Troubleshooting donor questions

This article will help admins troubleshoot questions that come in from their donors

If one of your donors sends in an email or call you asking for help with an issue they’re having while trying to make a donation, we recommend that you ask them the following questions.

Investigating a reported gift that doesn't appear

If a donor says they completed a donation but you can’t locate it in your records, use this checklist to pinpoint common issues.

Key checks

1. Verify if the gift was processed under a different name or email address.
2. Search for the donor using name variations and alternate contact information.
3. Review donation records across different time ranges.

What to search for and how

• Look for common variations and misspellings of the donor’s name, alternate emails (work/personal), and phone numbers. Donors may use a nickname, middle name, or outdated email address.
• Confirm the reported date and approximate time of the donation, and expand your search window to account for timing discrepancies.

If no record is found

The payment attempt may not have completed successfully due to browser issues, payment processor problems, or an incomplete form submission. Ask if the donor saw a confirmation page or received an email receipt to verify the transaction.

Additional troubleshooting steps

• Request that the donor retry the donation while noting any observations. Suggest using a different browser or an incognito/private window, and confirm that all required fields are completed.
• Ask which device and browser were used (e.g., desktop vs. mobile, browser name and version).
• If an error message appears, record the exact wording or ask the donor to send a screenshot with the timestamp.

When to escalate

• If you discover a completed donation under an alternate name or email, update your records accordingly and follow your standard process to resend or re-associate receipts.
• If the donor clearly completed the donation flow but no record exists, capture detailed information (time, device, browser, screenshots, error messages) and escalate for further investigation.

Use this checklist to quickly identify issues and streamline your troubleshooting process.

 In our experience, walking through these questions with a donor will resolve the issue more than 90% of the time (often by identifying user error).  If they continue to have difficulty, sending their responses to each of the below questions to support@givecampus.com will enable the GiveCampus support team to provide the most efficient and effective assistance possible.

 

1. Where exactly in the process of making your gift are you experiencing difficulty?

 

2. Are you receiving an error message?  If so, what does it say? 

 

3. If you try again, does the same thing happen?

 

4. Have you entered all of the required fields on the giving form, including checking the box to accept the terms of service?

 

5. What kind of device are you using (desktop/laptop vs. tablet vs. phone, PC vs. Mac, Apple vs. Android, etc.)?

 

6. Which web browser are you using and which version of that web browser?

 

7. What happens if you try from a different web browser?  What happens if you try from a private or incognito browser window? 

 

8. Are you at work or using a machine with highly restrictive security settings? (e.g., a firewall) 

 

9. Can you send us a screenshot(s) of what you are seeing?