Without enough positive reviews, your business can look less trustworthy and may even struggle to rank in local search results.

The good news is that you don’t need to be pushy or tech-savvy to get great feedback from real customers.

In this guide, I’ll show you how I consistently get more customer reviews using simple, beginner-friendly tips that anyone can follow.

You’ll learn how to ask for reviews naturally, automate follow-ups, and display them beautifully on your website to attract even more buyers.

Why Do Customer Reviews Matter?

Customer reviews are a big deal because they can shape how people see your business — and whether they decide to buy from you.

Here’s why they’re so important:

• Build Trust and Credibility: When someone visits your website for the first time, they want to know if they can trust you. Honest reviews from real customers give instant reassurance.
• Boost Your Local SEO: Reviews don’t just improve your reputation — they help Google notice you and recommend you to people in your local area. The more positive feedback you have, the higher your business can show up in local search results.
• Increase Conversions With Social Proof: Reviews act like little nudges. When visitors see that others have had great experiences, they’re more likely to make a purchase, sign up, or reach out. It’s proof that your product or service really works.

For example, all of our partner brands showcase real user testimonials on their websites. This simple addition has helped them build trust, keep their audience engaged, and show that their products really deliver.

How to Create a Customer Review Form in WordPress

Before you start collecting reviews, you’ll need an easy way for customers to share their feedback. That’s where WPForms comes in.

It’s hands down the best drag-and-drop form builder for WordPress. You can use it to create a customer review form in just a few minutes, complete with star ratings, comment boxes, and custom fields — all without writing a single line of code.

👉 To get started, check out our step-by-step tutorial on how to create a client feedback form in WordPress.

Once your form is ready, you’ll have a dedicated place for customers to leave their reviews — making the next steps of collecting feedback even easier.

With that in mind, let’s jump into my beginner-friendly tips for collecting more reviews. You can also use the links below to skip ahead to a specific tip:

• 12 Proven Tips to Get More Customer Reviews
  • Ask Right After Completing a Purchase or Project
  • Request Reviews After Positive Customer Support Interactions
  • Follow Up a Few Days Later
  • Add a Review Section in Customer Accounts
  • Add Review Links to Email Signatures and Order Receipts
  • Use QR Codes to Make Leaving Reviews Effortless
  • Showcase Reviews Prominently on Your Website
  • Collect Reviews with On-Site Popups
  • Offer Incentives to Encourage Reviews
  • Encourage Reviews on Social Media
  • Collect Video Testimonials
  • Track and Improve Your Review Strategy
• ❌ Common Mistakes to Avoid When Asking For a Review
• 🤝 How to Handle Negative Reviews Gracefully
• Frequently Asked Questions About Collecting Customer Reviews

12 Proven Tips to Get More Customer Reviews

Collecting reviews doesn’t have to be a guessing game. With a few simple strategies, you can make it super easy for customers to share their feedback.

I’ve put together 12 proven tips that have worked well for our partner brands and can work for you, too.

Let’s dive in and start turning happy customers into glowing reviews.

1. Ask Right After Completing a Purchase or Project

The best time to ask for a review is right after a customer buys something or you finish a project. That’s when they’re happiest and most willing to share feedback.

I’ve found that adding a review request to the thank-you page works surprisingly well. This is the page customers see immediately after placing an order, submitting a form, or booking a service.

It works great for WooCommerce stores, membership sites, online courses, agencies, photographers, and pretty much any business with a checkout or confirmation step.

With SeedProd, you can create a custom thank-you page in just a few minutes. It is the best WordPress page builder that has ready-made templates and even includes a WPForms block for integrating your survey form.

This makes it super easy to embed your customer review form directly on the thank-you page, so customers can leave feedback without clicking a separate link.

If you are interested, take a look at our tutorial on how to create thank-you pages in WordPress.

Of course, not everyone will leave a review instantly — and that’s where automated emails help.

You can send a friendly thank-you message along with the customer’s receipt and include a quick review request. For WooCommerce stores, FunnelKit Automations is one of the best tools to do this.

It includes a pre-built post-purchase email sequence that lets you easily add a link to your review form. This keeps everything fully automated and reminds customers when they’re most likely to respond.

I recommend checking out our tutorial on how to create post-purchase surveys in WordPress to set this up step-by-step.

2. Request Reviews After Positive Customer Support Interactions

Some of the best reviews come from customers who have had a great support experience. Across our brands, we like to reach out right after resolving a ticket or when a customer praises our team because they’re happy, engaged, and much more likely to leave a review.

Several popular helpdesk plugins let you easily send review requests after positive customer interactions. For instance, with HelpScout, you can set up a simple workflow to follow up automatically after a ticket is resolved.

Tools like FollowUpThen let you schedule a friendly reminder to send a review request, so nothing slips through the cracks.

Other helpdesk platforms, like Zendesk, Freshdesk, and HubSpot Service Hub, offer similar features to automate this process.

If your support includes live chat, then you can use WPChat — a powerful WordPress live chat plugin that lets your agents talk to visitors in real time using platforms like WhatsApp, Messenger, and Telegram.

Your support agents can ask for reviews right after helping a customer and share a link to your review form instantly. Reaching out while the experience is still fresh makes customers much more likely to leave a thoughtful, positive review.

To get started with WPChat, see our guide on how to add free live chat in WordPress.

3. Follow Up a Few Days Later

Sometimes customers don’t leave a review immediately because they’re busy, distracted, or need a little time to experience your product. That’s why sending a gentle reminder 7–10 days after delivery can make a big difference.

By then, physical products have usually arrived, and digital products have had time to be used, so your customers can give more thoughtful, accurate feedback.

You can automate this process to save time. For WooCommerce physical products, I recommend FunnelKit Automations, which lets you create post-purchase email sequences with built-in review requests.

It’s a great choice because it can use your store’s shipping and delivery data to time the follow-up email perfectly.

For digital products, Uncanny Automator works great.

