Forms: Introduction to Forms 2.0
Introduction:
Forms 2.0 introduces a modern and flexible way to build high-converting donation experiences within CharityEngine. The updated experience is designed to help organizations create more engaging constituent journeys, improve donor conversion rates, and simplify the process of building and managing online forms.
Forms 2.0 includes enhanced layout options, personalized giving experiences, improved checkout functionality, and updated performance improvements intended to support modern fundraising strategies.
This article provides a high-level overview of Forms 2.0 functionality, available features, important considerations, and guidance for organizations beginning adoption of the updated experience.
Table of Contents
- What is Forms 2.0?
- Key Features & Enhancements
- Available Templates
- What’s Different from Legacy Forms
- Accessing Forms 2.0
- Important Considerations
- Best Practices for Adoption
- FAQ & Further Reading
Prerequisites
- Appropriate user permissions for form management
- Review of existing campaigns, payment gateways, and integrations prior to deployment
What is Forms 2.0?
Forms 2.0 is an updated form-building experience within CharityEngine focused on improving both the administrative setup experience and the donor-facing giving journey.
The updated experience is intended to help organizations:
- Build more engaging donation experiences
- Improve donor conversion and giving outcomes
- Create more personalized giving journeys
- Launch forms more efficiently
- Deliver stronger performance and stability for online fundraising experiences
Forms 2.0 is designed to support a variety of online engagement use cases, including:
- Donation forms
- Event registration forms
- Membership forms
- Advocacy forms
- Surveys
- Volunteer sign-ups
- Peer-to-peer fundraising experiences
Key Features & Enhancements
Modern Templates Built for Conversion
Forms 2.0 includes updated templates intended to help organizations create visually engaging and conversion-focused donation experiences.
Faster Form Creation
The updated experience is designed to streamline form configuration and management workflows for users creating online engagement experiences.
Personalized Giving Pages
Organizations can create more customized donor experiences through personalized layouts and giving experiences.
Dynamic Ask Strings
Forms 2.0 supports adaptive donation suggestions intended to improve donor engagement and conversion opportunities.
Donation Widgets & Goal Meters
Organizations can leverage built-in donation widgets and fundraising goal meters to help visually communicate campaign progress to donors.
Improved Donor Checkout Experience
The updated checkout experience is designed to provide a faster and smoother giving process for donors and constituents.
Improved Performance & Stability
Forms 2.0 includes infrastructure and performance improvements intended to support more reliable online fundraising experiences.
Available Templates
Current Forms 2.0 template examples include:
- Split Story Panel – Right
- Split Story Card – Left
- Split Panel – Right
These templates provide organizations with design-focused starting points that can be customized to align with organizational branding and fundraising goals.
What’s Different from Legacy Forms
Forms 2.0 introduces several enhancements compared to legacy forms, including:
- Updated visual layouts
- Improved donor experience
- Enhanced personalization capabilities
- Faster checkout experience
- Improved performance and stability
- Additional design flexibility
- Modernized template experiences
Organizations may choose to adopt Forms 2.0 incrementally depending on their fundraising strategy and current web form usage.
Some organizations may begin by testing donation forms in Forms 2.0 while continuing to use legacy forms for additional use cases such as events.
Accessing Forms 2.0
Instruction: Access Forms 2.0
Step 1: Navigate to Online > Web Forms.
Step 2: Access the forms listing screen.
Step 3: Create a new record to begin leveraging Forms 2.0 functionality.
Step 4: Configure layouts, branding, donation settings, and donor experience components as needed.
Step 5: Test the full donor experience prior to deploying publicly.
Forms 2.0 is available to clients and is enabled by default. Organizations also retain the ability to toggle back to legacy forms where applicable.
Important Considerations
Custom Code Compatibility
Organizations using custom scripts, styling, or legacy modifications should fully test all functionality prior to deployment in Forms 2.0 environments.
Custom code compatibility is not guaranteed and may require updates or rewrites depending on the implementation.
Styling Differences
Out-of-the-box styling may differ from product demonstrations or template examples. Organizations may need to manually configure colors, buttons, layouts, and branding settings to achieve the desired experience.
Incremental Adoption Recommended
Organizations may choose to gradually adopt Forms 2.0 by testing specific donation experiences before replacing all existing production forms.
Best Practices for Adoption
Test Before Deployment
Organizations should fully test:
- Donation processing
- Mobile responsiveness
- Auto responders
- Confirmation pages
- Integrations
- Dynamic ask strings
- Goal meters
- Custom scripts or embedded functionality
before publishing publicly.
Begin with Lower-Risk Use Cases
Many organizations begin adoption by testing donation forms first before migrating more complex workflows or event experiences.
Align Forms with Organizational Branding
Customize layouts, colors, typography, and design elements to ensure forms align with organizational branding standards and donor expectations.
Review the Donor Journey
Organizations should evaluate the complete donor experience from landing page through confirmation page to ensure a smooth and intuitive giving process.
Outcome
After reviewing this article, users should have a foundational understanding of Forms 2.0 functionality, available enhancements, and important considerations for adoption within CharityEngine.
