Create a checkout link
A one-shot, pre-filled donation URL for a specific donor or specific amount. Useful for major gifts, follow-ups, and one-off appeals.
A checkout link is a tokenised URL that opens a branded donation page with the amount, donor details, and payment methods already chosen. Unlike a donation form, it's single-purpose: one donor, one amount, one expiry.
Before you start
You need:
- ADMIN or EDITOR role on your org.
- Stripe connected with Connected status.
- A clear ask in mind: how much, by when, for whom.
Steps
-
Go to Engage -> Checkout links and click New Link.
The checkout links list. -
Choose the donor, then fill in the link's settings:
Field Required What it does Donor yes Search your existing donors by name or email and pick one, or click Create a new donor to add them inline (same fields as Add a donor). The donor must have an email on file — Together fills the donation page from their record. Arriving from a donor's detail page pre-selects that donor. Amount yes The exact donation amount in AUD. Checkout links don't support donor-chosen amounts; for that, use a donation form. Description no Shown as the heading on the donation page. Click Suggest under the field to drop in a default like $250 donation from Jane Smith; edit it, or leave the field empty to omit it.Payment methods yes Card, BECS, PayTo. Defaults to whatever your selected Stripe Connect account has enabled. Consent checkbox no Optional tick-box shown above the Pay button on the checkout page - use it for any consent, opt-in, or acknowledgement (up to 300 characters); the wording is yours. The donor's choice is recorded on the resulting donation. Set once at creation. Revenue code no Free-text label stamped onto the resulting donation. Autofills from your existing revenue-code library; type a new code to create one on save. Use letters, numbers, and . _ - : / + @only (up to 100 characters). -
Click Create Link. Together returns a short URL of the form
{your-slug}.alltogether.giving/c/<code>. -
Share the URL. The recipient lands on your organisation's branded donation page with the amount and their details already filled in and locked; they confirm and pay without leaving the page.
Single-use semantics
Each link's <code> is unique and globally unguessable. A link's status moves through a fixed lifecycle:
| Status | Meaning |
|---|---|
| ACTIVE | The link is shareable and the donation page will accept payment. Default on creation. |
| COMPLETED | The donor paid. The donation row exists in Donations and the link can no longer be paid. |
| EXPIRED | The Expires date has passed. The link no longer accepts payment. |
| CANCELED | An admin manually cancelled the link before payment. The link no longer accepts payment. |
If a donor opens the link but doesn't finish, they can return to the same URL and pay any time before it expires. Once a payment is in progress (BECS and PayTo can take a day or two to settle) or has completed, the link shows a status page instead of charging again.
When to use a checkout link vs. a donation form
- Donation form (
/donate/<slug>) when the audience is broad and you don't know the donor in advance. Public, repeatable, supports recurring. - Checkout link (
/c/<code>) when you know the donor and you want a single specific gift. Private, single-use, one-off only.
Use both. A campaign typically has one donation form and dozens of checkout links for major-gift conversations.
If it goes wrong
- Donor reports "Page expired". The link's expiry passed or the donation already succeeded. Check status in Engage -> Checkout links.
- Donor reports a payment method isn't available. The payment methods enabled on your Stripe account changed since you created the link. In Engage -> Checkout links, edit the link and re-select a method that's still available.
- Donor says their details are wrong. The donor can't edit the pre-filled identity on a checkout link - it's locked to the donor you picked. Correct the donor's record (or pick the right donor), cancel this link, and create a new one.
What to do next
- Watch the donation land at Donations once the donor pays.
- Read the donations list for the unified ledger view: Read the donations list.