It connects with popular plugins and can trigger a review request after a user completes a course, downloads a file, or makes a purchase through Easy Digital Downloads.

You can also easily add a delay between the trigger and the action by clicking the ‘Delay’ link in the recipe editor.

It opens a simple prompt where you can set how long to wait before the email is sent—for example, 3 days, 1 week, or a custom timeframe.

This ensures your follow-up hits at the perfect moment: after customers have had time to use your product, but while the experience is still fresh.

To find out how to do this, take a look at our tutorial on creating automated workflows in WordPress.

4. Add a Review Section in Customer Accounts

Another easy way to get more reviews is to let customers leave feedback directly from their account dashboard on your website.

I’ve noticed this works especially well on membership sites and online learning platforms, where users log in frequently and engage with your content over time.

Giving them a convenient spot to leave a review right inside their account increases the chances they’ll actually do it.

You can easily set this up in WordPress by opening the customer account page in the block editor. From there, just add a WPForms block with your review form.

For the best results, place it somewhere visible but not intrusive — for example, near the top of the dashboard, on a “My Account” or “Dashboard” tab, or under recent purchases or course progress.

If you don’t know how to do that, check out our guide on embedding WordPress forms.

If you prefer, you can also link to the review form rather than embed it directly. This works well if you want to keep the dashboard clean or direct users to external review sites like Google, Yelp, or Facebook.

5. Add Review Links to Email Signatures and Order Receipts

One of the easiest ways to get more reviews is to include a ‘Leave a Review’ link in your team’s email signatures.

Every email your team sends, whether it’s a support reply, invoice, or general correspondence, becomes an opportunity to remind customers to share feedback.

This works because it’s subtle, consistent, and reaches customers naturally without feeling pushy.

You can set this up quickly in Gmail (or most email clients) by going to the Settings page and scrolling down to the ‘Signature’ section. Then, create a short, friendly line like:

“Enjoying your purchase? We’d love your feedback! [Leave a Review]”

Another great spot for review requests is order receipts. Customers usually check their receipt right after a purchase, so it’s the perfect time to remind them you value their experience.

A quick, friendly prompt can encourage them to leave feedback while the experience is still fresh.

If you’re using FunnelKit Automations, it automatically creates an order details email notification for WooCommerce. You can easily customize this email to include your review request.

Simply go to the FunnelKit Automations » Settings » Emails page from the WordPress dashboard and click the ‘Edit’ link next to the ‘Order Details’ option.

This will open the email editor, where you can drag a ‘Text’ block right after the order details, and add your review sentence with a link to your feedback form.

Once you’re happy with it, click ‘Save’ to store your changes.

Then, go back to the Emails page and toggle the switch next to ‘Order Details’.

FunnelKit will automatically send your order receipt emails with the review link now included. This makes it effortless to turn every purchase into an opportunity for feedback.

6. Use QR Codes to Make Leaving Reviews Effortless

If you have customers who interact with your business offline — like in-store shoppers, event attendees, or people receiving physical products — then a QR code can make leaving a review super easy.

You could print the QR code on receipts, packaging, brochures, or even flyers. When customers scan it with their phone, they’re taken directly to your review form or landing page, making the process quick and effortless.

A tool I like for this is QRCode Monkey. It’s completely free and lets you create a QR code that links to any URL.

To use it for reviews, you need to first create a dedicated customer review page. Once your page is ready, just copy its URL and paste it into the QR code generator.

It will create a scannable QR code that takes customers straight to your review form. You can download the QR code by clicking the ‘Download PNG’ button.

Then add the QR code somewhere noticeable, such as at the bottom of receipts, on product inserts, or in a brochure.

I also recommend adding a short prompt nearby, like ”Scan here to leave a quick review — it only takes a minute!‘, to draw attention and encourage customers to actually take action.

This simple step turns even offline interactions into valuable opportunities for feedback.

7. Showcase Reviews Prominently on Your Website

You should make sure your customer reviews stand out and catch visitors’ attention as soon as they land on your website.

For the best results, I recommend placing these reviews on your homepage, product pages, and even the checkout page to build trust at key decision points.

When visitors see authentic, positive testimonials, they’re reminded that other people are sharing their experiences, which often motivates them to add their own review.

For WordPress users, Smash Balloon Reviews Feed Pro is the best reviews plugin for managing and displaying customer reviews.

It gives you full control over which reviews appear, lets you filter by star rating, and offers flexible display options, such as carousels or grids.

This makes it easy to showcase reviews in a professional, engaging way without touching a single line of code.

For step-by-step instructions, see our guide on displaying Google, Facebook, and Yelp reviews in WordPress.

8. Collect Reviews with On-Site Popups

Another easy way to increase the number of reviews you get is by asking visitors at the right moment. On-site popups let you target engaged users, so you can collect quick feedback without interrupting their experience.

You can trigger these popups based on time spent on a page, scroll depth, or when a visitor views specific product pages. This ensures you’re only asking users who are already interested, which leads to more reviews and higher-quality responses.

UserFeedback is one of the best survey plugins for this purpose, and it’s the tool I recommend if you want a quick, non-intrusive popup that blends naturally into your site.

You can create simple star ratings, short questions, or lightweight surveys, and place them on the pages that matter most.

If you want to see how it works, you can follow our step-by-step tutorial on how to create a survey form in WordPress.

For more control over who sees your popups—and exactly when—OptinMonster is the better fit. It includes advanced targeting rules such as scroll-depth triggers, page-level display, device targeting, and exit-intent detection.

This makes it ideal for stores that want to personalize review requests based on user behavior or show popups only during key moments in the buyer journey.

To dive deeper into what’s possible, you can check out our full guide on how to create popups in WordPress.

9. Offer Incentives to Encourage Reviews

Giving customers a little nudge can go a long way when it comes to collecting reviews, but you don’t have to offer money to make it effective.

I’ve found that non-monetary incentives work really well and feel natural for both your business and your customers. Think along the lines of early access to new products, exclusive content, or special recognition in your community.

