Donation Widget - Advanced Configuration

Overview

Advanced Configuration allows you to create rules that change how a donation is processed based on the donor's selections.

You can use these rules to control:

• The GL Code assigned to a donation.
• The Campaign Action assigned to a donation.
• The acknowledgement email sent to the donor.
• The PDF attachment sent with the acknowledgement email.

The rules are based on Attributes configured in Vega, so these must be set up before creating your Advanced Configuration rules.

Common uses

Advanced Configuration can be used to:

• Allow donors to choose which impact area they would like their donation to support.
• Allow donors to select a branch, location or programme to receive their donation.
• Apply different financial coding to one-off and recurring donations.
• Send different acknowledgement emails or receipts depending on the type of donation.

• Apply different settings to in-memory donations.

   

Important: If your widget offers multiple donation frequencies, you need to create a rule for each Attribute and Frequency combination that you want to customise.

 ⭐Before you begin

Before setting up Advanced Configuration:

1. Create the required Attributes or Attribute Types.
2. Decide which GL Codes, Campaign Actions and acknowledgement documents should be used for each rule.

Open Advanced Configuration

1. Go to Admin > Widget Configuration.
2. Find the Donation Widget you want to edit.

3. Select Edit next to the widget name.

4. Select Advanced Configuration from the menu on the left.

Create Your Advanced Configuration Rule

Each rule is made up of:

1. The conditions that determine when the rule applies.
2. The outcomes that determine what happens when the rule applies.

Let's use a donation allocation example.

We want donors to choose which area their donation supports:

• General Fund
• Youth Programme
• Community Support

The widget also offers donation frequencies:

• One-off
• Monthly

Step 1: Select the Attribute Type

The first setting is the Attribute Type.

Select the Attribute Type containing the options you want the donor to choose from.

For our example, this is:

Where would you like your donation to go?

This Attribute Type contains:

• General Fund
• Youth Programme
• Community Support

The Attribute Type determines the group of options being used for your rules.

Step 2: Select the Frequency

Next, select the Frequency that the rule applies to.

This is important because you need a separate rule for each frequency you offer.

For example, if your widget offers:

• One-off
• Monthly

you need to create a rule for One-off and another rule for Monthly for each donation allocation option.

For example:

Youth Programme + One-off

and

Youth Programme + Monthly

Important: If a frequency and Attribute combination does not have a matching rule, the widget's standard/default settings will apply.

Step 3: Select the Attribute

Select the individual Attribute that the rule applies to.

For our example, this could be:

Youth Programme

This means the rule will apply when the donor selects Youth Programme on the Donation Widget.

Step 4: Configure In-Memoriam

If Show In-Memoriam Option is enabled under Form Options, an additional condition will be available for In-Memoriam donations.

You will need to create rules for the applicable combinations of:

• Donation allocation
• Frequency
• In-Memoriam = Yes
• In-Memoriam = No

For example:

Youth Programme + Monthly + In-Memoriam = Yes

and

Youth Programme + Monthly + In-Memoriam = No

If In-Memoriam is not enabled on your widget, this condition does not need to be configured.

Step 5: Select the GL Code

Once the conditions have been configured, select the GL Code that should be assigned when the rule applies.

Only active GL Codes will be available in the drop-down.

For example:

Youth Programme → Youth Programme GL Code

When a donor selects Youth Programme and makes a donation using the frequency specified in the rule, the donation will be coded to this GL Code.

Step 6: Select the Campaign Action

Select the Campaign Action that should be assigned when the rule applies.

Only active Campaign Actions will be available.

For example:

Youth Programme → Youth Appeal

This allows you to report on donations received for a specific programme or campaign.

Step 7: Select the Acknowledgement Email

You can select a specific document template to be sent to the donor as their acknowledgement email.

Only active document templates will be available.

This allows you to send different acknowledgement content depending on the donor's selection.

For example:

• General Fund → General Donation Thank You
• Youth Programme → Youth Programme Thank You
• Community Support → Community Support Thank You

Step 8: Select the PDF Attachment

You can also select a document to be sent as a PDF attachment to the acknowledgement email.

The PDF attachment must be used in conjunction with the Acknowledgement Email setting.

For example, you could use a specific receipt document for each donation allocation.

Step 9: Repeat the Rule for Each Frequency

If your widget offers more than one donation frequency, repeat the process for each frequency.

For example, if you have three donation allocation options and two frequencies, you would need:

This creates six rules in total.

Tip: Before finishing your configuration, check that every possible donor selection has a rule for every frequency offered on your widget.

Example: Donation Allocation Rules

Using the example above, your rules could look like this:

You can also assign different acknowledgement emails and PDF attachments to each rule.

