How to Create a Donation Goal Thermometer in WordPress

A donation thermometer helps visitors understand progress toward a real target. It should display an accurate amount, currency, goal and update time in text as well as visually, without inventing urgency.

Step 1: Define the goal

Record the target amount, currency, deadline, eligible donations, treatment of fees, matching gifts, refunds, offline gifts and restricted funds. Use one consistent calculation everywhere the total appears.

Step 2: Choose the data source

The most reliable source is the system that records transactions. Tools such as GiveWP and Charitable can connect campaign totals with forms and donor records. A manual thermometer works for a small campaign only when someone owns reconciliation.

Step 3: Create the donation form

Keep required fields minimal, and explain payment processing, recurring gifts, receipts, privacy and any fee-recovery option. Test keyboard navigation, mobile entry, validation, confirmation, failed payments and refunds.

Step 4: Add the progress display

Use the campaign block from your chosen plugin or an accessible custom display. Show the amount raised and the target as readable text. Never rely on colour, height or animation alone.

Step 5: Label the calculation

State whether the public total is gross donations or net funds, whether offline gifts are included, how matching funds appear and when the figure was last updated.

Step 6: Test the edge cases

• Zero donations, a tiny total, exact completion and an exceeded goal
• Refunds, multiple currencies and recurring payments
• Manual gifts and delayed gateway notifications
• Caches that freeze the displayed value

Step 7: Reconcile and close honestly

Compare the public total against processor transactions and accounting records on a defined schedule, log manual changes and restrict who can edit them. When the campaign ends, publish the result. If the target or deadline changes, keep the original context and say why.

Common questions