If you want to go the coupon or discount route, you can set up rewards for leaving a review without violating platform rules.

Tools like WooCommerce Points and Rewards let you give points for actions such as writing a review, which customers can later redeem for discounts.

For stores that want a purpose-built solution, Loyalty Program by Advanced Coupons is my top recommendation. It’s specifically designed to reward customers for leaving reviews, as well as for other actions such as purchases or social shares.

You can easily create custom reward rules, track points, and automate notifications to let customers know when they’ve earned something for their feedback.

To get started, see our tutorial on how to create a loyalty program in WooCommerce.

10. Encourage Reviews on Social Media

Social media is a great way to get more reviews while also engaging your audience. I’ve found that when you ask followers to share their experiences in a friendly way, it not only encourages participation but also strengthens your community.

You can run simple campaigns asking people to leave a review or share a story about how they use your product.

Alternatively, you can run interactive campaigns with RafflePress. This powerful giveaway plugin allows you to create contests or giveaways that encourage followers to leave reviews, share posts, or engage with your content.

You can set up simple rules, track entries, and even integrate it with email marketing tools.

For example, you could run a “Share Your Experience” campaign where participants submit a review or testimonial to earn a chance to win a small prize. This creates a fun, non-intrusive way to boost reviews and engagement.

For step-by-step instructions, take a look at our tutorial on how to run a social media contest to grow your site.

11. Collect Video Testimonials

Video testimonials are one of the most powerful ways to build trust with potential customers. When people see real customers talking about their experience, it creates an instant connection and makes your product or service feel more authentic.

You can reach out to your top customers and ask them to submit short video reviews. These videos can then be displayed on your homepage, sales pages, or dedicated testimonial pages to boost credibility and encourage more purchases.

To make collecting videos easy, WPForms is a great choice. You can create a simple upload form where customers can submit their videos directly from your website.

However, uploading videos directly to WordPress can put a heavy load on your server, especially on shared hosting. That’s why I highly recommend using the Google Drive or Dropbox addons offered by WPForms.

Once activated, these addons connect your website to your preferred cloud storage, and all videos submitted by your users are safely saved there.

This setup keeps your website running smoothly while making it easy to manage user-submitted videos. You can then select the best ones from your storage to display on your reviews page so that visitors can watch them.

12. Track and Improve Your Review Strategy

Collecting reviews is great, but understanding what’s working—and what’s not—is where the real magic happens. I always make it a point to monitor how many reviews I’m getting, where they’re coming from, and which products or pages are generating the most feedback.

This helps me fine-tune my timing, messaging, and tools to achieve even better results over time.

MonsterInsights is my go-to tool for tracking review submissions in WordPress. By integrating it with your WordPress forms or popups, you can see which pages drive the most reviews, identify trends, and uncover which campaigns are truly effective.

It’s also the easiest way to set up Google Analytics without touching a single line of code, giving you reliable insights without the headache.

If you want a full walkthrough, check out our guide on how to set up WordPress form tracking in Google Analytics.

Beyond numbers, it’s equally important to listen to the feedback in the reviews themselves. Customers often share valuable insights, suggestions, or pain points you might not hear anywhere else.

Acting on this feedback not only improves your products or services but also shows your customers that you genuinely care, which can encourage even more positive reviews in the future.

By combining analytics with active listening, you can continuously refine your review strategy, make smarter decisions, and turn customer feedback into a powerful growth tool.

❌ Common Mistakes to Avoid When Asking For a Review

Getting more customer reviews works best when the process feels natural.

I’ve noticed a few mistakes that can make it harder to get feedback, so here’s what to watch out for:

• Asking Too Soon or Too Often – If you ask a customer for a review before they’ve had enough time to experience your product or service, they may not have much to say. Waiting a few days or a week can lead to more thoughtful, helpful feedback.
• Offering Direct Monetary Rewards – Giving money or gift cards for reviews can violate the rules on third-party platforms like Google or Yelp. However, offering small incentives, such as loyalty points or discount coupons, for reviews collected directly on your website is a common and acceptable practice.
• Using Automated Messages Without Personalization – I’ve found that reviews get much better responses when you add a personal touch, like mentioning the customer’s name or the product they bought. A simple, friendly note goes a long way.
• Making it Hard For Customers to Leave Feedback – Long or confusing forms, missing links, or unclear instructions can stop customers from leaving a review, even if they want to. Keep your process simple and easy to follow.
• Failing to Follow-Up – Sometimes, a gentle reminder a few days after a purchase or service can make a big difference. Following up shows you value their feedback and gives customers another chance to leave a review.

Focusing on these points will help you collect more honest, helpful reviews without making customers feel pressured.

🤝 How to Handle Negative Reviews Gracefully

Even if you follow all the best practices, sometimes reviews won’t be positive. Negative feedback happens to every business, and it’s completely normal.

The key is how you respond. Handling criticism gracefully can actually turn a tricky situation into a win for your brand and even encourage more customers to share their experiences.

Here are some tips:

• Stay Calm And Professional: It’s easy to feel defensive, but responding politely and thoughtfully shows that you value feedback. A friendly, composed response speaks volumes to both the reviewer and anyone else reading your reviews.
• Offer to Resolve The Issue Privately: Suggest moving the conversation to email or direct messages to fix the problem. This keeps the discussion constructive and helps avoid public back-and-forth that could escalate.
• Once Resolved, Ask if They’d Consider Updating Their Review: After the customer’s concern is addressed, politely invite them to revise their review to reflect the updated experience. Many are happy to do so when they see the effort you put into resolving the issue.

I’ve found that responding to negative reviews with empathy and a clear solution not only helps repair the relationship but also shows other customers that you genuinely care.

Using a customer support plugin can make this process much easier. These tools let you track tickets, respond quickly, and even set up workflows to follow up after issues are resolved.

If you want, check out our guide on the best customer support plugins for WordPress to see the top options for managing support efficiently.

Frequently Asked Questions About Collecting Customer Reviews

Even with all these tips, you probably still have a few questions.

