Additional donations on event forms
Additional donations let supporters contribute extra money when they purchase tickets or register for an event. This article explains how additional donations work and what to expect when someone makes only a donation on an event form.
What is an additional donation?
An additional donation is an optional extra amount a supporter can add during checkout. It's separate from ticket purchases and appears after the ticket selection step on event forms.
Enable additional donations in your form editor:
Go to the Additional donation section in your form editor.
Check the box to enable donations below your ticket types.
Supporters can then enter a custom donation amount during checkout.
Additional donation vs. ticket purchase
When a supporter completes checkout on your event form, they may:
Purchase tickets only — they select ticket quantities and pay the ticket price.
Purchase tickets with an additional donation — they buy tickets and add an extra donation amount.
Make only an additional donation — they contribute a donation without purchasing any tickets.
Donation-only submissions
If someone makes only an additional donation (no tickets selected), they are not purchasing tickets for your event. Their donation supports your organization, but it does not include event attendance.
Supporters who donate without buying tickets will not receive event tickets or e-tickets. Their confirmation reflects a donation, not a ticket purchase.
What happens when ticket sales are closed?
If your event form has a close date or you've manually closed sales, ticket purchases are no longer available. However, additional donations may still be accepted if the form remains accessible.
This can cause confusion:
For donors: The confirmation experience may look similar to a ticket purchase, including language about viewing tickets.
For your organization: A donation may appear as a "purchase" in notifications, making it seem like someone paid less than the ticket price.
How to avoid confusion
If you only want to accept ticket purchases (no donations) after sales close:
Disable the additional donation option in your form editor before closing sales.
Or close the form entirely if you don't want any further submissions.
See Set a close date for your sales to learn about closing sales automatically or manually.
Confirmation emails
When someone makes an additional donation:
They receive a confirmation email and tax receipt for their donation.
If they also purchased tickets, they receive ticket confirmation along with their donation receipt.
If they made only a donation (no tickets), they do not receive tickets or e-ticket links.