How to Create a Donation Form with WooCommerce: A Beginner’s Guide
Want to use the power of WooCommerce to accept donations? You’ve come to the right place! While WooCommerce is primarily known for selling physical and digital products, it’s surprisingly versatile and can be easily adapted to create a donation form. This guide will walk you through the process, step-by-step, ensuring even the most beginner-friendly user can set up Read more about How To Use Aftership With Woocommerce a professional and effective donation system.
Why Use WooCommerce for Donations?
You might be wondering, “Why not just use a dedicated donation plugin?” Here’s why WooCommerce can be a great option, especially if you already use it for your online store:
- Familiarity: If you’re already comfortable with the WooCommerce interface, managing donations will feel natural.
- Centralized Management: Keep all your transactions (sales and donations) in one place.
- Payment Gateway Integration: Leverage your existing payment gateway setup (like Stripe or PayPal) without needing to configure another one.
- Customization: WooCommerce offers flexibility to customize the donation experience, blending seamlessly with your website’s branding.
- Option 1: Allowing Customers to Choose the Donation Amount (Recommended)
- Leave the “Price” field blank. This will allow users to enter their desired donation amount on the product page.
- Option 2: Fixed Donation Amounts
- Enter a specific price. You can create multiple “donation” products for different fixed amounts (e.g., “Donate $10,” “Donate $25,” “Donate $50”). This provides predefined options for donors.
Think of a local animal shelter that sells merchandise (t-shirts, mugs) on their WooCommerce store. Adding a donation option allows supporters to contribute directly, all within the same platform, streamlining their experience and the shelter’s administrative tasks.
Step 1: Install and Activate WooCommerce (If You Haven’t Already)
This is the obvious first step! If you don’t already have WooCommerce installed, navigate to Plugins > Add New in your WordPress dashboard, search for “WooCommerce,” install, and activate it. Follow the setup wizard to configure your store’s basic settings.
Step 2: Create a “Donation” Product
The key to using WooCommerce for donations is treating the donation as a product. Here’s how to create that product:
1. Go to Products > Add New.
2. Enter a title for your product, such as “Make a Donation” or “Support Our Cause.”
3. Write a compelling description explaining where the donations will go and the impact they’ll have. This is your chance to connect with your audience emotionally! For example: “Your generous donation will help us provide food, shelter, and medical care to abandoned animals in our community.”
4. Crucially, set the Product Data to “Simple Product.”
5. Check the “Virtual” checkbox. Since it’s a donation, there’s no physical shipping involved.
6. In the “General” tab, you have two options:
7. (Optional) Add a product image that resonates with your cause. A picture of the people or animals you’re helping can be incredibly effective.
8. Set a product category (e.g., “Donations”) for organizational purposes.
9. Click Publish.
Step 3: Customize the Product Page (For Optional Amount Donations)
If you chose Option 1 above (allowing customers to choose the donation amount), you’ll need to add a way for them to enter that amount. WooCommerce doesn’t have a built-in input field for this. Here are two common solutions:
A. Using a Plugin (Recommended for Non-Developers):
There are several plugins that can add a customizable input field to your product page. Search the WordPress plugin repository for terms like “WooCommerce donation plugin” or “WooCommerce custom product field.” Many of these are free or have free versions. Choose one that’s well-reviewed and compatible with your version of WooCommerce.
B. Adding Custom Code (For Developers or Those Comfortable with Code):
You can add a custom code snippet to your theme’s `functions.php` file (or use a code snippets plugin) to add a custom field. Be very careful when editing your theme files, as errors can break your site. It’s always best to use a child theme to prevent losing changes during theme updates.
Here’s a simplified example using PHP:
/**
if ($product->is_type(‘simple’) && ! $product->get_price()) { // Only show on simple products with no price
echo ‘
echo ‘‘;
echo ”;
echo ‘
‘;
}
}
add_action( ‘woocommerce_before_add_to_cart_button’, ‘add_donation_amount_field’ );
/
* Validate and add the custom donation amount to the cart.
