FundCollector Documentation

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Note: This documentation applies to both the Free and Pro versions of FundCollector. To install and use the Pro version, you must first install and activate the Free version, which should not be uninstalled. The sections relating to the Pro version are marked with PRO.

Getting Started with FundCollector

Welcome to FundCollector! This guide walks you through installing the plugin, activating your Pro license (if applicable) and understanding the admin menu. Whether you are a small nonprofit or an established charity, you will be accepting donations in minutes.

Prerequisites & Requirements

Before you begin, make sure your WordPress site meets these minimum requirements.

System Requirements

  • WordPress: 5.8 or higher
  • PHP: 7.4 or higher (PHP 8.0+ recommended for optimal performance)
  • Database: MySQL 5.6 or higher / MariaDB 10.0 or higher
  • cURL: Required for PayPal and Mollie PRO integrations
  • SSL Certificate: Required for payment processing
  • FundCollector (free): Version 1.4.0 or higher must be installed and active before FundCollector Pro PRO

What You Will Need

  • WordPress admin access
  • FundCollector Pro license key (purchased at fundcollector.net/pricing) PRO 
  • Mollie account for Mollie payments and recurring donations PRO — create one here
  • PayPal Business account (optional — for PayPal payments) — create one here
  • Google reCAPTCHA v3 keys (optional — for spam protection)
  • SMTP credentials (optional — for reliable email delivery)

Quick Start Overview

Here is the high-level workflow to get your donation system up and running:
  1. Install & Activate FundCollector from the WordPress Plugin Directory, then FundCollector Pro if you have a license PRO
  2. Activate your Pro license to enable automatic updates PRO
  3. Configure General Settings — set your currency, country, and essential pages
  4. Set up Payment Methods — PayPal, bank transfer, Mollie PRO 
  5. Enable Recurring Donations in Mollie settings PRO 
  6. Customize Email Notifications
  7. Enable Security features (honeypot / reCAPTCHA)
  8. Create your first form or use the pre-filled default one
  9. Add the form to a page on your website using the Gutenberg block or shortcode
  10. Test & launch — make a test donation and go live!

1. Install FundCollector (Free)

Automatic Installation

This is the simplest method of installing a plugin. To add a plugin using the built-in plugin installer:
  1. Log in to your WordPress dashboard, navigate to the Plugins menu and click “Add Plugin”.
    Finding plugin
    Finding plugin
  2. Type “fundcollector” in the search field. The FundCollector plugin box will appear.
    Type fundcollector
    Type fundcollector
  3. Click on the “Install now” button inside the box.
    Click on install now
    Click on install now
  4. Once the automatic installation is complete, click the “Activate” button.
    Click on activate
    Click on activate

Manual Installation

This type of installation may be required if the server hosting WordPress does not allow automatic installations. It is a recommended procedure for experts and developers because it relies on file transfer via the SFTP protocol.
  1. Download the FundCollector zip file from the WordPress Plugin Directory and unzip it locally.
  2. Transfer the extracted folder to the /wp-content/plugins directory of your WordPress site via SFTP or remote file manager.
  3. From the Plugins menu in the Administration Screen, click “Activate” for the transferred plugin.

FundCollector Menu Items (Free version)

Once activated, FundCollector adds a new menu to your WordPress admin dashboard with three main sections:
Menu Free version
Menu Free version

2. Install FundCollector Pro PRO

FundCollector Pro requires the free version of FundCollector to be installed and activated first.
  1. Download the FundCollector Pro zip file from fundcollector.net after purchasing your license.
  2. In your WordPress dashboard, navigate to Plugins → Add Plugin → Upload Plugin.
    Upload plugin
    Upload plugin
  3. Click “Choose File”, select the downloaded zip file, and click “Install Now”.
    Choose file
    Choose file
    Install now
    Install now
  4. Once installation is complete, click the “Activate Plugin” button.
    Activate plugin
    Activate plugin

3. License Activation PRO

After installing FundCollector Pro, you need to activate your license to receive automatic updates and priority support.

How to Activate Your License

  1. Purchase a license at fundcollector.net/pricing
  2. After purchase, you will receive your license key by email
  3. Click on the “Plugins” menu item in your WordPress dashboard, then click “Activate License” on the FundCollector Pro plugin.
    Activate License
    Activate License
  4. Enter your license key in the “License Key” field.
    Insert License Key
    Insert License Key
  5. Click “Activate License”.
  6. The status will change to “Active” with your expiration date.
    License activated successfully
    License activated successfully

License Status

  • Active: License is valid. You will receive automatic updates and have access to priority support.
  • Expired: License has expired. All Pro features remain active, but automatic updates are paused. Renew at fundcollector.net/pricing.
  • Not activated: License key has not been entered. All Pro features are available, but updates require manual installation.

Automatic Updates

With an active license, FundCollector Pro integrates with the WordPress update system. When a new version is available, you will see the standard WordPress update notification and can update with a single click.

4. FundCollector Menu Items

Once activated, FundCollector adds a new menu to your WordPress admin dashboard. FundCollector Pro adds extra entries (Recurring Donations, Reports, Backup & Restore) on top of the base menu.
FundCollector Pro menu
Menu Pro Version

Donations List

Your central hub for viewing and managing all received donations (one-time and recurring PRO):
  • View all donations with status indicators (completed, pending, cancelled, failed, expired, refunded, manual check)
  • Filter and search by payment method (including Mollie PRO), date, status, donor name, or amount
  • View detailed information for each donation
  • Soft-delete (trash) donations you no longer need

Recurring Donations PRO

A dedicated section to manage all recurring subscriptions:
  • View all active, cancelled, and expired subscriptions
  • See subscription details: donor, amount, frequency, status, next payment date
  • Cancel subscriptions directly from the admin panel
  • Retry failed subscription creation

Donors

A dedicated section to view and manage all your donors:
  • See all donors with their total donation amount and number of donations
  • View individual donor profiles with full donation history (including recurring PRO)
  • Sort donors by name, email, total donated, or date

Forms

The form builder interface where you create and customize donation forms:
  • Create multiple forms for different campaigns
  • Customize form fields and design
  • Generate shortcode and Gutenberg blocks
  • Preview forms before publishing

Reports PRO

Advanced reporting and analytics:
  • Generate comprehensive donation reports with custom date ranges
  • Filter by payment method, status, and donor
  • Export reports to PDF or CSV format
  • View donation statistics and payment breakdowns

Backup & Restore PRO

Data protection tools:
  • Create full backups of all donation data, forms, and settings
  • Download backups as zip files
  • Restore data from a previous backup

Settings

Comprehensive configuration panel with the following tabs:
  • How to use FundCollector Free and Pro: quick-start overview directly in the admin
  • General: currency, location and pages
  • Payment Methods: PayPal, bank transfer and Mollie PRO
  • Email: customize all email templates (including Mollie notifications PRO)
  • Security: honeypot and reCAPTCHA settings
  • Advanced: logging and data retention preferences


Next step: configure your General Settings.