Causes Module

The Causes module allows you to create and manage charitable causes, track donations, and manage fundraising campaigns. This guide covers all cause and donation management features.

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Table of Contents

1. Overview
2. Accessing Causes
3. Creating a Cause
4. Cause Categories
5. Donation Management
6. Managing Causes
7. Frontend Display
8. Best Practices

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Overview

Features

• ✅ Create and manage causes
• ✅ Cause categories
• ✅ Donation tracking
• ✅ Fundraising goals
• ✅ Progress bars
• ✅ Donor management
• ✅ Payment processing integration
• ✅ Donation statistics
• ✅ Refund management
• ✅ Frontend donation pages

Admin Routes

• Cause List: /admin/causes
• Create Cause: /admin/causes/create
• Edit Cause: /admin/causes/{id}/edit
• Donations: /admin/donations

Frontend Routes

• Causes Page: /causes
• Cause Detail: /causes/{slug}
• Donate: /causes/donate

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Accessing Causes

From Admin Panel

1. Log in to admin panel
2. Navigate to Business → Causes
3. Or go directly to: /admin/causes

Permissions Required

• View Causes: view causes permission
• Create Causes: create causes permission
• Edit Causes: edit causes permission
• Delete Causes: delete causes permission
• Manage Causes: manage causes permission

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Creating a Cause

Step 1: Access Create Page

1. Go to Causes → Create New Cause
2. Or navigate to: /admin/causes/create

Step 2: Basic Information

Cause Title

• Name of the cause
• Required field
• Make it compelling
• Example: Clean Water Initiative

Slug

• Auto-generated from title
• Can be edited manually
• Must be unique
• Used in cause URL
• Example: clean-water-initiative

Short Description

• Brief cause summary
• Shown in cause listings
• Recommended: 100-200 characters
• Example: Providing clean water to communities in need

Full Description

• Detailed cause information
• Use rich text editor
• Include:
  • Cause mission
  • Impact description
  • How donations help
  • Success stories
  • Images and media

Step 3: Cause Media

Featured Image

1. Click Set Featured Image
2. Upload or select image
3. Recommended size: 1200x675px
4. Used in:
   • Cause listings
   • Cause detail page
   • Social sharing

Cause Gallery

1. Click Add to Gallery
2. Upload multiple images
3. Showcase cause work
4. Impact photos
5. Reorder by dragging

Step 4: Fundraising Goals

Goal Amount

• Target fundraising amount
• Required field
• Example: $50,000
• Used for progress tracking

Current Amount

• Automatically calculated from donations
• Can be manually adjusted
• Updates with each donation

Progress Display

• Progress bar shows percentage
• Visual representation
• Motivates donors
• Updates in real-time

Step 5: Cause Settings

Status

• Published: Visible on website
• Draft: Saved but not published
• Archived: Hidden from display

Featured Cause

• Toggle: Mark as featured
• Featured causes highlighted
• Shown prominently
• Use for important causes

Donation Settings

Enable Donations:

• Allow online donations
• Donation form available
• Payment processing

Minimum Donation:

• Set minimum amount
• Example: $10
• Prevents very small donations

Suggested Amounts:

• Pre-set donation amounts
• Example: $25, $50, $100, $250
• Quick donation buttons

Recurring Donations:

• Allow monthly donations
• Subscription option
• Recurring payment setup

Step 6: Category Assignment

Select Category

1. Choose existing category
2. Or create new category
3. Can assign to multiple categories
4. First category is primary

Common Categories:

• Education
• Healthcare
• Environment
• Poverty Relief
• Disaster Relief
• Community Development

Step 7: SEO Settings

Meta Information

• Meta Title: Search engine title
• Meta Description: Search result description
• Keywords: Relevant keywords

Step 8: Save Cause

• Save Draft: Save without publishing
• Publish: Make cause live
• Toggle Status: Quick status change
• Toggle Featured: Quick featured toggle

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Cause Categories

Creating Categories

1. Go to Causes → Categories
2. Click Create New Category
3. Enter:
   • Name: Category name
   • Slug: URL-friendly version
   • Description: Category description
   • Image: Category image (optional)
4. Click Save

Managing Categories

• Edit: Modify category details
• Delete: Remove category (causes not deleted)
• View Causes: See all causes in category

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Donation Management

Viewing Donations

Route: /admin/donations

Features:

