Why this plugin exists
Donor Merchant started with a simple observation from years of building WordPress sites for small organizations: the moment a nonprofit wanted monthly donors — the single most valuable thing in their fundraising — their free donation plugin presented a paywall measured in hundreds of dollars a year.
That always felt backwards. Recurring giving isn't an enterprise luxury; it's the foundation of sustainable fundraising for exactly the organizations least able to pay for software.
So Donor Merchant takes a position: the fundraising basics are free. One-time and recurring gifts, fee recovery, tributes, donor records, receipts, reports — in the box, GPL-licensed, no platform fees. Paid plans will exist for organizations that want hands-on support and advanced tooling, but the free plugin is the product, not the demo.
Principles we build by
- Your donors are yours. Records live in your database; exports are one click; nothing is held hostage.
- Security is not a feature tier. Card data never touches your server, totals are verified server-side, webhooks are signed — for everyone, free.
- Lightweight is a feature. One plugin, no add-on maze, no dashboard ads.
- Honest marketing. Comparisons cite published pricing with dates. If a competitor fits you better, our comparison pages say so.
Who's behind it
Donor Merchant is built by Matt McWilliam, a web developer who has spent years building and maintaining WordPress sites for small businesses and nonprofits — the kind of organizations this plugin is for.
Get in touch — questions, feedback, and rough edges all welcome.