*/
function add_donation_amount_to_cart( $cart_item_data, $product_id, $variation_id ) {
if ( isset( $_POST[‘donation_amount’] ) && ! empty( $_POST[‘donation_amount’] ) ) {
$donation_amount = wc_clean( $_POST[‘donation_amount’] );
// Basic validation: Ensure it’s a number and greater than 0
if ( is_numeric( $donation_amount ) && $donation_amount > 0 ) {
$cart_item_data[‘donation_amount’] = $donation_amount; // Store the donation amount in cart data
$cart_item_data[‘product_price’] = floatval( $donation_amount ); // Override the product price with the donation amount
} else {
wc_add_notice( __( ‘Invalid donation amount. Please enter a valid number greater than zero.’, ‘woocommerce’ ), ‘error’ );
throw new Exception( ‘Invalid donation amount’ );
}
} else {
wc_add_notice( __( ‘Please enter a donation amount.’, ‘woocommerce’ ), ‘error’ );
throw new Exception( ‘Please enter a donation amount’ );
}
return $cart_item_data;
}
add_filter( ‘woocommerce_add_cart_item_data’, ‘add_donation_amount_to_cart’, 10, 3 );
/
* Display the donation amount in the cart and checkout.
*/
function display_donation_amount_in_cart( $item_data, $cart_item ) {
if ( isset( $cart_item[‘donation_amount’] ) ) {
$item_data[] = array(
‘name’ => __( ‘Donation Amount’, ‘woocommerce’ ),
‘value’ => wc_price( $cart_item[‘donation_amount’] )
);
}
return $item_data;
}
add_filter( ‘woocommerce_get_item_data’, ‘display_donation_amount_in_cart’, 10, 2 );
/
* Update cart item price based on the donation amount
*/
function set_donation_price_in_cart( $cart_object ) {
if ( is_admin() && ! defined( ‘DOING_AJAX’ ) )
return;
if ( empty( $cart_object->cart_contents ) )
return;
foreach ( $cart_object->cart_contents as $cart_item_key => $cart_item ) {
if( isset( $cart_item[‘donation_amount’] ) ){
$cart_item[‘data’]->set_price( floatval( $cart_item[‘donation_amount’] ) );
}
}
}
add_action( ‘woocommerce_before_calculate_totals’, ‘set_donation_price_in_cart’, 10, 1 );
Explanation of the code:
- `add_donation_amount_field()`: This function adds an HTML input field to the product page, allowing users to enter a donation amount. It only appears on simple products that don’t have a price already.
- `add_donation_amount_to_cart()`: This function validates the entered donation amount and adds it to the cart item data. It also overrides the product price with the donation amount.
- `display_donation_amount_in_cart()`: This function displays the donation amount in the cart and checkout pages.
- `set_donation_price_in_cart()`: This ensures the price of the donation product in the cart is correctly set to the donated amount.
Important: This is a basic example. You might need to adjust the CSS for styling and add more robust validation depending on your specific needs.
Step 4: Customize the User Experience
Now that the core functionality is in place, let’s focus on making the donation process smooth and appealing.
- Create a dedicated “Donate” page: This page should feature your “Make a Donation” product prominently. You can add it to your site’s navigation menu.
- Use compelling calls to action: Instead of just saying “Add to Cart,” use phrases like “Donate Now,” “Support Our Mission,” or “Give Today.” You can customize the “Add to Cart” button text using plugins or code snippets.
- Add social proof: Display testimonials from satisfied donors or showcase the impact of past donations (e.g., “Thanks to your generosity, we were Discover insights on How To Setup Shipping On Woocommerce able to provide 100 families with food assistance last month.”).
- Optimize for mobile: Ensure your donation form is easily accessible and usable on smartphones and tablets. Most modern WooCommerce themes are responsive by default, but double-check to be sure.
- Thank You page: Create or customize the thank you page to acknowledge the donation, reassure them their donation is being used to support the cause, and provide them information on how to contact you if they have any further questions. Consider also providing a tax receipt on this page, if applicable.
Step 5: Test and Promote
Before launching your donation form, thoroughly test the entire process. Make a test donation yourself to ensure everything is working correctly.
Once you’re satisfied, promote your donation form through your website, social media channels, email newsletters, and other marketing efforts.
Real-Life Example:
Imagine a community art center running workshops for underprivileged children. They sell handmade crafts made by the children on their WooCommerce store. They add a “Donate to Support Our Programs” product with no fixed price. On the product page, they include photos of the children participating in the workshops and a heartfelt message explaining how donations help fund art supplies, teacher stipends, and studio space. They then actively promote this donation option through their social media channels and local community events.
Conclusion:
Using WooCommerce to create a donation form is a viable and powerful solution for many organizations. By following these steps and customizing the experience to fit your brand and mission, you can build a successful fundraising tool and engage your supporters in a meaningful way. Remember Discover insights on How To Disable Woocommerce Plugin to prioritize a clear and compelling message, a seamless user experience, and ongoing promotion to maximize your donation potential. Good luck!
