Custom Fields in DonorDock
Custom fields allow your organization to collect and store additional information that is specific to your workflows. These fields help you track data beyond the standard DonorDock fields and can be used to capture information about contacts, gifts, or signup form responses.
DonorDock currently supports four types of custom fields, each designed for a specific type of data:
Contact Custom Fields – store additional information directly on contact records
Gift Custom Fields – capture additional details about individual gifts
Activity Custom Fields – capture additional details about individual activities
Form Response Custom Fields – collect information from signup forms without storing it directly on the contact record
Each type of custom field uses the same field formats and allows your organization to collect structured data in a way that fits your processes.
Types of Custom Fields
Contact Custom Fields
Contact custom fields allow you to store additional information directly on a contact record. These fields are useful for tracking details that may not exist in the standard DonorDock contact fields.
Examples may include:
Volunteer interests
Communication preferences
Program participation
Internal segmentation data
Responses to contact custom fields appear on the contact record, toward the bottom of the contact overview when selecting Show More.
Contact custom fields may also be used in:
Signup forms
Giving pages
Contact and gift imports
Reports and column filters
Gift Custom Fields
Gift custom fields allow you to store additional information about a specific gift. This is helpful when you need to capture gift-level details that are not part of the standard gift fields.
Examples may include:
Event table assignment
Auction item information
Sponsorship benefits
Payment references or internal tracking codes
Responses to gift custom fields are stored on the gift record itself. When viewing a gift, custom field responses appear on the left side of the gift panel near the Payment Note field.
Activity Custom Fields
Activity custom fields allow you to capture additional information related to interactions and actions with your contacts. These fields are useful when you want to track consistent details across activities that are not included in the standard activity fields.
Examples of activity custom fields include:
Follow-up category or outcome
Volunteer shift type
Internal tracking information for outreach efforts
Responses to activity custom fields are stored directly on the activity record and can be viewed when the activity details are opened. These fields can also be used to filter and report in activity reports.
Form Response Custom Fields
Form response custom fields are designed specifically for Signup Forms. These fields allow you to collect additional information through a form submission without permanently storing that data on the contact record.
Examples may include:
Event dietary restrictions
Volunteer availability
Shirt size for an event
One-time survey questions
Responses to form response custom fields appear on a Signup Form Response card.
You can view these responses:
On the Signup Form Response Report for that form
On the contact record, where the response card appears on the right side beneath the activity timeline
Field Types Available
All custom field types use the same set of field formats. When creating a custom field, you may choose from the following options:
Text – accepts letters and numbers
Number – accepts numeric values only
Checkbox – a true/false toggle
Date – accepts a date in MM/DD/YYYY format
Select – a dropdown where one option can be selected
Multiselect – a dropdown where multiple options can be selected
Access the Custom Fields Settings Page
DonorDock provides a centralized settings page where you can manage all custom field types.
Steps to Access Custom Fields
Open the Settings Menu
Click the grid icon in the top right corner of DonorDock.Select Settings
This will open your organization settings page.Go to Custom Fields
In the category options on the right, click Custom Fields.Choose the field type you want to manage
On the Custom Fields page, you will see the available field types:Contact Custom Fields
Gift Custom Fields
Activity Custom Fields
Signup Form Custom Fields
Click Manage
Select Manage next to the field type you want to view, create, or update.
Creating a New Custom Field
To create a new custom field in any custom field area:
Click the + New Custom Field button
Select the field type
Enter a label for the field
Optionally add a description
Choose whether the field should be required
Click Save
Once saved, the field becomes available for the appropriate record type.
Archiving Custom Fields
If a custom field is no longer needed but you want to keep the historical data, you can archive the field.
Archiving removes the field from active use while preserving the data already stored on records.
To archive a custom field:
Navigate to the Custom Fields setup page
Click the name of the custom field
Toggle Archive to On
Click Save
When archived:
The field will no longer appear in forms, templates, or reports
The field will not count toward your active custom field limit
Existing data will remain saved on records and can be restored if the field is reactivated
Otto Tips
🧭 Choose the right field type for the job: Contact custom fields are best for long-term donor information. Gift custom fields track details about a specific transaction, Activity custom fields allow additional activity information, and form response fields are ideal for one-time information collected through signup forms.
📋 Keep contact fields focused on long-term data: If information only matters for a single event or form submission (like meal preference or shirt size), consider using Form Response Custom Fields or Badges or Marketing lists instead of storing it permanently on the contact record.