This means the donor only needs to select where they would like their donation to go. Vega then applies the appropriate financial and acknowledgement settings automatically.

Option: Advanced Configuration Without a Donor Selection

Advanced Configuration can also be used when you don't want the donor to make a choice.

For example, you may want to use different acknowledgement emails or financial coding for different donation frequencies, but don't want to display an additional question on the widget.

Step 1: Create an Attribute

Create or use a single Attribute, for example:

Website Donation – Website Donation

Step 2: Create a Rule for Each Frequency

Create a rule for each frequency offered by the widget.

For example:

• Website Donation + One-off
• Website Donation + Monthly
• Website Donation + Quarterly

Step 3: Configure the Outcomes

For each rule, select the required:

• GL Code
• Campaign Action
• Acknowledgement Email
• PDF Attachment

Because the same Attribute is always selected, the appropriate rule will be applied based on the donor's frequency.

Below is how we would configure these rules:

If there is no selection for the donor to make, displaying the Advanced Configuration section may add unnecessary information to the widget and make the form appear more complex. You can hide this section using CSS, while the Advanced Configuration rules will continue to apply in the background. See details on how to do this below.

Hide the Advanced Configuration Selection

When using Advanced Configuration in this way, there is no reason for the donor to see the Attribute because there is only one possible selection.

You can hide this section using CSS while keeping the Advanced Configuration rules active.

Use the following CSS:

#MainContent_divCustomAttributesPanel.row.panel.panel-info {
    display:none;
}

The Attribute will still be used by the Advanced Configuration rules, but the selection will no longer be visible to the donor.

Important: CSS only hides the section from view. It does not disable the Attribute or the Advanced Configuration rules.

Make Advanced Configuration available on the widget

If you want the donor to choose an option, the relevant Advanced Configuration Attribute must first be enabled under Form Options.

You can choose to display the options as:

• Buttons
• Drop-down

You can also choose where the options appear on the Donation Widget.

When enabled, the options will be displayed in their own section at the top of the widget.

Example

If you are allowing donors to choose which area their donation supports, the widget could display:

Where would you like your donation to go?

Buttons

Or, using a drop-down.

The default option is determined by the sequence order of the attributes.

Important: Every donation must have an applicable Advanced Configuration rule. If a combination of selections does not have a matching rule, the Donation Widget's standard/default financial and acknowledgement settings will apply.

Why use Advanced Configuration?

Advanced Configuration gives you greater control over both the donor experience and the processing of donations.

For example, a donor can simply select:

Youth Programme

and Vega can automatically:

• Assign the correct GL Code.
• Assign the correct Campaign Action.
• Send a relevant acknowledgement email.
• Include the appropriate PDF attachment.

This reduces manual processing and provides more detailed financial and campaign reporting.

Troubleshooting 

❓My donation is using the default GL Code or Campaign

Check that you have created a rule for the exact combination of:

• Attribute
• Frequency
• In-Memoriam selection, if applicable

If there is no matching rule, the widget's standard/default settings will apply.

❓One of my donation frequencies isn't using the Advanced Configuration

Check that a separate rule has been created for that frequency.

For example, if you have a rule for Youth Programme + One-off, this does not automatically apply to Youth Programme + Monthly. A separate Monthly rule is required.

❓I don't want donors to see the Advanced Configuration selection

If you are using a single Attribute and don't need the donor to make a choice, you can hide the section using the CSS provided above.

❓ Why can't I see my Advanced Configuration options on the widget?

If your Advanced Configuration options are not appearing on the Donation Widget, check the following:

• Advanced Configuration is enabled under Form Options – The relevant Attribute Type must be selected under Form Options before it will appear on the widget.
• Check the display option – Confirm whether you have selected Buttons or Drop-down and that the option is positioned where you expect it on the widget.
• Check that your Attributes are active – Make sure the Attributes you are using in Advanced Configuration are active and correctly configured.
• Check your CSS – If you have added custom CSS to the widget, it may be hiding the Advanced Configuration section. This is particularly relevant if you have previously used CSS to hide the section.
• Check that the widget has been saved – After making changes to Form Options or Advanced Configuration, make sure you save the widget before testing it.

Tip: If the Advanced Configuration rules are working but the selection is not visible, check whether the Advanced Configuration section has been intentionally hidden using CSS.

Next steps

Once you've configured your Advanced Configuration rules, continue with the next section of the Donation Widget setup:

More Options – Configure additional Donation Widget settings and functionality.

> Next, Styling Options

“Some content in this article may have been developed with the assistance of AI tools and reviewed by staff.”