How to Accept Donations Online with PhotoBiz Forms

How to Accept Donations with PhotoBiz Forms

Overview

The PhotoBiz Form & Contract Builder makes it easy to collect donations online through a custom payment form. You can offer preset donation amounts, such as $25, $50, or $100, and let supporters select the amount they want to contribute.

This guide walks you through creating a donation form, configuring payment collection, setting up donation choices using a Radio Select field, and sharing your completed form. You can add your donation form directly to your PhotoBiz website or share it with supporters through email invitations, direct links, or QR codes.

PhotoBiz Forms support preset donation amounts only. If you'd like to accept different contribution amounts or other types of donations, you can provide contact information so supporters can reach you directly.

Before You Begin

Before collecting donations through PhotoBiz Forms, make sure you have a supported payment merchant connected to your PhotoBiz account. An active payment merchant is required to process online donations.

If you haven't connected a merchant yet, follow our How to Set Up a New Merchant in PhotoBiz guide before continuing.

It's also helpful to decide which preset donation amounts you'd like to offer, such as $25, $50, or $100.

STEP ONE

Log into your PhotoBiz account and click FORMS in the left-side menu.

This opens your Forms Dashboard, where you can manage forms, review submissions, and access other form-related tools.

STEP TWO

In the Forms Dashboard, click FORMS in the top navigation menu.

This opens your list of existing forms, where you can create a new form or edit one you've already built.

STEP THREE

Click CREATE NEW FORM to start building your donation form.

If you already have a form you'd like to use for donations, click its name in your list of forms to open it in the Form Builder instead.

You'll see a selection of form templates organized into categories, including Contact, Contracts, Lead Capture, Payment, and Designer.

For a donation form, we recommend choosing Simple under the Contact category. Click SELECT beneath the Simple template to get started.

This provides a basic form that you can customize with donation amounts and payment collection.

STEP FOUR

After selecting the Simple template, you'll be taken directly into the PhotoBiz Form Builder.

The Simple template includes fields for the donor's name, email address, phone number, and message.

Click the form title to rename it something descriptive, such as Make a Donation or Support Our Fundraiser.

You can also add a tag to keep anyone who completes the donation form in a list for a future email marketing campaign if you want to send a follow up message.

Review the existing fields and customize them for your needs. We recommend keeping the donor's name and email address required so you can identify contributions and communicate with supporters.

You can make the phone number and message fields optional or remove them if you don't need that information from every donor.

The Form Builder automatically saves your changes.

STEP FIVE

In the Form Builder, click MISCELLANEOUS in the right-side panel to expand the available fields.

Locate PAYMENT. You can click PAYMENT to add the block to the end of your form or click and drag it to place it in a specific location.

Once the Payment block has been added, you'll see a Setup Incomplete message. This is normal and indicates that you need to configure the payment settings before the block is ready to use.

Each form can contain only one Payment block. If PAYMENT is grayed out in the right-side panel, your form already contains one. You can edit the existing Payment block instead of adding another.

STEP SIX

Click the PAYMENT block where it says Setup Incomplete to open the payment settings.

In the PRICE field, enter 0.00. This field is blank by default, so you'll need to enter the amount manually.

Setting the price to $0.00 allows the donation amount to be determined by the preset donation choices you'll configure in the following steps.

For a standard monetary donation form, select No under CHARGE TAX if sales tax does not apply to your contributions. Select No under CHARGE SHIPPING because you're not shipping physical products.

You can leave the DIGITAL DOWNLOAD (OPTIONAL) settings unused unless you're providing downloadable content.

Click SAVE CHANGES to save your payment settings.

A confirmation message saying Field updated successfully. will appear at the top of the screen.

Click GO BACK to return to the Form Builder. Your Payment block will now display a checkmark and Setup Complete, confirming that its required settings have been configured.

STEP SEVEN

In the Form Builder, click STANDARD in the right-side panel to expand the available fields.

Locate RADIO. Click RADIO to add the field to the end of your form, or click and drag it to place it in a specific location.

The Radio Select field allows donors to choose one donation amount from a list of preset options.

We recommend placing the Radio Select field above the Payment block so donors can choose their contribution before completing payment.

You'll configure the donation choices and their corresponding prices in the following steps.

STEP EIGHT

After adding the RADIO field to your form, click directly on Radio Title and change it to Donation Amount.

You can also click Radio Description and enter a short instruction, such as Please select the amount you'd like to donate.

Next, click the Pencil icon in the upper-right corner of the Radio field and select MAKE REQUIRED.

Making this field required ensures donors must select a donation amount before submitting the form.

STEP NINE

Click the Pencil icon on your Donation Amount field again and select ADVANCED.

The Advanced settings display three default choices: Choice 1, Choice 2, and Choice 3.

These choices will become your preset donation amounts. You can customize the existing options and add additional choices if needed.

Click Choice 1 to configure your first donation amount.

STEP TEN

In the TITLE field, replace Choice 1 with Donate.

In the ADDITIONAL FEE field, enter 25.00. This is the amount added to the payment total when a donor selects this option.

Both the title and additional fee will appear on your donation form, so you don't need to include the dollar amount in the title.

Leave QUANTITY blank to allow unlimited donations at this amount. You can also leave CONDITIONAL FIELDS unchanged since they aren't needed for a standard donation form.

