Last year I helped a local animal shelter launch their first peer-to-peer fundraising campaign in WordPress. The donation form was live, PayPal was connected. Donations came in within the first hour.
Then the emails started.
“How close are you to your $5,000 goal?” One donor after another wanted to know whether their contribution would make a difference. Shelter staff spent the next three days answering the same question fifty times.
The repair took fifteen minutes.
A donation thermometer shows every visitor directly on the page exactly how close you are to your goal. No emails required. Just a live progress bar telling the story for you.
Here’s how to add one to your WordPress site.
Key insights
- I’ll show you how to add a fundraising thermometer that automatically tracks donations without the need for manual updates
- The best free method if you’re just starting out and don’t need payment tracking
- I cover three methods: Charitable (recommended), the free Donation Thermometer plugin, and Formidable Forms
- How to set up a fundraising goal, connect a payment processor, and collect donor emails – all in one campaign
- I’ll show you the key difference between the methods, automatic vs. manual tracking, so you can choose the right one before you get started
- I’ll walk through every step from installation to launch so you can go live in under 20 minutes
- How to test your thermometer before your campaign goes live
What we will achieve in this tutorial
By the end of this guide, your WordPress site will have a live fundraising thermometer. A progress bar that shows donors exactly how close you are to your goal.
For a full breakdown of all the plugins that can do this, check out my guide to the best fundraising thermometer plugins for WordPress.
Using the method recommended in this tutorial, the thermometer automatically updates every time a donation is received.
Here’s what you have:
- A fundraising thermometer on your website, fully tailored to your campaign
- A connected payment processor so donations can be tracked in real time
- Automated donor email receipts are ready to use
A live fundraising thermometer on a WordPress site that shows actual progress toward a fundraising goal.
What you need before we begin
Skill level: beginner
Time to completion: ~20 minutes
Before we begin, make sure you have the following:
- A WordPress site with admin access
- A Non-profit Pro account (for Method 1) or simply a WordPress.org login to install free plugins for Methods 2 and 3
- A Stripe or PayPal account (for Method 1, link this during setup)
To help you quickly navigate to the method that works best for you or jump to a step you want to read, use the table of contents below.
With that out of the way, let’s dive in.
Method 1: Non-profitThe best way to add a fundraising thermometer
Non-profit is a donation plugin designed specifically for WordPress fundraising campaigns.
It’s my top choice because it does the most important thing: when someone donates, the thermometer updates automatically. You don’t have to log in and change the number manually.
This is made possible by Charitable’s Campaign Builder, a drag-and-drop editor that includes a live progress bar that connects directly to your payment processor.
Every verified donation moves the needle in real time.
The free version of Charitable handles basic donation forms well. To access it, simply go to your WordPress plugin repository, search for it, install and activate it.
Charitable is installed and active in your WordPress plugin list.
But the progress bar is a pro feature.
However, I’m using the Pro version for this tutorial. This allows me to show you how automated tracking, donor management, and everything else Charitable can do when fully set up with the Giving Goal Thermometer.
Additionally, you get built-in support for Stripe, PayPal, Square, and Authorize.net. Additionally, there are email marketing integrations that allow your donor list to grow alongside your campaign.
For a full breakdown, see my updated Charitable review here.
Step 1: Install and activate Charitable
As mentioned, we are using Charitable Pro for this tutorial. To get your copy, go to Charitable website and purchase a Pro plan. Then log in to your charity account and navigate to Download Tab.
On this page, download the plugin file from your account dashboard and copy your license key.
Then go to WordPress Plugins » Add new » Upload plugin. Upload the file, click Install nowThen Activate.
If this is your first time installing a plugin, here are step-by-step instructions on how to install a WordPress plugin.
Once the plugin is active, you will need to enter your license key to unlock the Pro features, including the thermometer. Go to Charitable » Settingspaste your key into the “License” section and click save Changes.
Enter your license key to unlock Fundraising Thermometer and all Pro features.
Then use the setup wizard to configure things like the fundraiser’s audience, fee waivers, donor payments and management, and Stripe integration.
Check out this post for a complete overview of how to set up Charitable.
⚠️ Quick check: On the settings page, make sure to set up the currency and currency format for the target country.
Step 2: Add a new campaign
With Charitable installed and activated, it’s time to create your campaign. Here you name it, select a design template, and open the drag-and-drop editor.
The trick I’ve learned after setting up dozens of fundraising campaigns is to first select a template and then customize it, rather than the other way around.
The templates give you a working layout as a starting point, significantly reducing your setup time.
To do this, go to Non-profit » Add new in your WordPress dashboard to open the campaign builder.
You’ll see a library of templates organized by category: Fundraisers, Events, Community Projects, and more.
Select the one that most closely matches your needs and click Create Campaign to open it. If you’re not sure which template to choose, select Off. preview on the template to open a demo.
