Custom Fields in WeGive: A Complete Guide

Last updated: February 12, 2026

Custom fields allow you to track additional information about your donors, donations, and households beyond WeGive's standard fields. Think of them as personalized data fields you create to capture what matters most to your organization.

What Are Custom Fields?

Custom fields let you store and organize unique information specific to your organization's needs. Whether you want to track a donor's t-shirt size, their volunteer interests, or calculate their lifetime giving to a specific campaign, custom fields give you the flexibility to capture that data.

Types of Custom Fields

WeGive offers two types of custom fields:

Static Fields

Static fields store information that you enter manually and doesn't change automatically.

Perfect for:

  • Donor preferences (communication frequency, t-shirt size)

  • Categories or tags (major donor, board member, volunteer)

  • Program interests

  • Referral sources

  • Anniversary dates

How they work:

  • You or your team enters the information directly

  • The value remains unchanged unless manually updated

  • Think of them like filling out a form - the information stays put

Example: You create a static field called "Volunteer Interest" and select "Event Planning" for a donor. That value will say "Event Planning" forever until you manually change it to something else like "Fundraising Committee."

Computed Fields

Computed fields automatically calculate values based on your existing data, updating in real-time as information changes.

Perfect for:

  • Total donations to a specific campaign

  • Date of most recent donation

  • Number of donations this year

  • Average gift amount

  • Days since last contribution

How they work:

  • WeGive continuously monitors your data

  • The field automatically recalculates based on rules you set

  • No manual entry needed - the system does the work

  • Updates happen in real-time as donations come in or data changes

Example: You create a computed field called "Total Given to Annual Fund 2025." As donors make gifts throughout the year, this number automatically increases. If someone gives $100 in January and $250 in March, the field will show $350 without you touching anything. When they give again in June, it automatically updates to include that gift too.

How to Create Custom Fields

  1. Navigate to the Data tab in your WeGive dashboard

  2. Select Custom Fields

  3. Click Create Custom Field

  4. Configure your field:

    • Name: Give your field a clear, descriptive name

    • Applies to: Choose whether this field is for donors, transactions, or households

    • Type: Select Static or Computed

    • Additional settings: Add default values, prefixes (like "$"), suffixes (like "%"), or decimal precision

For computed fields, you'll also specify:

  • What data to pull from (campaigns, funds, time periods)

  • How to calculate it (sum, count, average, most recent)

  • Which attribute to use (amount, date, etc.)

Where Custom Fields Appear

Once created, custom fields are available throughout WeGive:

  • Donor profiles: View and edit custom field values

  • Transaction records: Add custom data to individual donations

  • Household records: Track family-level information

  • Filters and segments: Build audiences based on custom field criteria

  • Email personalization: Use custom field values in your messages

  • Reports and exports: Include custom fields in your data analysis

  • CRM integrations: Sync custom fields with Salesforce and other systems

Common Use Cases

Donor Management

  • Track volunteer hours or interests

  • Record board member status

  • Note preferred contact methods

  • Store matching gift eligibility

Campaign Tracking

  • Calculate total giving to specific initiatives

  • Track appeal codes or source codes

  • Record event attendance

  • Monitor engagement levels

Personalization

  • Customize acknowledgment letters with donor-specific details

  • Segment communications based on interests

  • Tailor asks based on giving history

  • Create targeted campaigns for specific donor groups

Reporting & Analytics

  • Calculate donor retention metrics

  • Track program participation

  • Monitor giving trends by custom categories

  • Analyze custom segments

Tips for Success

Keep it simple: Only create custom fields you'll actually use. Too many fields can make data entry overwhelming.

Use clear names: Choose descriptive names that everyone on your team will understand.

Set defaults: For static fields, consider setting default values to speed up data entry.

Leverage computed fields: Let WeGive do the math for you instead of manually updating calculated values.

Document your fields: Keep a reference guide explaining what each custom field tracks and when to use it.

Review regularly: Periodically audit your custom fields and remove ones you no longer need.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I edit or delete custom fields after creating them? Yes, you can edit custom field settings at any time from the Data tab. Be cautious when deleting fields, as this will remove all stored values.

How many custom fields can I create? There's no hard limit, but we recommend keeping your custom fields manageable and purposeful.

Can I use custom fields in email campaigns? Absolutely! Custom fields can be inserted as merge tags in your email templates for personalization.

Do custom fields sync with my CRM? Yes, custom fields can be mapped to sync with integrated CRM systems like Salesforce.

Can I import data into custom fields? Yes, you can include custom fields in your data imports using the standard import process.