I’ve answered the most common ones I get from business owners, keeping it simple and actionable:

Is it legal to offer rewards for reviews?

Yes, but only if you are collecting reviews on your own website and clearly disclose it.

Offering rewards for reviews on third-party platforms like Google, Yelp, or Trustpilot is against their rules and can result in penalties. Stick to site-hosted reviews for incentivized programs.

How many reviews should I get per month?

Focus on consistency rather than quantity. Even adding 5–10 new reviews each month can help improve your search rankings and gradually build trust with potential customers.

How do I ask for reviews naturally?

The key is to be friendly and personal. For example, sending a message like, “Your opinion helps others — would you mind sharing your thoughts?” feels more genuine than a generic automated request.

Where should I focus on getting reviews first?

Start with platforms that directly affect your visibility, such as Google Business Profile and Facebook. Once you have a solid foundation there, you can expand to industry-specific sites like Tripadvisor, Trustpilot, or other niche review sites relevant to your business.

Remember, any incentives should only apply to reviews on your own website, not third-party platforms.

What’s the best way to handle negative reviews?

Always respond politely, acknowledge the customer’s concern, and offer to resolve the issue offline. Using tools like WPForms or UserFeedback can help you collect private feedback before it becomes a public complaint, which often turns unhappy customers into satisfied ones.

I hope this article helped you learn how to collect more customer reviews for your business. You may also want to see our guide on how I turned my WordPress.org reviews into social proof and our top picks for the best customer service tools.

If you liked this article, then please subscribe to our YouTube Channel for WordPress video tutorials. You can also find us on Twitter and Facebook.

The post How I Get More Customer Reviews (12 Easy Tips You Can Try Too) first appeared on WPBeginner.

After some research, I realized the problem: I had designed the site thinking like a developer, not a donor. Once I understood this, I knew I had to act quickly.

So I added a bright “Give Hope” button at the top, simplified the donation form so it was easy to fill out, and put our success stories right on the homepage.

Almost immediately, donations began to rise as people could finally connect with our cause and give without confusion.

Since then, I’ve helped many nonprofits increase their online donations with simple changes that actually work.

In this guide, I’m sharing 14 practical ways to get more donations, including the exact steps that turned my struggling donation page into a fundraising success. 🚀

💡Quick Glance: The Top 10 Donation Strategies for Nonprofits

Here’s a summary table of the top 10 foundational strategies I use to increase donations, along with why they work:

Now, let’s take a look at 14 online donation strategies to help you raise money and build stronger relationships with your supporters.

Here is a quick overview if you want to jump down to a specific tip:

• Essential Donation Strategies Every Nonprofit Should Use
  • Keep Donation Forms Simple and Distraction-Free
  • Offer Suggested Donation Amounts
  • Add Recurring Donations
  • Create Campaign Pages That Tell a Story
  • Display a Fundraising Goal Progress Bar
  • Accept Multiple Payment Options
  • Send Automatic Thank-You Emails
• Marketing and Engagement Strategies for Nonprofits
  • Share Campaign Updates With Donors
  • Enable Peer-to-Peer Fundraising
  • Run Urgent or Time-Sensitive Campaigns
  • Match Donations With Corporate Sponsors
  • Use Social Sharing Buttons
  • Collect Offline Donations Too
  • Segment Donor Emails for Better Appeals
• How to Put These Donation Tips Into Action in 30 Days
• Frequently Asked Questions About Nonprofit Donation Strategies

Essential Donation Strategies Every Nonprofit Should Use

I’ve tested a lot of different approaches in my own nonprofit projects, and these 7 strategies made the biggest difference. They’re not complicated or expensive, but they can completely change how people respond to your donation requests.

Think of them as the foundation every nonprofit should have in place before trying anything more advanced.

1. Keep Donation Forms Simple and Distraction-Free

Nobody likes filling out a long form. If your donation page asks for too much information, people will get frustrated and leave before completing it.

In fact, long forms are one of the main reasons that donors give up halfway.

The fix is simple: only ask for what you really need. I usually recommend keeping it to name, email, donation amount, and payment information.

Skip the extra fields like fax numbers or long mailing addresses if you don’t really need them. And don’t clutter the page with popups or menus that pull people away.

The Balkhi Foundation’s donation page is a great example of this. Their form asks for the donation amount, lets you choose whether it’s one-time or monthly, and then collects just the essentials—name, email, and address.

It’s quick, straightforward, and easy to finish. That’s exactly the kind of form that keeps donors moving all the way to the ‘Donate’ button.

2. Offer Suggested Donation Amounts

One of the easiest ways to boost donations is by giving people suggested amounts.

This works because of anchoring psychology: when someone sees set numbers like $25, $50, or $100, it helps them quickly decide how much to give, rather than overthinking it.

Most successful nonprofits already use this tactic because it guides donors without pressuring them. Here’s what it might look like:

You can still leave an ‘Other’ box for people who want to enter their own number. But these presets often lead to higher and faster donations because you’ve removed the guesswork.

The best way I’ve found to set this up on a nonprofit site is with Charitable. It’s the best WordPress donation plugin that I use myself.

Charitable comes with premade fundraising templates, and almost all of them already include suggested donation amounts.

Here’s how it works: once your nonprofit site is set up with WordPress and Charitable, just open a template that fits your cause in Charitable’s form builder.

Then, add the built-in ‘Donation Amount’ field, and open its settings in the left column.

You can now type in the tiers you want (like $25, $50, $100) and even pick which option should be the default.

Once you are done, just click the ‘Save’ button to store your settings.

3. Add Recurring Donations

If you could only pick one strategy from this list, this is the one I recommend.

Recurring donations are a total game-changer for nonprofits. Instead of relying on one-time gifts, monthly contributions give your organization a predictable, stable income that makes planning and growing programs much easier.

Over time, recurring donors give 3–5 times as much as one-time donors, making them invaluable for long-term success.

With Charitable, setting up recurring donations is simple.