• All donations across all causes
• Filter by cause, date, amount
• Search functionality
• Donation statistics

Donation Information

Displayed:

• Donor: Donor name and email
• Cause: Cause donated to
• Amount: Donation amount
• Date: Donation date
• Payment Method: How paid
• Status: Payment status
• Transaction ID: Payment reference

Managing Donations

View Donation Details

Route: /admin/donations/{donation}

1. Click on donation
2. View full details:
   • Donor information
   • Cause information
   • Payment details
   • Transaction history
   • Receipt information

Process Refund

Route: /admin/donations/{donation}/refund

1. Click Refund button
2. Enter refund amount (full or partial)
3. Add refund reason (optional)
4. Click Process Refund
5. Refund processed through payment gateway
6. Donor notified

Note: Refunds depend on payment gateway support and policies.

Delete Donation

Route: /admin/donations/{donation}

1. Click Delete button
2. Confirm deletion
3. Warning: This removes donation record
4. Does not process refund
5. Use refund feature instead

Donation Statistics

Available Metrics:

• Total donations
• Average donation
• Donation count
• Top donors
• Cause performance
• Time period analysis

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Managing Causes

Cause List View

Access at: /admin/causes

List Features

Search:

• Search by title
• Search by description
• Real-time results

Filters:

• Category: Filter by category
• Status: Published/Draft/Archived
• Featured: Featured/Not Featured
• Goal Progress: Filter by progress

Sorting:

• By Title (A-Z, Z-A)
• By Category
• By Goal Amount
• By Current Amount
• By Date (Newest/Oldest)

Displayed Information

• Cause Name: Cause title
• Category: Assigned category
• Goal: Fundraising goal
• Current: Amount raised
• Progress: Percentage complete
• Status: Published/Draft
• Featured: Featured badge

Editing Causes

1. Click Edit on cause
2. Make changes
3. Click Update
4. Changes saved

Deleting Causes

1. Click Delete on cause
2. Confirm deletion
3. Warning: Cannot be undone
4. Cause removed
5. Donations preserved (for records)

Bulk Operations

Bulk Delete

1. Select multiple causes
2. Click Bulk Actions → Delete
3. Confirm deletion
4. All selected causes deleted

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Frontend Display

Causes Page

URL: /causes

Features:

• All published causes
• Category filtering
• Search functionality
• Cause cards showing:
  • Featured image
  • Title and description
  • Progress bar
  • Amount raised vs goal
  • Donate button

Cause Detail Page

URL: /causes/{slug}

Features:

• Full cause information
• Cause gallery
• Progress bar
• Donation form
• Donor recognition (if enabled)
• Related causes
• Social sharing

Donation Form

URL: /causes/donate

Form Fields:

• Cause selection (if multiple)
• Donation amount
• Donor information
• Payment method
• Recurring option (if enabled)
• Dedication/message (optional)

Process:

1. Customer selects amount
2. Enters information
3. Chooses payment method
4. Completes payment
5. Receives confirmation
6. Receipt sent via email

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Best Practices

Cause Creation

1. Compelling Stories:

   • Tell impact stories
   • Use real examples
   • Show before/after
   • Include testimonials

2. Clear Goals:

   • Set realistic goals
   • Explain what money funds
   • Show impact per dollar
   • Update progress regularly

3. Visual Content:

   • High-quality images
   • Impact photos
   • Video content
   • Infographics

Donation Management

1. Quick Acknowledgment:

   • Send thank you emails
   • Provide receipts
   • Show appreciation
   • Update progress

2. Transparency:

   • Show how funds used
   • Regular updates
   • Financial reports
   • Impact reports

3. Donor Recognition:

   • Thank donors publicly (if allowed)
   • Donor wall (optional)
   • Special recognition for large donors
   • Regular communication

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Troubleshooting

Cause Not Displaying

Solutions:

1. Check status (must be Published)
2. Verify category is published
3. Clear cache
4. Check frontend settings

Donations Not Processing

Solutions:

1. Verify payment gateway configured
2. Check payment gateway credentials
3. Test payment processing
4. Review payment logs

Progress Not Updating

Solutions:

1. Verify donations are recorded
2. Check calculation settings
3. Clear cache
4. Manually refresh progress

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Related Documentation

• Payment Gateways
• Email Settings
• Products Module

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Last Updated: [Date will be updated during final review]