Each donor is different, so making the same ask of everyone just doesn't work, especially for a responsive nonprofit. 

When you’re building a form, you get to decide what amount(s) you suggest in the following ways: 

1. Gift Array and Custom Amount
2. Gift Array
3. Custom Amount
4. Fixed Amount

Let’s walk through the experience(s) each option can give. 

Donation Block

When you build a Donation Form, you’ll see a Donation Block. 

To the right, you’ll see the ability to configure Settings, Projects, and Design. We’ll focus on the Settings tab here. 

Donation input options will be shown in the dropdown menu.

Gift Arrays (and Smart Arrays)

A Gift Array is simply a set of multiple values a donor can choose from. For example:

A donor would just select a value without having to type anything. This is particularly handy in cases where you make a specific ask amount to a wide audience through an appeal (e.g., “For $25, you can provide tasty treats to our dogs in need!”). 

There are a few different types of Gift Arrays you can use:

• Smart Gift Arrays
• Your own Gift Array values for single Gifts and Recurring Gifts
• Your own Gift Array values for single Gifts and a different set of values for Recurring Gifts

Smart Gift Arrays

Smart Gift Arrays are sets of values that will vary depending on the donor viewing the Form.

To use Smart Gift Arrays in a Form, you'll need to:

• have an active Virtuous Giving account, AND 
• activate the Responsive Listener.

Once the Responsive Listener has been deployed on your website, RaiseDonors will begin to identify your website visitors and connect them with existing donor records. 

When this connection has been established, RaiseDonors can use everything known about an existing donor to customize the Gift Array on a Form. 

If a user is unknown and they make a donation through a Form, then that user will be linked to RaiseDonors, so that the next time the same user visits your donation page, they will see a Smart Gift Array.

To use Smart Gift Arrays in this form, press the toggle next to “Use Smart Gift Arrays.”

A new dropdown will be created to allow you the option to have your Smart Gift Array based on:

• Virtuous Suggested Amount: The recommended Gift Ask calculated by Virtuous for each donor.
• Average Gift Amount: The average size (or, if you want to get technical, the statistical mean) of a donor’s Gifts, based on their life-to-date giving history.
• Last Gift Amount: The size of the donor’s most recent Gift.

You’ll then be able to add Smart Gift Array multipliers of the amount you select above.

For example: If a donor has an average gift amount of $50 and you enter 2X multiplier, the amount shown to them would be $100. If the base amount suggested is greater than $1,000 or less than $25, your default gift array will be shown.

You can press ‘+ Add Smart Gift Multiplier’ to add more values and use the grab handles to rearrange them. Additionally, if you want a specific value selected when the donor views the form, press the star next to the value.

Gift Arrays

Smart Gift Arrays are great and all, but what if RaiseDonors cannot identify the donor?

In this case, they will see the regular Gift Array you have set. Below Smart Gift Arrays, you’ll see Gift Array Values just below.

You can press  ‘+ Add Gift Value’ to add more values and use the grab handles to rearrange them. Additionally, if you want a specific value selected when the donor views the form, press the star next to the value.

These will be the same values available if the donor chooses to create a Recurring Gift, unless you toggle below:

Then, you’ll have the ability to configure values specifically for Recurring Gifts, especially if your single Gift asks are high.

Custom and Fixed Amounts

Custom Amount

In addition to the Smart Gift Arrays and default Gift Arrays, you can choose to include a Custom Amount field that allows donors to fill in their own custom gift amount. Whether the Custom Amount is include with a Gift Array or a Custom Amount field on its own. 

Fixed Amount

A fixed amount locks in a donation amount of your choice and does not allow the donor to change it.

Now you can embrace responsive fundraising by making tailored suggestions!