Organizations can leverage Forms 2.0 to create more modern, personalized, and conversion-focused online giving experiences while maintaining flexibility during adoption and testing phases.
FAQ & Further Reading
Q. Is Forms 2.0 available now?
A. Yes. Forms 2.0 has been released and is available to organizations.
Q. Can organizations still use legacy forms?
A. Yes. For a period of time, organizations can continue using legacy forms and may have the ability to toggle between Forms 2.0 and legacy experiences where applicable.
Q. Will existing custom code automatically work in Forms 2.0?
A. Not necessarily. Organizations using custom scripts or legacy modifications should fully test all functionality before deployment. Some implementations may require updates or rewrites.
Q. Why might forms look different than demo examples?
A. Demo environments may include additional styling and branding customization. Organizations may need to manually configure layouts, colors, buttons, and branding settings.
Q. Should organizations immediately migrate all forms to Forms 2.0?
A. Organizations may choose to adopt Forms 2.0 incrementally by testing donation forms or select workflows prior to replacing all production forms.
Articles
- Web Forms: Using the WYSIWYG Editor for Forms and Emails
- Shopping Cart: How to Configure the Checkout Subtab
- Shopping Cart: How To Create a Shopping Cart to Sell a T-shirt
- Shopping Cart: Custom Fields and Variants for Products
- Shopping Cart: Configuring Product Inventory
- Shopping Cart: How To Create Products
- Why and How to Use "Donor Covers Processing Fee" as a Fundraising Tool for Online Donation Forms
- Web Forms: Character Limit on Text Fields
- Web Forms: How to Manage Out-of-the-Box Donation Block
- Events: How to add Custom questions/Survey Questions to Event Forms
- Web2CRM User Guide
- Web Forms: Creating and Mapping Custom Field on a Form
- Web Forms: How to Add an Email Opt-In List
- Web Forms: How To Configure the Form Field Display
- Online: Constituent Portal Front End
- Online
- Web Forms: How to Add an E-Card to a Form
- Landing Page URL
- Pledge: How to Create and Manage Pledges - A Comprehensive Guide
- Web Forms: How To Customize Out of the Box Sections and Fields
- Campaign - Surveys: How to Create a Poll & Survey Form and How to View the Results
- Web Forms: How to Create a List Sign Up Form (Contact Type Web Forms)
- Web Forms: Defining CharityEngine Web Form Types
- Creating an Event with Free Tickets
- Peer to Peer: Comprehensive Guide for Set Up, Configuration, and Reporting
- Embedding Quick Action Donation Forms with HTML
- Embedding Quick Action Donation Forms with Javascript
- Web Forms: How to Assign Tags through Form Submission
- Web Forms: How to Hide Tickets on an Event Form
- How to Bypass Payment Information on a Free Event
- Developer: API - Public API Troubleshooting
- Events: How to Create a Survey for Your Event
- Allowing Organizations to Donate on Web Forms
- Data Import: How to Import Soft Credits
- Browser Security Changes & Iframeing CharityEngine Donation Forms & Online Fundraising Apps
- Transaction App: Comprehensive Guide for Usage and Management of Tributes
- Online - Web Forms: Wallet Payment Options (Apple Pay and Google Pay)
- Web Forms: Guide on Replicating Forms
- Web Forms: How to Create an SMS Opt-In Form for SMS Campaigns
- Creating a New CMS Website
- Web Forms: Preventing Fraudulent Activities with Security Settings & Features
- In-Kind Gifts: How to Create and Manage In-Kind Gifts - A Comprehensive Guide
- Web Forms: Advanced Web Form Design Elements
- Web Forms: Creating a Donation Form (or other Web Form) - What’s Standard/Out of the Box?
- Transactions: Preparing & Sending Year End Statements
- Online: Online Constituent Portal Configuration
- Sustainers: How to Create and Manage Recurring Donors
- Online: Widgets - Embedding Donation, Sign-Up, and Legislature Look-up Forms
- Online: User Center Front End
- Events: Creating a Standard Out of the Box Web Form
- Developer: API - Installing the CharityEngine Public Web API
- Web Forms: Using Email Auto Responders with Forms
- Web Forms: How to Manage Fields
- People App: How to Create, Use and Manage Cases
- How to Configuring URL Redirects
- Web Froms: How to Create an Internal Form (for a Telethon, Radiothon, or Conference)
- How to Add Multiple Funds to a Web Form
- Peer-to-Peer Fundraising Set-up & Configuration
- Promo Codes & Discounts
- Web Forms: How to Test Web Forms
- Advanced Web Forms: How to use CharityEngine Tokens to Customize Your Form templates
- Web Forms: CAPTCHA Protection on CharityEngine Forms
- Web Forms: How to Design Your Web Form
- Online: How to Enable DAF Pay as a Payment Method
- How To: Set and Customize Language Preferences for Online Applications
- Customize Gift String via URL Parameters
- AI-Powered Campaign and Form Content Suggestions
- Adding "Double the Donation" to a Form
- Reordering Form Fields