First, you’ll need the ‘Recurring Donations’ addon. Once that’s activated, open your donation form in the editor interface and switch to the ‘Donation Options’ tab.

Here, you have to toggle the ‘Recurring Donation Amounts’ switch to active.

After that, scroll down the page. You’ll see options to customize the default period and select how often donors should be billed.

Charitable lets you choose from weekly, monthly, quarterly, semiannual, or yearly periods.

What’s best depends on your cause, but for most nonprofits, setting donation periods of at least 1 month works well.

If you need step-by-step instructions, then check out this article on how to create a recurring donation form in WordPress.

4. Create Campaign Pages That Tell a Story

Think about the last time you gave to a cause. Chances are, it wasn’t the numbers that moved you—it was the story.

That’s exactly what your campaign page needs to spark action.

A strong story usually follows a formula: Problem → Impact → Solution → Call-to-Action.

1. Problem: Show the challenge your cause is tackling. Keep it short and relatable.
2. Impact: Share the consequences of the problem or how past support has already made a difference.
3. Solution: Explain what your nonprofit is doing right now and how donations directly help.
4. Call-to-Action: End with a strong, clear Donate Now button.

For example, the UNFPA’s maternal health campaign page shows how powerful storytelling can be. The page begins with the problem: mothers in crisis zones lacking safe deliveries.

It then highlights the impact of past support, explains the solution (emergency maternal health kits and trained midwives), and shows a clear ‘Donate Now’ button on the page.

The mix of real photos and stories makes the appeal feel urgent and personal.

You can do the same on your site using SeedProd, which is the best WordPress landing page builder.

I used it to build a campaign page for my own nonprofit, and it was surprisingly easy thanks to its pre-made templates and drag-and-drop editor.

To get started with the process, follow our tutorial on how to create a landing page in WordPress.

5. Display a Fundraising Goal Progress Bar

Donors don’t just want to give money — they want to see the difference their gift is making. That’s where a progress bar / fundraising thermometer comes in.

It turns your campaign into a shared mission, showing exactly how close you are to reaching your goal. When people see that their $25 could be the push that takes you from 85% to 90%, they’re much more likely to donate.

Charitable makes it super easy to add a progress bar.

All you have to do is open the drag-and-drop editor and add the ‘Progress Bar’ field to your donation form. Then click on it to open the field settings in the left column, where you can set your fundraising goal.

The bar will automatically update to show how much has been donated and how close you are to reaching it.

For the best results, I recommend placing the progress bar where it’s impossible to miss, such as above the form or directly under the donate button.

And don’t forget to highlight it once your campaign hits about 70–90% of the target. You can do this by:

• Updating your campaign description to say something like “We’re almost there — just $500 to go!”
• Sharing screenshots of the progress bar in your emails or social media posts.
• Adding a short banner message above the form, like “Help us cross the finish line today!”

This small push can make a huge difference because donors feel like their gift is the one that will help you reach the goal.

6. Accept Multiple Payment Options

One of the fastest ways to lose a donation is by not offering someone’s preferred way to pay.

Imagine a donor is ready to give, but you only accept checks or one card type. Chances are, they’ll abandon the form and never come back.

That’s why it’s important to give people choices. I recommend enabling both PayPal and Stripe for starters so that donors can pay using credit cards, debit cards, or their PayPal accounts.

👉 For detailed instructions, see how to add a PayPal donate button in WordPress and how to set up Stripe donations.

7. Send Automatic Thank-You Emails

Nothing builds donor loyalty like a quick, personal thank-you. When someone donates and immediately receives a message showing their gift mattered, they feel appreciated and are much more likely to give again.

Charitable allows you to turn every donation receipt into a personalized “Thank You” email.

To do this, just visit the Charitable » Settings » Emails page and find the ‘Donor: Donation Receipt’ option. Go ahead and click the ‘Enable Email’ button.

Once you do that, the page will reload. Now, you have to click the ‘Email Settings’ button.

This opens a page where you can add a subject line and email headline, attach a PDF receipt, and write your email body.

You can also use dynamic tags such as {first_name}, {donation_amount}, or {donation_summary} to personalize the thank-you message for each donor.

Upon making your changes, simply click the ‘Save Changes’ button to store your settings.

Next, go back to the Emails page and toggle the ‘Enable Email Customization’ switch.

Here, you can upload your logo, add footer content, and adjust background colors to match your nonprofit’s branding.

Donors love instant acknowledgment, and it turns one-time supporters into long-term contributors with minimal effort.

Marketing and Engagement Strategies for Nonprofits

Raising money is just one part of running a successful nonprofit. To really grow your impact, you need to get the word out, engage your supporters, and keep people excited about your mission.

In this section, I’m sharing 7 practical marketing and engagement strategies that I recommend for nonprofits.

These tips help you connect with more people, build stronger relationships, and encourage supporters to give again and again.

8. Share Campaign Updates With Donors

Donors love to see how their gifts are making a difference. Sharing regular campaign updates helps build trust, keeps supporters excited, and encourages them to give again.

By showing your progress, you make donors feel like they’re part of something bigger, and that’s motivating.

You can keep your donors in the loop using social media, email, and blog posts. Share photos or short videos on your social channels that showcase recent campaign activity, such as a community project in action.

You can also send email newsletters to highlight milestones, donor shout-outs, or short stories about how contributions are being used.

Alternatively, a blog is perfect for a more detailed story with numbers, photos, and testimonials that show how donations are making a real impact.

Here’s a clear schedule I recommend for sharing campaign updates with donors:

• Social media: Post updates 1–2 times per week with photos or short videos. Highlight progress, behind-the-scenes moments, or stories of people your nonprofit is helping.
• Email newsletter: Send updates 2–4 times per month. Include a short summary of recent achievements, donor shout-outs, and a link to your donation page or campaign.
• Blog posts: Publish 1–2 in-depth stories per quarter. Include numbers, photos, and testimonials to show long-term impact.
• Optional: Tag donors or supporters in posts and emails where appropriate. This builds community and makes people feel appreciated.

