DonateOcean – Donations via PayPal

Install DonateOcean, enter your PayPal API credentials (Client ID and Secret) on the settings page, and place the [donadosu_donation] shortcode on any page or use the DonateOcean Gutenberg block. The plugin attempts to register the PayPal webhook automatically, so completed donations are recorded even if the donor closes their browser before the redirect completes.

Yes, and there is no paid tier. Every feature shipped in the plugin is available to every user under the GPLv2 or later license. There are no locked features, premium add-ons, or upsells from the plugin author. The only cost of using the plugin is PayPal's standard payment processing fees, which are paid directly to PayPal.

Yes. DonateOcean is designed for any 501(c)(3), registered charity, religious organization, school, or community fundraising group. It supports tax-deductible receipts with your organization name, tax ID, and a customizable tax disclaimer; tribute donations ("In honor of" / "In memory of"); and recurring giving for sustaining donors.

Place the [donadosu_donation] shortcode on any page or post, or insert the DonateOcean Form block in the Gutenberg editor. You can also choose between four display modes — inline, modal popup, sidebar widget, or a dedicated full-page form — to match your site's design.

Recurring donations are enabled by default. In the Donation Experience settings, choose which frequencies to offer (one-time, monthly, annual, or all three) and which is selected by default. Donors can manage or cancel their own subscriptions through the donor portal — no account needed.

The plugin processes payments through PayPal, which supports PayPal balance, credit cards, debit cards, and local payment methods available in the donor's country. It uses PayPal's Orders API v2 and optionally supports Advanced Credit and Debit Card Fields for direct card entry without leaving your site.

Yes. Enable Sandbox mode in the plugin settings and enter your PayPal Sandbox API credentials to test donations, receipts, webhooks, and refunds before switching to Live mode.

No. The plugin automatically registers the webhook endpoint with PayPal when you save your API credentials. If automatic registration fails (for example, on a localhost environment), you can configure it manually in your PayPal Developer Dashboard and paste the Webhook ID into the plugin settings.

Yes. When a donation is completed, the plugin sends an HTML receipt email to the donor and a notification email to your organization. Receipts include your organization name, tax ID, and a customizable tax disclaimer. Administrators can also download a PDF receipt from the admin panel.

Yes. On the donation detail page, administrators can process full or partial refunds via the PayPal Captures API. The donation status updates automatically and the refund is recorded in the status history timeline.

Yes. Go to DonateOcean > Add Manual Donation to record cash, check, bank transfer, or other offline donations. These appear in all reports, CSV exports, and donor profiles alongside PayPal donations.

Yes. DonateOcean integrates with the core privacy tools for personal data export and erasure requests. You can also configure automatic data retention to erase donor personally identifiable information after a set number of months.

Yes. Place the [donadosu_donor_portal] shortcode on any page to create a self-service subscription management portal. Donors enter their email, receive a secure magic link valid for 30 minutes, and can view or cancel their active subscriptions.

Donor information is stored as post meta and is protected by the built-in security model. The plugin uses PayPal webhook signature verification, nonce verification for all authenticated requests, and capability checks for all admin operations.

Yes. DonateOcean is theme-agnostic and works with any well-coded theme. The donation form inherits your theme's typography and base styles, and you can customize colors and spacing from the plugin's appearance settings.