Can I install Donor Merchant on Squarespace?
No. Squarespace runs its own software, and WordPress plugins only run on WordPress. If you outgrow the Donation block, the realistic option is a small WordPress donation site on a subdomain, such as give.yourdomain.org, with your Squarespace site linking to it. Most of this guide is about the Donation block, because for many organizations that is the right answer.
What does the Squarespace Donation block do?
To add one, edit a page, click Add Block or +, and choose Donation. Squarespace says setup has to happen on a computer, not in the Squarespace app, and you need a payment processor connected before the block can take gifts.
- Processors: Squarespace Payments, Stripe or PayPal for one-time gifts. Recurring gifts need Squarespace Payments or Stripe.
- Funds: up to 100 donation funds, each with its own name, suggested amounts and recurring options.
- Frequencies: weekly, monthly, quarterly or annually, with a default you choose. Squarespace notes that donors can't use Apple Pay for recurring donations.
- Donor accounts: recurring gifts require customer accounts to be turned on. Donors then manage their recurring donations by signing in. One-time donors don't need an account.
- Cover the fees: an option that asks donors to add a percentage to cover your fees. It is selected by default, and donors can untick it.
- Records: totals appear in the Donations dashboard and each gift in the Contributions panel. Donor profiles live under Lists & Segments > Donors, with each donor's first donation date and donation history. You can download a CSV, and Core, Plus and Advanced can export automatically to Google Drive.
Two limits from Squarespace's own FAQ: a donor can't hide their name at checkout, and refunded donations stay in the Donations panel. Blocks created before July 8, 2024 lack recurring giving and funds; Squarespace says all donation blocks will be updated to the new version on September 30, 2026.
What does Squarespace charge on donations?
You pay a processing fee on every gift, and on the Basic plan a Squarespace transaction fee as well. Squarespace's FAQ says that transaction fees aren't discounted for nonprofits.
| Plan | Price (annual / monthly billing) | Squarespace fee on donations | Squarespace Payments card rate (US) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic | $19 / $25 a month | 2% | 2.9% + $0.30 |
| Core | $29 / $39 a month | 0% | 2.9% + $0.30 |
| Plus | $49 / $65 a month | 0% | 2.7% + $0.30 |
| Advanced | $99 / $139 a month | 0% | 2.5% + $0.30 |
On a $100 card gift through Squarespace Payments, that is $5.20 in total fees on Basic and $3.20 on Core. American Express and other premium cards are 3.2% + $0.30 on every plan, and international cards add 1.5%. US bank (ACH) payments through Squarespace Payments are 1.5% on Basic and 1% on Core, Plus and Advanced (Squarespace shows a $10 maximum on Advanced). If you connect Stripe or PayPal instead, their own rates apply. These figures are as published by Squarespace in October 2026; check squarespace.com/pricing before you decide.
When is the Donation block enough?
For a lot of small organizations, it is. Stay with it if most of these are true:
- You take one-time and monthly gifts, and a handful of funds covers your causes.
- You are on Core or above, so Squarespace adds no transaction fee.
- Your recurring donors are comfortable creating an account on your site.
- Your treasurer is happy working from the CSV export and the donor profiles.
- Your year-end letters are written by hand or in another tool.
Keeping everything on one platform has real value: one login, one bill, one design. Don't add a second system unless something specific is missing.
When does a separate WordPress donation page make sense?
These are the gaps that usually push organizations off a site builder's donation feature:
- Annual giving statements. Squarespace sends a confirmation email for each gift, and you can edit it. Its donation docs don't describe a year-end statement per donor. Donor Merchant creates printable receipts and annual statements, and donors can open them from a donor portal reached through an emailed sign-in link, with no password to remember.
- Checks and bank transfers in the same history. Squarespace's docs cover gifts made through the block. Donor Merchant records offline gifts alongside online ones, so one donor has one record.
- Gift Aid. UK charities claiming Gift Aid from HMRC need a declaration with each gift. Donor Merchant has Gift Aid for GBP forms.
- More questions on the form. Tributes (in honor or in memory), an employer matching question, designations and custom fields.
- Staying on Basic. If the 2% fee is your only reason to upgrade, compare the cost of Core with a small WordPress host. Donor Merchant itself is free and adds no platform fee; Stripe or PayPal fees still apply.
How do I link Squarespace to a WordPress donation page?
- Set up WordPress on a subdomain. Any host that runs WordPress 6.2 or later with PHP 7.4 or later and HTTPS will do. In WordPress, go to Plugins > Add New, search for "Donor Merchant", install it and connect Stripe or PayPal (getting started). Create a page and add the Donation Form block or the shortcode
[donor_merchant]. - Point the subdomain at your host. Add one record named
give: an A record if your host gives you an IP address, a CNAME if it gives you a host name. Leave the existing@andwwwrecords alone (full walkthrough: add a donation page to any website builder). If Squarespace manages your domain, open your domains dashboard, click the domain, click DNS, then DNS Settings, scroll to Custom Records and click Add record. Choose A and put the IP address in the IP Address field, or choose CNAME and put the host name in the Data field. Either way, entergivein the Name field. If your domain is registered elsewhere, add the same record there. Don't change your nameservers; that would move the whole domain. - Add a Donate button to the header. In the Pages panel, click Edit, hover over the header and click Edit site header, click Add elements and switch the Button toggle on. Then click the button, click Edit design, and under Content set the text to "Donate" and the link to your donation page. You can also add a menu link: in the Pages panel click +, choose Link, select URL and paste the address.
- Match the colors. Copy the hex code of your Squarespace button color. In WordPress, go to Donor Merchant > Settings > Forms > Form style, choose a custom color, paste it, and pick the button shape (pill, rounded or sharp) closest to your site. Use the same logo on the WordPress site so donors know they are in the right place.
- Set up webhooks and test. Recurring renewals depend on webhooks. Make a test gift in Stripe's test mode before you announce the page.
Can I embed the WordPress form inside Squarespace instead?
You can try, but we recommend a link. Squarespace only allows iframes and JavaScript in a Code block on Core, Plus and Advanced, and its support team doesn't help with custom code. An embedded payment form has its own problems: Apple Pay inside an iframe only works when the frame is allowed to request payment and the domain is registered, PayPal opens popups, and Safari blocks third-party cookies inside frames by default. We don't promise that an embedded form will work in every browser. A plain link always does.
Checked against Squarespace's help center and pricing page in October 2026. Squarespace changes its editor from time to time; if a label differs on your site, look for the equivalent setting.
Sources
- Squarespace: Donation blocks
- Squarespace: Donation funds
- Squarespace: Managing donations
- Squarespace: Transaction fees and payment processing rates
- Squarespace: Pricing
- Squarespace: Code blocks
- Squarespace: Build your site header
- Squarespace: Adding links to your navigation
- Squarespace: DNS records for web hosting