WordPress Plugin•Manage Donations, Donors & Campaigns•Modern & Easy to Use

Giftflowv1.0.1

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How to start your first campaign 🎉

How to start your first campaign

If this is your first time using Giftflow, keep it simple: set up one payment method, create one campaign, publish, and test a donation.

Giftflow Add New Campaign Example

Before you start: set up payments first

Campaigns need a working payment method so donors can complete a donation.

  1. Configure at least one payment option:
    • Stripe (recommended for cards)
    • PayPal (trusted and familiar)
    • Local bank (manual transfer / regional option)
  2. Save settings.
  3. Do a quick sandbox/test payment to confirm it works.

Tip: You can add more payment methods later—start with just one to avoid getting stuck in setup.

Step 1: Create your first Campaign post

In WordPress Admin:

  1. Go to Campaigns → Add New.
  2. Add a clear Campaign title (example: “Support our 2026 Scholarship Fund”).
  3. Fill in the key fields below (you don’t need perfect data to launch).

Campaign fields (what to fill in)

  • Goal Amount: your fundraising target (example: 10,000).
  • Start Date: when donations open.
  • End Date: when the campaign ends.
  • Status: choose one:
    • active (accepting donations now)
    • pending (not visible / not ready yet)
    • complete (goal reached; usually stop taking donations)
    • closed (ended; stop taking donations)
  • One-Time (checkbox): enable if donors can donate once.
  • Recurring (checkbox): enable only if you’re ready to support recurring donations.
  • Preset Donation Amounts: add a small set like 10, 25, 50, 100.
  • Location: optional; helpful for local/community campaigns.
  • Image gallery: add 1–3 strong images (more can wait).

Step 2: Keep it minimal (recommended defaults)

To avoid overwhelming donors (and yourself), start with:

  • Status: active
  • Donation types: One-Time ON, Recurring OFF
  • Preset amounts: 4 options (example: 10, 25, 50, 100)
  • Images: 1 main image (gallery optional)

You can always expand later once the first campaign is working.

Step 3: Publish and test the donation form

  1. Publish the campaign.
  2. Open the campaign page as a visitor.
  3. Make a test donation:
    • Use Stripe Test Mode / PayPal Sandbox / your bank test process.
  4. Confirm:
    • A Donation record is created
    • A Donor record is created/updated
    • Emails (admin + donor) are sent (if enabled)

Quick checklist

  • Payment method configured (Stripe/PayPal/Local bank)
  • Campaign created with goal, dates, status
  • Preset donation amounts added (4 is enough)
  • Published and tested a donation end-to-end

Need help with payment setup?

See these guides for step-by-step configuration: