In this article:

1. Refcodes
2. Pre-selected dollar amounts
3. Building custom URLs with pre-set recurring forms
4. Sharing custom URLs

Our URL builder makes creating custom contribution form links easy and requires no coding. The builder allows you to use refcodes and customize the pre-selected options when a donor lands on a form.

Head to the Contribution Forms tab of your Dashboard and open your form.

Under the “More” dropdown in the navigation bar at the top of your screen, select “Promote.”

A pop-up appears with sections for you to customize your URL.

Refcodes

A refcode (reference code) is a short word or phrase added to the end of a URL to make it unique and trackable.

We highly recommend using refcodes to collect data on what links your supporters are clicking. For example, you could use the refcode "email" in a link you're sending out via email and the refcode "website" in a link on your website. You can then track refcode data from your Statistics page and see how they compare. Learn more about using refcodes.

Type your refcode into the “refcode” field, and your link will automatically update at the top of the pop-up.

For accurate data, don’t repeat any refcodes on the same contribution form.

You can make as many refcodes as you want using the custom URL builder. Just copy the new link each time you make a new refcode.

If you’re using ActBlue Express Lane, refcodes are critical for determining which donation link amounts people click. Contact us with any questions about using refcodes with the ActBlue Express Lane. 

Pre-selected dollar amounts

You can pre-set the contribution amount selected when a donor lands on your contribution form in the “Amount” field. Use this feature if you know how much your donors typically give or if you want to collect donations of a certain amount. Do not use a dollar sign when entering your pre-set amount into this field.

 

Building custom URLs with pre-set recurring forms

Only admins that ActBlue has approved to use pre-set recurring forms will see a “Recurring” field. Type a “1” in this field if you want donors who click this link to land on a form with the unlimited recurring contributions option pre-selected. To specify an amount of monthly recurring contributions, enter the number of months here.

ActBlue policy requires groups using pre-set recurring forms to explicitly ask donors for recurring contributions immediately before the donor clicks the link to give. 

Any pre-set dollar amounts in the recurring links must reflect what is in the ask. Here are some examples:

Read the full policy and get helpful examples here. If a group doesn't adhere to the policy, ActBlue will remove permission to use pre-set recurring forms. Reach out with questions or to request permission to use the feature.

Sharing custom URLs

To use your custom URLs, copy the link in the pop-up and add it to your fundraising emails or website.

If you’re comfortable, add the refcode or pre-set a contribution amount without using our generator. To do this:

1. Add a “?” after your link.
2. Add each parameter (“refcode=” or “amount=”) after the question mark.
3. Separate the parameters with ampersands.

The order of the parameters does not matter. 

If you have any questions, please contact our support team using the email address you use to access your ActBlue account.