Embedding a Video or Livestream on a Contribution Form – ActBlue

ActBlue user roles and permissions dictate what users can do on our platform. If the tools or features in this article are unavailable to you, speak to your entity Admin first about updating your permissions.

You can add video URLs for Facebook videos and YouTube videos and embed Facebook livestreams directly on your contribution form.

You have two options when you embed a video on your form:

Small: displays the same size as the title and donation ask block
Large: displays in a larger format as a featured video

For running a virtual event, we recommend using the large format option. On forms with a featured video, supporters can watch the video and donate at the same time, and after donating, they will stay on the form so they can continue to watch.

A screenshot of a contribution form with a video embedded on the left hand side of the page.

Featured videos are available on regular contribution forms, Tandem forms, and community forms. They are not available on event or merchandise forms. Like all of our tools, featured videos are automatically optimized for mobile. All other contribution form features will work normally with the featured video tool.

We recommend using the side-by-side (wide) layout with featured videos so the donation block is to the right of the video. Layout options for your form are in the “Branding” tab of the form editor. Form titles appear above the video, and the donation ask appears below it.

To embed a video or livestream on your form, click on the “Title, ask, and URL” tab of the form editor.

A screenshot of the Edit Form toolbar with a red box around the Title, ask and URL option.

Scroll down to the “Embedded Video” section. Under “Video URL,” enter your video or livestream link. A preview of the video will appear on your contribution form.

A screenshot of the Embedded Video section with a video link entered. A preview of the video is on the contribution form to the right.

Below the video URL, you can make the video a “Feature video.” Turning this option on will make the video larger and keep donors on the form after they donate so they can continue to watch. We recommend this for livestreams and long recordings. Click “Publish” and exit the form editor to preview your form.

A screenshot of the Embedded Video section with the Feature video option toggled on and highlighted in red. A red arrow is pointing to the green Publish button.

You can enable autoplay so the video automatically starts playing when a donor opens your form. We recommend turning this on for livestreams.

A screenshot of the Embedded video section with the Enable autoplay toggle turned on and highlighted in red.

Videos will only autoplay on desktop. Facebook and YouTube disable autoplay on mobile to preserve the user’s cellular data.

Below are instructions on finding the correct URL for different types of videos. Once you copy the URL or embed code (for Facebook livestream), paste it into the “Video URL” field.

A screenshot of the Embedded Video section with the Video URL or iFrame section highlighted in red.

A published, public YouTube video:

Go to the video you would like to include on your contribution form. From the video’s page, copy the URL from the browser bar or select “Share” and copy the link from the screen.

A screenshot of a web browser open to YouTube with a red arrow pointing to the URL in the browser bar.

A screenshot of the Youtube share options with the Copy url button highlighted by a red box.

A published, public video on Facebook or a Facebook livestream that has ended:

Navigate to the “Videos” tab on your Facebook page.

A screenshot of the ActBlue Facebook page with the Videos tab highlighted by a red box, and a red arrow pointing to it.

Select the video you want on your contribution form.

A screenshot of video content options with a red box around the selected video.

Navigate to the specific video’s page and copy the URL from the browser bar, or click “Share” and “Copy Link” from the dropdown menu.

A screenshot of the video’s page with the URL in the browser bar highlighted by a red box and a red arrow pointing to it. The Share button is highlighted by a red box and the Copy Link option from the dropdown menu is highlighted with a red box and red arrow pointing to it.

A Facebook livestream:

You can livestream on Facebook using any browser. If you want to livestream straight from your browser using your computer’s webcam — instead of a video conferencing platform like Zoom or Google Hangouts — make sure you have the latest version of Google Chrome.

A screenshot of a Facebook page with a red box around the Live button and a red arrow pointing to it.

Facebook has a guide for live streaming, which includes finding the code you need to embed your livestream on a contribution form. This guide explains how to use Facebook's Live Producer to create and manage your livestreams.

A screenshot of Facebook’s guide to live streaming.

Most users on Facebook will land on Live Producer when they create a Live from their Facebook page, and you can follow the instructions in the guide. However, a small group of users will land on the old Facebook Live page to create their livestream.

In either case, you’ll want to locate the embed code to paste into the “Video URL” field of the form editor. To find the code, locate the embed icon, which looks like this: < / >.

On Live Producer, the embed code is under “Settings.”

A screenshot of Facebook’s Live Producer page with the Embed Code section highlighted by a red box under Settings.

On the old interface, it's at the bottom of the screen when you are filling out the details for your livestream.

A screenshot of the Share to Your Groups page with the source code button highlighted by a red box.

Click on this icon, copy the iFrame embed code, and paste it into the “Video URL” field of the form editor.

A screenshot of the Embed Video popup with a red box around the Copy to Clipboard button.

Facebook livestreams that you add to a form but haven’t started yet will say that the video is currently unavailable.

A screenshot of a Video Unavailable message with a red box around it.

However, as soon as the livestream starts, the video on the form will display the stream.

When a Facebook livestream ends, form visitors can watch a replay of the livestream without any extra steps. Deleted livestreams won't be available on the form.

Still have questions? Read the resources listed below to learn more about posting videos on Facebook and YouTube and support for external sites you can use in tandem with these two platforms.

Facebook Business: Live Stream an Event on Facebook

YouTube: Creator Academy

Zoom: Live Streaming Meetings or Webinars Using a Custom Service

The amount of support that the ActBlue Customer Service Team can provide is dependent on the permissions that you have. Check with your entity Admin about your assigned role.

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

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