Click SAVE CHANGES to save your first donation option.

Click GO BACK to return to the list of choices. Repeat these steps for Choice 2 and Choice 3, using Donate as the title and entering a different Additional Fee for each option.

For example, you could configure three donation choices with Additional Fees of $25.00, $50.00, and $100.00.

If you'd like to offer additional donation amounts, click NEW CHOICE to create more options.

You can also customize the titles to create named giving levels, such as Bronze, Silver, and Gold, or Tier 1, Tier 2, and Tier 3.

Once you've configured all your donation choices, return to the Form Builder to review your completed options.

STEP ELEVEN

Before sharing your donation form, consider how supporters can contact you if they'd like to contribute a different amount or discuss other types of donations.

PhotoBiz Forms do not allow donors to type in a custom dollar amount, so we recommend including contact information directly on your form or on the website page where it will appear.

For example, you could include a message such as:

Interested in contributing a different amount or making another type of donation? Please contact us at [your email address] or [your phone number] to discuss additional giving options.

This gives supporters a way to contact you about contributions that aren't available through your preset donation choices, including donations of goods or services.

FINAL STEP

Preview your completed donation form before sharing it with supporters.

Confirm that your donation choices display correctly, the Donation Amount field is required, and selecting each option updates the payment total to the appropriate amount.

Once you've reviewed your form, you can share it with supporters in several ways.

Add the form to your PhotoBiz website. Display your donation form directly on a website page using a Form Block. This is useful for fundraising pages, nonprofit websites, and special events. Follow our How to Use the Form Block in PhotoBiz guide for instructions.

Send Email Invitations. Share your donation form directly with supporters through PhotoBiz Forms Email Invitations. See How to Use Email Invites for PhotoBiz Forms.

Share a QR Code. Create a QR code that supporters can scan to open your donation form. This is especially useful for fundraising events, printed flyers, programs, and promotional materials. Follow our How to Create a QR Code for a Form or Contract in PhotoBiz guide.

You can also share your form's direct URL through other communication channels.

Your donation form is now ready for supporters to select a contribution amount and complete their payment online.

What Your Donors See

When supporters open your completed donation form, they'll see the preset donation amounts you've configured, along with the information needed to complete their contribution.

Each donation option displays its title and corresponding dollar amount, such as Donate + $25.00, Donate + $50.00, or Donate + $100.00.

Donors select one donation amount, enter their contact and billing information, and review the total before completing their payment.

The available payment methods depend on your connected payment merchants. Your form may offer options such as credit card or PayPal.

When donors successfully complete their payments, they receive a payment receipt confirming the transaction. They'll also see the form's configured thank-you message or confirmation page.

If you've enabled an automatic email response, donors can receive an additional thank-you email separate from their payment receipt.

Helpful Notes

Preset Donation Amounts

This donation form setup supports preset amounts only. Donors cannot type in a custom donation amount. Include contact information on your form or website page for supporters interested in other contribution amounts or giving options.

Donation Choice Titles

You can use the same title, such as Donate, for every donation choice. The Additional Fee automatically displays the corresponding dollar amount.

You can also use custom titles to create named giving levels, such as Bronze, Silver, and Gold.

Required Donation Selection

We recommend making the Donation Amount field required. Since the Payment block's starting price is $0.00, this helps ensure donors select a contribution amount before submitting the form.

Payment Processing Fees

Your payment merchant may charge processing fees for completed transactions. Review your merchant provider's pricing for details.

One-Time Donations

This guide covers individual donation payments. It does not configure an automatic recurring donation schedule.

Troubleshooting and FAQs

Can donors enter their own custom donation amount?

No. Donation forms configured using this method support preset donation amounts only.

If a supporter wants to contribute a different amount, include your contact information on the donation form or the website page where it appears.

Why should the Payment block's PRICE be set to $0.00?

Setting PRICE to $0.00 allows the selected donation choice's Additional Fee to determine the payment amount without adding a fixed starting charge.

Why does the Payment block say Setup Incomplete?

This message appears when the Payment block's required settings haven't been completed. Click the block, enter 0.00 in the PRICE field, and click SAVE CHANGES.

Return to the Form Builder to confirm that the block displays Setup Complete.

Why is the Payment option grayed out?

PhotoBiz Forms allow only one Payment block per form. If PAYMENT is unavailable, your form already contains a Payment block that you can edit.

Why isn't the donation amount updating correctly?

Review the ADDITIONAL FEE assigned to each donation choice. Confirm that you've entered the correct dollar amount and saved your changes.

Also check the Payment block's PRICE and any other additional fees or applicable taxes that could affect the total.

Will donors receive a payment receipt?

Yes. Donors receive a payment receipt after successfully completing their transaction.

You can also configure a separate automatic thank-you email for your donation form.

Can I accept other types of donations?

The payment configuration in this guide collects monetary contributions. If you'd like supporters to donate goods, services, or other contributions, provide contact information so they can discuss those arrangements with you directly.

Can I add my donation form to my website?

Yes. Add the form to a website page using a Form Block. See How to Use the Form Block in PhotoBiz.

Can I share my donation form at an in-person event?

Yes. You can create a QR code for your form and include it on printed signs, flyers, programs, or other event materials. Supporters can scan the code to open the donation form on their devices.

See How to Create a QR Code for a Form or Contract in PhotoBiz.

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