NonprofitPress

Black and Gray Digital Device

How to Integrate Mailchimp with GiveWP to Automate Donor Emails

|

By

NonprofitPress Editor

Integrating Mailchimp with GiveWP allows nonprofits to automate the process of thanking donors and reminding them to renew their donations. This guide will walk you through the steps to add a Mailchimp tag to donors in GiveWP when they make a donation, and then send an automatic email via Mailchimp.

Heads Up!

This guide assumes you already have GiveWP set up and working on your WordPress-based website.

Part 1: Set Up Mailchimp

Log in to Mailchimp

If you don’t have an account, sign up on the Mailchimp site.

Create an Audience

Go to the Audience tab and create a new audience if you don’t already have one.

Set Up Tags

Navigate to the Tags section within your audience and create a new tag, e.g., Donor.

Part 2: Connect GiveWP to Mailchimp

Install the Mailchimp Add-on for GiveWP

  1. Navigate to GiveWP > Add-ons.
  2. Search for the Mailchimp Add-on and install it.
  3. Activate the add-on.

Configure the Mailchimp Add-on

  1. Go to GiveWP > Settings.
  2. Click on the Mailchimp tab.
  3. Enter your Mailchimp API key (find this in your Mailchimp account under Account > Extras > API keys).
  4. Select the Mailchimp audience you want to sync with GiveWP, likely the one created earlier.

Enable Tagging for Donation Forms

  1. Navigate to Donations > All Forms in your WordPress dashboard.
  2. Edit the donation form where you want to add Mailchimp tagging.
  3. In the classic editor, go to the Mailchimp tab; In the new form builder, go to settings, then Mailchimp.
  4. Enable Mailchimp for this form and select the tag (e.g., Donor) to apply when a donation is made.
  5. Save your changes.

You Can Now Filter Donors in Mailchimp!

By this point, your donors are added to your Mailchimp audience with your new tag, allowing you to filter or target donors with any of Mailchimp’s flows or campaigns. Continue on to see how you can automatically send a follow-up to past donors.

Part 3: Automate

Create a New Campaign

  1. Go to the Campaigns tab in Mailchimp.
  2. Click Create Campaign and select Email.
  3. Choose Automated and then Welcome new subscribers.

Set Up the Automation

  1. Select your audience.
  2. Customize the campaign trigger to be when the Donor tag is added, or the tag you created earlier.
  3. Design your welcome email to thank the donor for their contribution. Include a personalized thank-you message and any relevant information.

Add a Follow-Up Email

  1. Within the same automation workflow, add another email.
  2. Set the delay to 3 months, a year, or whenever you wish after the initial welcome email is sent.
  3. Design this email to include a reminder to renew their donation, providing a link to the donation page.

Extending Your Automation

Mailchimp’s automation flows are very powerful – you can extend this automation to create a truly unique yet personal experience for your donors.

Don’t Forget to Test!

  1. Go to your GiveWP donation form and make a test donation, enabling “Test Mode” if you are able.
  2. Ensure the donor’s email is added to your Mailchimp audience with the correct tag.
  3. Check that the welcome email is sent immediately and that the renewal reminder is scheduled correctly.
  4. In your Mailchimp dashboard, the donor’s flow should be visible. If the extended reminder was configured, you may see this in a pending state until the delay is reached.

By following this guide, you can streamline donor communication and enhance engagement through automated emails. This integration will help you efficiently manage donor relationships and encourage repeat donations, aiding your nonprofit’s mission.

If you have any questions or need further assistance, feel free to reach out to our support team at NonprofitPress. Happy fundraising!

Jump To…