preferences.

Step 4: Customize the Checkout Page

If you're on the Commerce or Business plan, you can customize the checkout process:

1. From your main dashboard, go to Design.

2. Click on Checkout Page to customize the layout, colors, logo, and button alignment.

3. You can also enable an option for donors to sign up for your mailing list during checkout.

Step 5: Manage Donations

In the Donation Panel, you can manage donations and view donor information:

• View Donors information: You can view the last 100 donors, their donation amounts, and other details.

• Enable Customer Accounts: Allow customers to create accounts for faster checkout and frequent donations.

• Customize Email Receipts: Go to Commerce > Emails and select Donation Receipt Email to edit the confirmation email that donors will receive after making a donation.

Step 6: Export Donations

You can export your donation history to a CSV file:

1. Go to Commerce > Donations.

2. Click on Export CSV in the top-right corner.

3. The CSV file will include donor names, donation amounts, and other details.

Step 7: Refund Donations

If necessary, you can refund a donation through your payment processor (Stripe or PayPal):

1. Go to your Stripe or PayPal account.

2. Locate the specific donation and follow the steps provided by your payment processor to issue a refund.

Option 2: Using Third-Party Donation Tools

If you need recurring donations (e.g., for NGOs), you may want to integrate third-party donation platforms. Squarespace allows third-party integration using CSS.

Popular Third-Party Donation Tools:

• Donorbox: Allows recurring donations, custom form building, and additional payment options.

• GiveButter: Provides recurring payments, cheaper fees, and no platform fee with GiveButter branding.

These third-party tools can be embedded into your Squarespace site if the built-in donation block does not meet your needs.

Creating an Individual Donation Page

Instead of adding the donation block to a page section, you can create a new page for your donations. To do this;

1. Go to your Pages section and create a new page.

2. Add a donation block to the new page.

3. Use the page to explain your mission, showcase past work, and build trust with potential donors.

Conclusion

You’ve successfully learned how to create a donation block on Squarespace. You can now set up your donation page and get people to donate to your mission or services

For more resources, kindly check the help center.