Choose a template that matches your campaign type. The next step is to adjust everything.
⚠️ Quick check: You should end up in the full drag-and-drop campaign editor. If you see a mostly blank canvas, that’s normal. Some templates open with minimal default content.
Step 3: Customize your campaign and add the thermometer
This is the step where the thermometer actually appears.
The drag-and-drop editor allows you to drag a progress bar directly into your campaign design. And once it’s tied to your target amount, it shows donors exactly how far you’ve progressed.
In the campaign editor, click Add layout tab on the left. You’ll see a list of items that you can drag into the design. Look for that Progress bar Element.
The Campaign Editor; Your thermometer element goes in here.
Drag it into position. I always place mine below the campaign image and above the donate button. This is where the eyes of donors land first.
Drag the progress bar element directly into your campaign design.
Once the progress bar is in your layout, click it to open the customization window.
You can edit the heading above the thermometer, customize the donation amount labels, and choose the display style between vertical thermometer, horizontal progress bar, or circular goal display.
Click the progress bar item to open the full customization window.
Once placed, you can use the edit panel to refine the style. I’ve noticed that the classic thermometer style tends to work well in traditional nonprofit campaigns because donors recognize it immediately.
But it’s not enough to just adapt; You need to make the donation thermometer look like it’s part of your brand.
So for brand colors, click Progressive Tab. Here you control the fill color, background, and text style of the thermometer to match the look and feel of your campaign.
Customize your thermometer colors to match your brand using the Advanced tab.
If everything looks right, click Save in the top right corner.
⚠️ Quick check: The preview shows what the thermometer and your entire donation form look like live. Use it to improve your design.
Step 4: Configure your campaign settings
Here you set the actual donation goal. The number your thermometer measures is your progress. You also connect your payment processor so that donations can actually come in.
Go to the Settings tab in the top navigation of the campaign editor.
The first thing I always fill out is this Goal Field. Enter your total donation goal here. For example, $5,000. After that you can also set one End date if your campaign has a deadline.
Both details appear on the campaign page, giving donors a sense of urgency that moves people to action.
Set your fundraising goal and campaign end date in the Settings tab.
Now click on the Payments tab.
This is where you connect your payment processor. You’ll see options for Stripe, PayPal, Square, and Authorize.net. Click on the connection you are using and follow the connection steps.
If you didn’t associate a payment option with the setup wizard, Charitable allows you to do so in this step.
For Stripe, that means clicking Connect to Stripe and log in to your account in the pop-up that opens.
On the Payments tab, select your payment processor.
Once connected, your account details will be confirmed on the screen. This is the connection between your payment processor and your thermometer. Every donation received here shifts the bar.
Stripe connected – Donations now flow directly to your Stripe account.
The last thing to do here is to set up automated emails.
In the campaign settings, look for the email notification options.
Turn on two things: a Donation receipt (an automatic thank you to everyone who donates) and a Admin notification (a notification to you when a donation is received).
These are then carried out automatically without the need for manual tracking.
Enable donor receipts and admin notifications. From here on out they expire automatically.
⚠️ Quick check: Go back to the Design tab. Your target amount should now appear in the preview linked to the thermometer.
Step 5: Start your campaign
Once the thermometer is designed and the settings are saved, it’s time to go live. Take a moment to preview the campaign before publishing it. Remember, it’s easier to fix something now than after the link has been released into the world.
In the top right corner of the campaign editor you will find the status dropdown menu. It should still say Draft. Click on it and go to Publishedand then click Save.
Change the campaign status from Draft to Published to make it live.
Now add the campaign to a page on your website. Click on Embed Button next to the status dropdown. It gives you two options: a shortcode and a block.
Click Embed for options to display your campaign on a WordPress page.
I prefer the block. Open or create the page where you want the thermometer to appear.
Then click “ in the WordPress block editor+ Symbol” to add a new block, search for Charity campaignand select it. Then drag and drop it to where you want it to appear.
Finally, select your campaign from the drop-down list.
Find the “Charity Campaign” block and select your campaign from the drop-down list.
⚠️ Quick check: Preview the page. You should see the full campaign design with the thermometer and donation button. The progress bar shows $0 towards your goal. It moves when real donations come in.
Step 6: Track your donations
After your campaign goes live, you can monitor its progress directly from WordPress. This is one of my favorite parts of the setup. You never have to open Stripe or PayPal to know what’s happening.
Go to Charitable » Campaigns in your WordPress dashboard.
You will see each campaign listed with the current total, target amount and number of donors. The number here is the same one that powers your live thermometer.
The Campaigns tab shows your live progress like total revenue, donors, and goal in one place.
To view individual donors, click Donate Charities menu tab.
Every donation lives here: name, amount, date and email address. You can always export this list as a CSV, useful for personal thank you notes or reporting results to your board.