When people see their donations at work, they’re more likely to stay involved and even spread the word about your cause.

9. Enable Peer-to-Peer Fundraising

Peer-to-peer fundraising is a great way to let your supporters help you raise money. Your volunteers, donors, or fans can create their own mini-campaigns and share them with friends and family.

This not only brings in new donors but also gets your existing supporters more involved.

I usually recommend this for nonprofits with strong communities, like schools, animal shelters, or local health organizations.

With the Charitable Ambassadors addon, it’s super easy to get started. You can offer premade campaign starter templates, so volunteers don’t have to design anything from scratch.

Once someone signs up as an ambassador, they can personalize their page, share it, and start fundraising right away.

This setup has personally helped me grow, reach, and attract new supporters who might never have donated otherwise. It’s also motivating for volunteers because they can see exactly how their efforts make a difference.

For more details, you may want to check out our article on how to create peer-to-peer fundraising in WordPress.

10. Run Urgent or Time-Sensitive Campaigns

Creating a sense of urgency can get people to act faster. When donors see that a campaign is ending soon or that their support is needed immediately, they’re more likely to give.

This works really well for nonprofits running relief drives, holiday campaigns, or limited-time matching donations.

With Charitable, you can set an end date for your campaign using its visual builder. To set it up, go to your campaign page and click the ‘Edit With Builder’ link under your donation form.

Once the drag and drop builder opens up, switch to the ‘Settings’ tab from the left column.

Here, you can choose the exact date when the campaign should end using the ‘Ending Date’ field.

Your donation form will now show that the campaign is time-sensitive. This simple addition helps motivate donors to give sooner rather than later.

11. Match Donations With Corporate Sponsors

Corporate matching gifts is a simple way to make every donation go further. Many companies will match donations made by their employees or customers, effectively doubling the impact.

This works especially well for nonprofits with strong community support or local networks.

For example, if a donor gives $50 and their employer matches, your nonprofit instantly receives $100.

I’ve seen this in action with organizations like the American Red Cross, which often partners with big companies during disaster relief campaigns.

When a business pledges to match donations, it encourages more people to give right away because they know their contribution will be doubled.

To do the same for your nonprofit site, I recommend reaching out to local businesses or companies that align with your mission. Explain how matching works and its benefits: it increases donor engagement and provides the company with good visibility in the community.

Once you secure a match, keep track of all donations carefully, so both the donor and company can be appropriately recognized.

This will help build stronger long-term partnerships with businesses and keep donors excited to give, knowing their impact is being maximized.

12. Use Social Sharing Buttons

A big part of fundraising success comes from word of mouth. When donors share your campaign on Facebook, Twitter, or WhatsApp, it can bring in extra donations that you might never reach on your own.

In fact, many nonprofits see a good chunk of donations coming from social referrals.

Charitable makes this simple with its built-in social sharing form field. You can add this field to your donation forms so that donors can see quick-share buttons right on the form.

This makes it easy for them to post the campaign link with just one click.

For best results, you should place the sharing field on your thank-you page or at the end of the donation form. That’s when donors feel most motivated to spread the word and invite others to join the cause.

I personally use this technique in all my nonprofit projects, and it always helps bring in extra donations from friends and family of existing supporters.

13. Collect Offline Donations Too

Not every supporter gives online. Some prefer to hand over cash at an event, mail a check, or send a direct bank transfer.

If you don’t record these gifts, then your totals will look smaller than they really are, and donors may feel like their contributions don’t count.

Logging offline donations keeps your fundraising transparent and builds trust with your supporters. Charitable lets you add these gifts manually.

From your WordPress dashboard, head to the Charitable » Donations menu and click the ‘Add A Manual Donation’ button.

This will take you to a new screen where you can either select an existing donor or create a new one. Then enter the donation amount and assign it to the right campaign.

To finish, set the donation status to ‘Paid’ and click the ‘Save’ button.

The offline gift will then appear alongside your online donations, helping your progress bar and reports stay accurate.

14. Segment Donor Emails for Better Appeals

Sending the same email to every donor rarely works. People give for different reasons, at different levels, and at different times. That’s why segmentation—dividing your email list into smaller groups—is such a powerful strategy.

It lets you craft messages that feel more personal and relevant, which usually leads to higher response rates.

For example, you might send a special “welcome” series to first-time donors, while recurring donors could receive behind-the-scenes updates highlighting the long-term impact of their gifts.

Supporters who give small amounts might be encouraged to set up a monthly donation, while those who have given larger amounts could be invited to join a leadership circle.

And don’t forget lapsed donors. You can send them a “we miss you” message with a clear, simple way to re-engage.

To make segmentation easier, you’ll want to use a reliable email marketing tool. I recommend Constant Contact, which is one of the best email marketing services out there.

It makes it simple to create custom segments, schedule campaigns, and track which messages are performing best.

For details, see this guide on how to create an email newsletter.

How to Put These Donation Tips Into Action in 30 Days

When I first started running fundraising campaigns, I often felt overwhelmed by all the moving pieces. What helped me most was breaking things into small, weekly steps I could actually finish.

That’s exactly how I designed this 30-day action plan. It’s practical, doable, and will help you see real results without burning out.

Week 1: Quick Wins ⭐

• Simplify your donation form (only ask for name, email, donation amount, payment information).
• Add suggested donation amounts.
• Turn on automatic thank-you emails.

Week 2: Recurring & Progress 🚀

• Enable recurring donations.
• Customize billing periods (monthly, quarterly, yearly, etc.).
• Add a fundraising goal + progress bar to your donation form.

Week 3: Marketing Push 📈

• Create a campaign page with storytelling (Problem → Impact → Solution → Call-to-Action).
• Share your first campaign update on social + send an email newsletter.
• Run a limited-time or urgent campaign with a clear deadline.

