Donor List Widget

Where to find it: Canvas editor → Widgets tab → drag a Donor List onto the page

The Donor List widget displays a list of donors and their recognition information on screen, drawing its data from a Table. Unlike a standard Text widget, it's built to handle large amounts of data, automatically formatting names, rotating through multiple donor groups, and displaying content across several screens when needed.

Before You Begin

Before creating a Donor List widget:

• Make sure your donor data has been added to a table.

• Confirm the table contains the names you want to display.

• Create or select the Canvas page where the donor list will appear.

Adding a Donor List Widget

To Add a Donor List

1. Open the Widgets tab.

2. Drag a Donor List widget onto the Canvas.

3. Position and resize the widget.

4. Open the Settings panel.

5. Configure the display options.

6. Connect one or more donor data sources.

7. Save your changes.

Configuring the Layout

Columns

Columns determine how many lists of names appear side by side.

Setting	Ideal for
1 column	Large donor names, recognition walls, and simple layouts.
2–4 columns	Large donor databases, sponsor displays, and campaign recognition walls.

Rows

Rows determine how many donor entries appear at one time.

Note If you choose the Padding-Based overflow option (see Managing Long Names below), spacing is controlled by padding values instead, and the Rows field is replaced by Row Padding and Line Padding fields.

Name Formatting Options

Name Order

Choose how donor names appear:

Option	Example
First name first	John Smith
Last name first	Smith, John

Indenting Wrapped Names

Long names may wrap onto more than one line. When indenting is enabled, the continuation lines are automatically indented for a cleaner look. For example:

The John and Jane

Smith Family Foundation

Managing Line Breaks

Certain words or phrases can be used to control where a name breaks across lines. For example, you might move words like “and”, “in memory of”, or “in honour of” onto a new line automatically — improving consistency and readability across your displays.

Replacing Words Automatically

The widget can automatically substitute specific words or phrases in the displayed names before they appear on screen.

Text Formatting

The Donor List widget includes many of the same formatting options as the Text widget: font family, size, and weight; text colour; alignment; and text shadow.

Managing Long Names

Long donor names may not fit in the space available. The widget gives you several ways to handle this:

Option	What it does
Next cell	The name continues into the next available column.
Same cell	The name wraps onto additional lines within the same cell.
Fit to single row	The font size shrinks until the name fits on one line.
Padding-based	Spacing is controlled by padding settings rather than a fixed row count, giving extra flexibility with varying name lengths.

Multi-Page Shifting

When there are more donor names than can fit on screen, multi-page shifting automatically rotates through additional groups of names, letting a large database display without manually creating multiple pages.

For example, if a list contains 500 names but the screen shows 40 at a time, multi-page shifting rotates through all of them until the complete list has been shown, then begins again.

Enabling Multi-Page Shifting

1. Select the Donor List widget.

2. Enable Multi-Page Shifting.

3. Set the delay between shifts (minimum 5 seconds).

4. Choose the transition: a matched in/out preset, or enable separate in/out transitions for independent control.

5. Save your changes.

Tip: The shift delay controls how long each group of names stays visible before the next set appears. Give viewers enough time to read comfortably — the minimum is 5 seconds.

Working with Data Sources

A source is where the Donor List widget gets its donor information. A single widget can hold several sources, which lets you keep donor groups separate while showing them within one display.

Adding a Source

1. Select the Donor List widget.

2. Locate the Sources section.

3. Click New Source.

4. Configure the source settings.

5. Save your changes.

Source Labels and Images

Each source can include a label identifying the donor group, which helps viewers understand the significance of each category. You can also assign an image to a source; it appears alongside that source’s names.

Connecting Data

After creating a source, choose where its data comes from. A source can be an internal data table or a connected fundraising system, such as DonorPerfect, Blackbaud, or a spreadsheet.

1. Select the data source.

2. Choose the column (field) you want displayed as the donor name — or, for an image column, the image to show.

3. Save your changes.

The widget will begin displaying donor information from the selected source.

Note When a column is set to display images rather than text, additional options appear for how each image should fit and the spacing between rows.

Best Practices

• Organise donors into meaningful groups. Separate major donors, sponsors, and community supporters into different sources.

• Use consistent formatting. Keep the same fonts, spacing, and alignment throughout your donor displays.

• Test large data sets. Preview donor lists containing many names before publishing.

• Allow enough viewing time: Set shift delays that give visitors time to read the names.

• Review long names. Check how longer names appear using your chosen overflow setting.