The Donations tab gives you a complete record of all donations and donors.
Between these two views, you have everything you need to manage an active fundraiser without leaving WordPress.
Your live campaign with a working fundraising thermometer is exactly what your donors will see.
That’s it for setting up a donation thermometer at Charitable. This is my recommended method because it is so easy to use. But the next option is free, although not as flexible and feature-rich as Charitable.
So it’s definitely worth considering if you’re on a tight budget.
The Donation thermometer plugin does one thing: it adds a visual thermometer to your WordPress site. It’s completely free. Setup takes less than five minutes.
However, the trade-off is real and worth knowing in advance. You update the collected amount manually.
There is no connection to a payment processor. So when someone donates online, the thermometer doesn’t move on its own. You have to log in and change the number yourself.
This is perfectly fine for small campaigns where donations are received via bank transfer, check or cash. However, if you are running a large-volume online campaign, this limitation is important.
Step 1: Install and configure the plugin
Go to Plugins » Add new in your WordPress dashboard and search for Donation thermometer. Install and activate the free plugin.
Once it is active, go to Settings » Thermometer.
Set your target amount, enter the current amount collected (start from zero or whatever you’ve already collected), give your thermometer a title, and choose a display style.
Most beginners can do this in two minutes.
Set your goal and current donation amount in the thermometer settings.
Step 2: Add the thermometer to your page
Of the Settings Page, copy the shortcode that the plugin generates. Then open the WordPress page where you want the thermometer to appear.
In the block editor, click + To add a new block, search for Shortcodeand add it. Paste the shortcode into the block and click Update to save the page.
Paste the thermometer shortcode into a shortcode block on your page.
⚠️ Quick check: Preview the page. You should see the thermometer with your target amount and the current total.
The donation thermometer plugin in action. Simple, free and ready to use in minutes.
If you’re ready to move on to automatic tracking, Charitable (Method 1 above) is the natural next step.
However, if you want to use a drag-and-drop form builder, Formidable Forms offers you the best solution.
Method 3: Impressive shapes. Best for Form Builder users
Formidable Forms is a powerful form builder for WordPress. Here it is the right choice if you already use forms for multiple functions on your website.
You can add a donation thermometer without installing another plugin. The setup uses a pre-built charity tracker template that does most of the heavy lifting.
Before you begin, here’s what you should know: This feature requires the business plan. The free Lite version does not contain it.
You also need to activate the Visual Views add-on included with your Business subscription.
For more information, see my full Formidable Forms review.
Step 1: Activate the Visual Views add-on
After installing Formidable Forms Pro, go to Impressive » Add-ons in your WordPress dashboard.
Find Visual views in the list and click Install.
Once it is active, you can embed the Charity Tracker template.
Step 2: Install the Charity Tracker template
Go to Impressive » Applications. Search the application library Charity Tracker Template and click Install.
This completes the complete setup: donation form, views and thermometer configuration in one step.
Once installed, open the app to see how it’s set up and adjust the target amount to suit your campaign.
The Charity Tracker template offers the complete donation form and thermometer in one installation.
Step 3: Set your goal and view the form
In the Charity Tracker application, look for the goal setting in the view configuration.
Set your target amount and save. Then grab the shortcode for the view and add one Shortcode Insert block onto any WordPress page, insert and refresh the page.
The Formidable thermometer on the site is associated with submitting real donation forms.
⚠️ Quick check: Visit the site. You should see the donation form with the thermometer positioned according to the template.
Method 3 completed. A donation form with a live thermometer provided by Formidable Forms.
👉 Start here with Formidable Forms
Charity vs Donation Thermometer Plugin vs Impressive Forms: Which Should You Use?
All three methods work. The right one depends on your situation—specifically, whether you need automated tracking and whether you already use one of these tools.
| Special feature | Top choice ⭐Non-profit | Donation thermometer | Impressive shapes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thermometer updates | Automatically ✅ | Only manually ❌ | Automatically ✅ |
| Free version available | ✅ (Thermometer requires Pro) | ✅ Completely free | ✅ (Thermometer needs business) |
| Cost of thermometers | Starting at $69/year | Free | Starting at $199.50/year |
| Payment integration | Integrated (Stripe, PayPal, more) | None | Add-on required |
| Best for | Campaigns that require automatic donation tracking | Simple campaigns with offline or manual donation | Websites that already use Formidable Forms |
How to test your work
Testing before sharing your campaign link is worth the extra five minutes. That’s how I do it.
For charity:
Open an incognito window and visit your campaign page. The thermometer should read $0 towards your destination.
To test a real payment, switch Stripe to test mode and use a card number 4242 4242 4242 4242 with any future expiration date and any three-digit CVV. Submit a test donation.
Then go to Charitable » Campaigns in your dashboard. The total should have been updated.