Week 4: Scaling Up 🏆

• Enable peer-to-peer fundraising.
• Pitch at least one local business for a corporate match.
• Segment donor emails (first-time vs. recurring, large vs. small gifts).

Even if you don’t get through all 4 weeks, just tackling the first half of this plan will already make your donation system stronger and more effective.

The key is to start small, stay consistent, and keep building on your momentum.

Frequently Asked Questions About Nonprofit Donation Strategies

I’ve covered a lot of strategies in this guide, but you might still have a few practical questions about getting started.

Here are answers to the most common questions I hear from nonprofits when setting up donation campaigns.

I hope this article helped you learn some great ways to get more donations for your nonprofit website. You may also want to see our tutorial on creating a donor portal in WordPress and our expert picks for the best WordPress themes for nonprofit organizations.

If you liked this article, then please subscribe to our YouTube Channel for WordPress video tutorials. You can also find us on Twitter and Facebook.

The post 14 Ways I Get More Donations for My Nonprofit (I’ll Show You How) first appeared on WPBeginner.

A donor portal can change all that.

With just a few clicks, donors can log in to view their giving history, download receipts, or update their personal information. This makes their experience smoother and gives you more time to focus on your mission.

The best part? If your site runs on WordPress, setting up a donor portal is simple. With a plugin like Charitable, you can add a secure donor dashboard in minutes – no coding required.

In this guide, I’ll show you how to create a donor portal for your nonprofit website so you can save time, build trust, and give supporters the simple self-service tools they expect.

Why Create a Donor Portal in WordPress?

A donor portal offers your supporters a secure, convenient space on your nonprofit website to manage their own donations – anytime they want.

Instead of reaching out for updates or paperwork, donors can simply log in to:

• View their giving history and see the impact they’ve made.
• Manage recurring donations without any back-and-forth emails.
• Update personal details like their email address, physical address, or communication preferences.
• Stay connected and engaged with your cause, which naturally builds trust and loyalty.

And for you and your team, it means less time spent on admin tasks like resending receipts or updating records by hand.

Now that you know why a donor portal matters, let’s walk through how to set one up using the Charitable plugin.

Here’s everything I’ll cover in this guide:

• Step 1: Install and Activate the Charitable Plugin
• Step 2: Enable the Donor Dashboard in Charitable
• Step 3: Customize Your Charitable Donor Dashboard
• Step 4: Create a Donor Portal Page (Optional)
• Step 5: Preview the Dashboard as a Donor
• Bonus Donation Form Best Practices to Boost Donations
• FAQs About Creating a Donor Portal in WordPress
• Keep Exploring: How to Grow Your Nonprofit WordPress Website

Step 1: Install and Activate the Charitable Plugin

Before you can build a donor dashboard, you’ll need the right tool, and that’s where Charitable comes in.

Charitable is the best donation and fundraising plugin for WordPress. It comes with a built-in donor dashboard, which gives your supporters an easy, secure way to view their giving history, manage recurring donations, and update their information.

Our team has explored all of its features, and you can learn more about it in our Charitable review.

To get started, you’ll need a Charitable account. On the Charitable website, go ahead and click ‘Get Charitable Now.’

After signing up, you’ll find the plugin’s zip file and license key in your Charitable account. Be sure to download the file, copy the key, and keep it somewhere safe.

The Charitable Pro plugin works as an extension of the free core plugin, so we’ll need to install that from your WordPress dashboard.

To do that, let’s head over to Plugins » Add New Plugin.

Then, go ahead and use the search bar to look for the Charitable plugin.

In the search result, simply click ‘Install Now’ and then ‘Activate.’

After activating the plugin, you’ll need to install your Charitable Pro version.

On this page, go ahead and click the ‘Upload Plugin’ button, select the zip file from your local computer, and click ‘Install Now.’

Then click the ‘Activate’ button when it appears. If you need help, then you can see our guide on how to install a WordPress plugin.

Now, you can enter your license key to unlock all the premium features that come with your chosen plan.

You can go to Charitable » Settings » License, paste it into the ‘License Key’ field, and click the ‘Verify Key’ button.

With that done, you’re ready to move on and start building your donor dashboard.

Step 2: Enable the Donor Dashboard in Charitable

Now that Charitable is set up on your WordPress website, it’s time to enable the built-in Donor Dashboard feature. This handy dashboard gives every donor a secure, private spot where they can check their donation history, update personal information, and manage any recurring gifts.

In your WordPress dashboard, navigate to Charitable » Settings » Donors and look for the option that says ‘Enable Donor Dashboard.’

Just toggle that switch, and your donors will now have access to their very own dashboard as soon as they sign up.

Step 3: Customize Your Charitable Donor Dashboard

Once you’ve enabled the Donor Dashboard, you’ll unlock a bunch of configuration options to show or hide fields from your donor portal.

In the ‘Overview’ section, you can decide if you want to display:

• Lifetime Donations: Shows the total amount a donor has given across all your campaigns. It’s a great way to highlight their overall impact.
• Average Donation: Tells the donor how much they give, on average.
• Campaigns: Lets them see how many different campaigns they’ve supported.
• Last Donation: Displays when they last donated and how much.

Let’s say you want donors to see all their giving stats at a glance. You can simply check all these boxes so everything shows up in their dashboard.

After that, you can decide whether donors can update contact and social details, like:

• Postal or shipping address – Useful if you send thank-you letters or physical gifts.
• Email address – Ensures that donors continue receiving updates and donation receipts.
• Social links – Lets donors connect their social media profiles and share their support more easily.

You can enable any combination, but I recommend turning on all three to give donors more flexibility.

Next, you can choose exactly which tabs and information appear for your supporters.

Here are the main options:

• Profile fields: Lets donors keep their information up-to-date, like their name, email, phone, birthday, avatar, and more.
• Dashboard tab options: The ‘Campaigns’ tab shows campaigns that donors have created or supported. Whereas ‘Comments’ allows them to view comments they’ve left on your campaigns.
• Password reset tool: Lets donors change their password for extra security.

