School Fields: Consistent Formatting for Custom Questions

While building custom fields is easy with the GiveCampus form builder, sometimes you may want to ask the same custom question across multiple forms. By using School Fields, you can standardize the question format, saving you time and ensuring the responses appear in the same column of reporting regardless of the form or campaign. 

What are School Fields?

School fields are special custom form fields in Online Giving that are created and managed to ensure consistent formatting and reporting.

How do I create or enable School Fields?

In Online Giving, select School-Level Settings, then School Fields. From there, you can can create, edit, and delete your school fields. The ability to do this is limited to certain permissions (Super Admins, School Level Settings Admins, Gift Management Admins).

How do I add School Fields to my form or campaign form?

• After creating the School Field, go into your Campaign settings (Campaign Forms page) or Giving Form settings (Forms page).
• Select Edit Form or Match/Challenge Form to launch the form fields editor (also called the form builder). 
• School Fields will be a new menu option on the left.
• Select the desired field from the dropdown
• Click Add Pre-Form Field or Add Post-Form Field to add it
• Click the Edit Pencil icon next to the added field to adjust whether it's Required or not 

How do I change or delete School Fields once they are created?

If you want to remove a School Field from a specific form or campaign form, follow the steps above to access the form field editor for that project and select the minus icon next to the field. 

If you want edit the display of the School Field across all forms or campaign forms, return to Online Giving > School-Level Settings > School Fields. Select the field in question, make the necessary changes, and click Update Field.

If you want to delete the School Field from all forms and campaigns forms, follow the steps for editing above but instead click Destroy this field. This will remove the field across all forms and campaign forms immediately. The list of forms this field is connected to is listed at the top of the field settings. This deletion is irreversible.

How do School Fields get added to email receipts?

Once added to a campaign or form, a School Field will appear as a possible merge token you can add to your email receipts under Email Templates in the campaign or form settings. To add it to your receipt template, select the appropriate merge token above the email text editor, then save, test and activate the email template. A few things to be aware of:

• Email receipts are sent very shortly after the payment page is completed, so fields added to the post-payment form may not appear in the receipt. If important, add it as a pre-payment field.
• Your test email will not have a test value for any custom field or school field merge tokens.
• Always test and activate email templates after making changes.

How do School Fields get added to my reports?

Once created, a School Field's Report Column label will appear in the Additional Fields section of Reporting > Settings. You can check the box next to it to add it to the Additional Fields column of your "Default Report" or include it as its own column in the "Default Report (Expand Additional Fields)." You can also add it as as column to any Custom Report templates.

Does deleting a School Field delete the data for prior gifts or remove it as a column in Reporting?

No. The field will be removed from any active forms and the School Fields list. However, the prior field data will be preserved and the former Report Column will remain a selectable option under Reporting > Settings and in Custom Reports. That column will also continue to appear on any campaign-specific donation reports viewed or downloaded under Campaign Settings > Manage Gifts. If you simply want to stop listing the field in the dropdown for adding School Fields when building or editing forms, but not affect any current forms it may be in use on, we recommend editing the field to be Active = false as explained below.

What do the various attributes of School Fields mean?

There are a few attributes controlled by checkboxes in the School Field creation and edit menu.

• Required - When true, this field is set to Required = Yes by default when added to a form. This can be changed after it is added to each form. There is no way to "lock down" the Required attribute
• Active - When true, this field is available in the dropdown of School Fields in the form builder. When false, it is no longer available. This can be a good alternative to deleting a School Field if the field is no longer or infrequently used. This attribute does not affect any School Fields already added to forms.
• Dependent - When true, the field has another field dependent on the fulfillment of the checkbox or selection in this field.

Can I require that a School Field be added to each of my forms or campaigns by default?

No. While this feature creates a standard design for the field, its use is still determined on a form-by-from or campaign-by-campaign basis. We recommend discussing your requirements or expectations with any team members building forms and campaigns. You may also opt to create a single template form or campaign in your Drafts with the fields you require that can be cloned each time for a consistent starting point.

What are some common examples of School Fields?

School Fields are most commonly used by schools who deploy multiple targeted everyday giving forms or campaigns but wish to collect a consistent set of non-standard data. A few examples include:

• What is your preferred method of contact?
• Do you want to sign up for the Eagle newsletter?
• What inspired your gift today?
• Custom implementations of tribute (in honor of, in memory of) fields
• Checkboxes to indicate this is pledge payment or this is a gift from a business