For donation thermometers:
Open your page in a normal browser window. Log in to WordPress in a separate tab and go to Settings » Thermometer.
Update the current amount to any number above zero. Save and refresh the public page. The bar should move.
For impressive shapes:
Submit a test entry using the donation form. Refresh the thermometer page and check the progress update.
If the thermometer doesn’t show anything at all, first clear your website’s cache. Most WordPress caching plugins maintain an older version of the page and a cache flush forces a new load.
Common problems and quick solutions
Problem: “The thermometer doesn’t appear on my site.”
- ❌ What happens: The campaign or shortcode is not embedded properly or a caching plugin is displaying an outdated version of the page.
- ✅ Quick solution: Make sure the Charitable Campaign block (or shortcode) is on the right and the campaign status is Publishednot draft. Then clear your website cache.
✨ My experience: When I first set this up, the thermometer didn’t appear because I forgot to change the campaign from Draft before adding it to the page. 1 minute fix as soon as I discovered it.
Issue: “My progress bar is not updating after a donation is received.”
- ❌What happens: Almost always a problem with the payment gateway. If Stripe or PayPal have not confirmed the transaction as complete, Charitable will not count it.
- ✅ Quick solution: Log in to Stripe or PayPal and check that the payment shows as “successful” rather than “pending”. Outstanding payments have not yet been settled. Check your Stripe dashboard for failed webhook deliveries.
✨ My experience: Test donations in sandbox mode sometimes remain “pending” indefinitely. Run a real $1 test in live mode to confirm that the entire payment flow is working.
Problem: “Stripe connection does not save in Charitable.”
- ❌ What happens: Charitable connects to Stripe using OAuth. If the popup is closed before the handshake is complete, the connection will not be saved.
- ✅ Quick solution: Go back to Payments in your campaign settings and click Connect to Stripe again. For this step, disable all pop-up blockers. Complete the entire process without closing a window.
✨ My experience: I always disable my ad blocker when connecting payment gateways. A pop-up blocker is the most common reason this step fails on the first try.
That’s it. You can now add a WordPress fundraising goal thermometer with your preferred of the three options discussed. You can also troubleshoot if a method encounters an error.
If something is unclear, check out the frequently asked questions below.
FAQs: How to Add a WordPress Fundraising Goal Thermometer
Can I add a fundraising thermometer to WordPress for free?
Yes. The Donation Thermometer plugin is completely free and available on WordPress.org. This allows you to display a customizable thermometer on any page or post. The downside: You update the collected amount manually, without an automatic connection to a payment processor.
Does the thermometer automatically update when someone donates?
It depends on which method you use. Yes, Charitable automatically updates the progress bar every time a confirmed donation is received through your connected payment processor. No, with the Donation Thermometer plugin you update the collected amount manually in the plugin settings.
Can I add the thermometer to a specific page or post instead of a specific campaign page?
Yes. Both the Charitable and Donation Thermometer plugins provide you with a shortcode (or block) that you can add to any page, post, or widget area. With Charitable you can also use that Charity campaign Block directly in the WordPress block editor, giving you a visual preview without having to copy code.
What is the difference between a donation thermometer and a donation form?
On a donation form, donors enter their payment details and complete a donation. A thermometer is a display element. It shows progress toward a goal. You’ll need both for a complete campaign setup. At Charitable, the form and thermometer are part of the same campaign. With the Donation Thermometer plugin they are separate; I would recommend my guide on creating a WordPress donation form to manage the payment page.
Can I customize the colors of the thermometer?
Yes. With Charitable you control the fill color, background color and text style in the Progressive Campaign editor tab. The dispensing thermometer plugin also has color settings under Settings » Thermometer.
Do I need WooCommerce to add a donation thermometer in WordPress?
No. None of the methods in this guide require WooCommerce. Charitable, the Donation Thermometer plugin, and Formidable Forms all work independently of WooCommerce.
Final Thoughts: Should I Set Up a WordPress Target Thermometer for a Donation?
Yes, and I’ll tell you why.
The aforementioned shelter team never had to answer the question, “How close are you to your goal?” again after the thermometer rose.
The site told every donor the answer before they could even ask.
You can do the same now.
Whether you chose Charitable for automatic tracking, the free Donation Thermometer plugin for easy setup, or Formidable Forms because you’ve already used it, your campaign will now show donors the progress that will keep them coming back.
My honest recommendation?
Non-profit This is where I would start if you want the big picture, including payments, donor management, and a thermometer that moves on its own.
Besides, you can start with the free charity version to try it out before committing.
This combination makes a good campaign one that people want to share. Assembly takes about twenty minutes. Your next campaign can be live before lunch.
Resource Hub: WordPress Fundraising and Donations
Whether you’re just getting started or looking to expand your nonprofit’s online presence, these guides cover the whole picture.