Most WordPress donation pages don’t show how many people are already giving. When supporters feel like they’re the only ones donating, they’re less likely to follow through. A donor leaderboard fixes that by showing real support in action — social proof that encourages new visitors to give and existing supporters to give more.
Why add a donor leaderboard?
– Strengthens community engagement: Turns individual gifts into a visible, shared effort.
– Recognizes top supporters: Public acknowledgment deepens donor loyalty.
– Creates friendly competition: Seeing others on the leaderboard can prompt larger or repeat gifts.
– Builds transparency and trust: Visible activity reassures new donors.
– Encourages recurring donations: Donors may set up monthly gifts to maintain or improve rankings.
Overview
This guide covers:
1) Installing Charitable (Pro)
2) Creating a campaign with a donor leaderboard
3) Embedding the campaign on your site
4) Showing a leaderboard across all campaigns (block or shortcode)
5) Bonus: donor portal
6) FAQs and next steps
Step 1 — Install and activate Charitable Pro
Charitable is a WordPress donation plugin that handles campaigns, donations, and donor displays without platform fees. The donor leaderboard is included in Charitable Pro.
– Sign up at the Charitable site, 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 and paste and verify your license key to unlock Pro features like the donor leaderboard.
– With Charitable Pro active, you can create campaigns and enable leaderboard features.
Step 2 — Create a campaign and add the leaderboard
– Go to Charitable → Campaigns → Create Campaign.
– Give the campaign a clear name (e.g., “Annual Scholarship Fund”) and pick a template.
– In the campaign builder, drag the “Leaderboard” field into your layout. Place it where it’ll have impact (top of page is common).
– Configure leaderboard settings:
– View Type: list or card.
– Number of donors to display and pagination for large lists.
– Order By: total donations, most recent, or name (DESC to show top donors first).
– Title Settings: main title, description, labels for top/all contributors.
– Display Settings: show/hide avatar, donation amount, donation count, last donation date, campaign name, supporter level; control width and styling.
– Preview and adjust until satisfied.
– Change status from Draft to Publish and Save. The leaderboard will populate as donations come in.
Step 3 — Embed your campaign on your site
Charitable’s embed wizard simplifies adding campaigns to pages or posts.
– In the campaign editor click Embed, choose an existing page or Create New Page, and follow the wizard.
– In the block editor add the “Charitable Campaign” block and select your campaign from the dropdown.
– Save or publish the page. The leaderboard will appear on the live campaign page and update automatically as donations are processed.
Alternative — Show a donor leaderboard across all campaigns
If you run multiple campaigns, you can display a single leaderboard showing donors across your whole site. Charitable offers two easy methods.
Option 1: Block editor
– Open the page or post where you want the leaderboard and add the “Donor Leaderboard” block.
– In block settings choose View (List/Table or Card), and set Campaign to “All Campaigns.”
– Adjust Number of Donors, enable pagination, and configure Display Options (avatar, amounts, counts, dates, last campaign, supporter level).
– Customize title, icons (trophy/crown), border colors, and other styling.
– Save or publish the page.
Option 2: Shortcode
– Use a Shortcode block or widget where you want the leaderboard (sidebars, footers, page builders).
– Basic shortcode: [charitable_donor_leaderboard]
– Add parameters to customize: e.g., [charitable_donor_leaderboard view=”card” number=”12″ campaign=”123″] (replace 123 with your campaign ID).
– Update and check the site. Shortcodes are handy for page builders and widget areas.
Bonus tip — Create a donor portal
A donor portal lets supporters view donation history, manage recurring gifts, and update details securely. It reduces administrative tasks like resending receipts and helps donors feel more connected, which can boost retention. Charitable supports building donor portals; follow the plugin’s setup guide to create a member area for supporters.
FAQs
Can I show a leaderboard for a specific campaign only?
Yes. Select the campaign in the block settings or use the campaign parameter in the shortcode.
Can I control what information appears?
Yes. You can show or hide avatars, donation amounts, counts, last donation dates, campaign names, and supporter levels.
Will the leaderboard update automatically?
Yes. The leaderboard 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 increase donations?
They can. Leaderboards provide social proof and friendly competition, which can reassure potential donors and motivate existing ones to give more or recur.
Next steps to grow your nonprofit site
After adding a leaderboard, consider:
– Accepting international donations,
– Adding a fundraising thermometer,
– Installing other nonprofit plugins,
– Improving donation form best practices,
– Building targeted landing pages and peer-to-peer campaigns.
A donor leaderboard is a simple, effective way to show momentum and increase trust. Install Charitable Pro, add a leaderboard to your campaign or site-wide page, and let social proof help boost donations.