Here’s what it might look like with everything enabled:

Once you’re happy with your customizations, don’t forget to hit ‘Save Changes’ to lock in your donor dashboard settings.

Step 4: Create a Donor Portal Page (Optional)

At this point, your donor dashboard page should be ready. This is because Charitable sets it up for you automatically.

But if you’d like to have a bit more control over how things look, it’s easy to set up your own custom page.

This optional step is great if you want to add a personalized welcome message, an image slider from your recent campaigns, or a special thank you video.

To do this, you can go to Pages » Add New from your WordPress admin area.

On the next screen, you can write the page title. Something like “Donor Dashboard,” “Giving Portal,” or “My Giving” works well.

Then, you can click the ‘+’ button to add the shortcode block. Simply use the search feature to quickly find it.

After that, simply add this shortcode to the page: [charitable_donor_dashboard].

Once you’ve pasted in the shortcode, you can customize the page as you like.

For example, you could add a brief description to provide context. You might also want to add images, galleries, or carousels to showcase your nonprofit’s campaigns.

When you’re happy with how it looks, hit ‘Save’ or ‘Publish’ to make your new page live.

After publishing, there’s just one more quick step.

Let’s head back to Charitable » Settings » General » Pages to set your custom page to replace Charitable’s automatically generated donor page.

Here, you’ll want to scroll down the panel to the ‘Donor Dashboard Page’ section.

Simply use the dropdown menu to select the custom page you just created.

That’s it!

Now you have a dedicated donor portal on your nonprofit WordPress site. Your supporters can visit it any time to manage their giving.

Step 5: Preview the Dashboard as a Donor

Before you share your new donor dashboard with supporters, it’s always smart to test the portal yourself.

By logging in as a test donor, you can see exactly what your supporters will experience and make sure everything works smoothly.

Here’s what to check in your donor portal:

• Overview: Confirm that total donations, average donation, supported campaigns, and last donation all display correctly.
• Profile: Try updating contact details as a user would to make sure it’s quick and easy.
• Donations: Make sure your donation history appears correctly and includes all details – amount, date, campaign, status, and action (like downloading the receipt).
• Dashboard tabs: If you enabled ‘Campaigns’ and ‘Comments’ in Step 3, then you might want to check that the supported campaigns and any comments users left appear as expected.
• Settings: Check that managing email consent and changing the password are straightforward.

You can just move through each menu using the navigation tabs under the ‘Overview’ section.

This process gives you a chance to spot anything confusing and make improvements. That way, everyone’s experience is as smooth as possible from the very beginning.

Bonus Donation Form Best Practices to Boost Donations

Once your donor dashboard is set up, you’re already a step ahead in building trust with your supporters.

But if you’re hoping to boost your donations even more, it’s worth taking a closer look at your donation form itself. Here are some proven donation form best practices to help you grow your nonprofit:

• Make Your Donation Form Easy to Find: Place your donation button or link front and center. The key thing is not to make visitors hunt for it.
• Explain the Impact: Tell supporters exactly how their gift will make a difference. A quick sentence or two about how donations help your cause goes a long way.
• Offer Secure, Flexible Payment Methods: Be sure donors can give safely and use the payment options they trust most.
• Set Preset Donation Amounts: Suggest a few different giving tiers or amounts to make choosing easier.
• Make It Shareable: Let donors quickly share your donation form or campaign on social media to help spread the word.

If you’d like a full walkthrough (with examples) on optimizing your donation form, check out our full guide on the top donation form best practices to boost donations in WordPress.

FAQs About Creating a Donor Portal in WordPress

Setting up a donor portal might seem overwhelming at first, but once you know the basics, it’s pretty straightforward.

Here are answers to some common questions:

How do I create a donation page in WordPress?

You can easily create a donation page by installing a WordPress donation plugin like Charitable. Once it’s set up, you can add a donation form to any page in just a few clicks.

Does Charitable include a donor portal?

Yes! Charitable comes with a built-in Donor Dashboard, making it easy to build your donor portal. When you enable this feature, donors get access to their own secure area where they can view their giving history, manage their information, and more.

Can donors manage their recurring donations?

Yes, they can! The Charitable Pro plans include a Recurring Donations addon. Once you enable it, supporters can easily manage, update, or cancel their recurring donations right from their personal dashboard.

Do donors automatically get an account?

It depends on the donation plugin you use. Charitable, for example, gives donors the option to create one either while making a donation or afterward. You can encourage them to sign up by including a link in your donation confirmation email or thank-you page.

Does Charitable allow donors to download receipts for taxes?

The Charitable plugin automatically generates PDF receipts for each donation. Donors can log in, view their donation history, and download receipts for their records or for tax purposes at any time.

Do I still need to email receipts manually?

Nope, if you use Charitable, as it handles this for you. Receipts are automatically sent to donors by email and are always available for download in their dashboard.

What if I want a member portal instead of a donor portal?

If you need a member portal with things like membership levels, exclusive content, or new member registrations, you might need a dedicated membership plugin instead. Some organizations decide to use both a donor portal for giving and a separate member portal for managing memberships.

Keep Exploring: How to Grow Your Nonprofit WordPress Website

I hope this guide has helped you build a donor portal for your nonprofit WordPress website.

If you found this helpful, then you might want to check out our other guides on:

• How Churches Can Offer Online Sermons with WordPress
• How to Set Up a Site Like Teachers Pay Teachers with WordPress
• How to Easily Make a Volunteer Application Form in WordPress
• How to Create Peer-to-Peer Fundraising in WordPress
• How to Raise Money with Crowdfunding in WordPress
• Best Crowdfunding Plugins for WordPress
• How to Accept International Donations in WordPress
• 110+ Nonprofit Marketing Statistics and Insights You Should Know

If you liked this article, then please subscribe to our YouTube Channel for WordPress video tutorials. You can also find us on Twitter and Facebook.

The post I Created a Donor Portal in WordPress in Just 15 Minutes (No Coding) first appeared on WPBeginner.