Many WordPress donation pages don’t show that other people are giving. When supporters feel like they’re the only ones donating, they’re less likely to complete a gift. A donor leaderboard provides social proof: visible support that encourages new visitors to donate and motivates existing supporters to give more or give again.
Why add a donor leaderboard?
– Strengthens community: turns individual gifts into a visible, shared effort.
– Recognizes supporters: public acknowledgment increases loyalty.
– Sparks friendly competition: seeing top contributors can inspire larger or repeat gifts.
– Builds trust: visible activity reassures new donors.
– Encourages recurring gifts: donors may set up monthly donations to keep their ranking.
What this guide covers
1) Install Charitable Pro
2) Create a campaign and add a leaderboard
3) Embed the campaign on your site
4) Show a site-wide leaderboard (block or shortcode)
5) Bonus: donor portal
6) FAQs and next steps
Step 1 — Install and activate Charitable Pro
Charitable is a WordPress plugin for campaigns, donations, and public donor displays without platform fees. The leaderboard is a Pro feature.
– Sign up at Charitable, choose a plan, and download the plugin zip and license key.
– In WordPress go to Plugins → Add New → Upload Plugin, upload the zip, install and activate.
– Go to Charitable → Settings, paste and verify your license key to unlock Pro features.
– With Charitable Pro active you can create campaigns and enable leaderboard options.
Step 2 — Create a campaign and add the leaderboard
– Go to Charitable → Campaigns → Create Campaign.
– Give the campaign a clear name (for example: Annual Scholarship Fund) and select a template.
– In the campaign builder, add the Leaderboard field to your layout. Place it where it will make the most impact (top of the page is a common spot).
– Configure leaderboard settings: view type (list or card), number of donors to show, pagination for long lists, and ordering (total donations, most recent, or name; use DESC to surface top donors).
– Set title and description text and labels for top/all contributors.
– Choose display options: show or hide avatars, donation amounts, donation counts, last donation dates, campaign name, and supporter level; adjust width and basic styling.
– Preview, tweak the layout and settings, then change status from Draft to Publish and save. The leaderboard will populate as donations come in.
Step 3 — Embed your campaign on a page or post
Charitable’s embed wizard and blocks make adding campaigns easy.
– In the campaign editor click Embed and follow the wizard to add the campaign to an existing page or create a new page.
– In the block editor add the Charitable Campaign block and select your campaign from the dropdown.
– Save or publish the page. The leaderboard appears on the live campaign page and updates automatically as donations are processed.
Alternative — Show a donor leaderboard across all campaigns
If you run multiple campaigns, show a single leaderboard that aggregates donors site-wide. Two easy methods:
Option 1: Block editor
– Edit the page or post, add the Donor Leaderboard block, and set Campaign to All Campaigns.
– Choose view (List/Table or Card), set number of donors and pagination, and configure display options (avatar, amounts, counts, dates, last campaign, supporter level).
– Customize title, icons, and basic styling, then save or publish.
Option 2: Shortcode
– Place a Shortcode block or text widget where you want the leaderboard (sidebars, footers, or page builders).
– Basic shortcode: [charitable_donor_leaderboard]
– Add parameters to customize, for example: [charitable_donor_leaderboard view=”card” number=”12″ campaign=”123″] (replace 123 with your campaign ID).
– Shortcodes are flexible for widget areas and non-block builders.
Bonus tip — Create a donor portal
A donor portal gives supporters a secure place to view donation history, manage recurring gifts, and update contact details. It reduces admin tasks like resending receipts and increases donor engagement and retention. Charitable supports donor portal features; follow the plugin’s guide to set up a member area for supporters.
FAQs
Can I show a leaderboard for a single campaign only?
Yes. Select the specific campaign in block settings or pass the campaign parameter in the shortcode.
Can I control what information appears?
Yes. You can toggle avatars, donation amounts, counts, last donation dates, campaign names, and supporter levels.
Will the leaderboard update automatically?
Yes. It updates in real time as donations are processed.
Can I place the leaderboard anywhere on my site?
Yes. Use the block editor, shortcodes, or widgets to add it to pages, posts, sidebars, footers, or any widget-ready area.
Do leaderboards actually increase donations?
They can. Leaderboards provide social proof and friendly competition, which often reassures potential donors and nudges existing supporters to give more or set up recurring donations.
Next steps to grow your nonprofit site
– Accept international donations and multiple currencies.
– Add a fundraising thermometer to show progress toward goals.
– Install complementary nonprofit plugins for email, CRM, or events.
– Improve donation form design and messaging to reduce friction.
– Build targeted landing pages and peer-to-peer campaigns for broader reach.
A donor leaderboard is a straightforward, high-impact feature: install Charitable Pro, add a leaderboard to a campaign or a site-wide page, and let visible momentum and social proof help increase donations.