6 Best Fundraising Thermometer Plugins I Recommend for WordPress

I helped a local animal shelter set up their first WordPress fundraising page last year.

They had the donation form set up correctly, and the PayPal button was live. But they wanted that classic fundraising thermometer showing progress toward their $5,000 goal.

“How hard could it be?” they asked.

Turns out, pretty confusing. Some fundraising plugins required coding, others wanted $300 upfront to automate it, while a few tools looked abandoned with no updates in years.

After testing WordPress donation options that actually work for beginners, I found 6 plugins worth your time.

Some handle everything from donations to display. Others just show the thermometer and let you handle payments your way.

In this guide, I’ll show you which fundraising thermometer fits your WordPress site.

Whether you’re running a church campaign, nonprofit drive, or personal cause, there’s a fundraising thermometer plugin here that’ll make setup simple. Let’s find the right one for your fundraising goals.

Key Takeaways

Before choosing a fundraising thermometer, here’s what you need to know:

• Some plugins handle both donations and progress tracking, while others just display the thermometer visual.
• Free versions exist that work perfectly for small campaigns. Paid upgrades matter only when you need advanced features.
• Automatic updates save time, but manual thermometers work fine if you don’t receive donations daily.
• Most beginner-friendly options require zero coding knowledge and install in under 10 minutes.
• Match your choice to your actual needs. Remember, simple campaigns shouldn’t use complex enterprise solutions.

Apart from that, if you want to skip directly to my list of the best donation goal meter plugins, use the table of contents below.

With that out of the way, let’s get into it.

How I Test Fundraising Thermometers for WordPress

I focus on what matters to beginners, not fancy enterprise features. This is what I look for in a good fundraising thermometer plugin.

• Set up simplicity comes first. Can you install the plugin and see a working thermometer in under 10 minutes?
• Visual customization matters because your thermometer should match your site colors and branding.
• Automatic updates save time. The best plugins track donations and update your progress bar without manual work.
• Mobile display is non-negotiable. Over half your donors will see your thermometer on phones.

I tested each plugin on a fresh WordPress site to see the real beginner experience.

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Unlike review sites that never actually use the products, we install every plugin, test real scenarios, and share what actually works for WordPress beginners.

Best Fundraising Thermometer Plugins for WordPress

If you’re in a hurry, here’s what I found: Charitable is best for beginners who want everything in one plugin. Formidable Forms is great for complex donation forms with calculations.

Donation Thermometer works great if you just need the visual display. And GiveWP dominates for nonprofits planning serious growth.

Check out my comparison table of the best donation goal meter plugins for a quick visual look.

Plugin	Free Version	Thermometer in Free?	Best For	Ease of Use	Starting Price
🥇 Charitable	✅	✅	All-in-one fundraising	Very Easy	From $69/year
🥈 Formidable Forms	✅	❌	Complex donation forms	Moderate	From $199.50/year
🥉 Donation Thermometer	✅	✅	Display-only needs	Very Easy	Free
4. GiveWP	✅	✅	Growing nonprofits	Easy	$149/year
5. Donorbox	✅	✅	Hosted platform solution	Easy	1.5% fee above $1k/mo
6. Ultimeter	✅	✅	Visual customization	Easy	$59.99/year

1. Charitable: Best Fundraising Thermometer for Beginners

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

10,000+ organizations | Best for: Complete beginners wanting all-in-one solution

I’ve recommended Charitable to three different clients this year, and all of them had working fundraising pages within an hour. That’s rare for WordPress plugins that do this much.

My Experience

Charitable became my go-to after watching a church administrator with zero tech skills launch a building fund campaign in 8 minutes.

The drag-and-drop campaign builder feels just like editing a WordPress post. You pick a template from the dozens available and organized by cause type, add your goal amount, and hit publish.

What impressed me most was the automatic updates. When someone donates through Stripe or PayPal, the thermometer fills up instantly. This increases your charity campaign trust and credibility.

There is no manual number crunching or spreadsheets. Most importantly, the progress bar appears automatically.

If you are a beginner and still testing things out, you don’t have to invest in Charitable right away.

The free version includes unlimited campaigns, donor management, and those visually beautiful progress bars. For a small nonprofit testing fundraising, that’s everything you need.

Plus, Charitable charges zero platform fees. You only pay standard Stripe or PayPal processing fees.

► Pros

• Pre-built templates get you started in minutes
• Progress bars update automatically with each donation
• Zero platform fees unlike GoFundMe or similar services

► Cons

• Recurring donations require a paid plan

My Verdict

If you’re new to WordPress fundraising and want one plugin that handles everything, start with Charitable. The free version works for most small campaigns. Upgrade only when you need recurring donations or peer-to-peer fundraising.

Check out my updated Charitable review for more details.

Pricing: Available on the free version. Pro from $69/year

Get Started with Charitable here

2. Formidable Forms: Best Fundraising Thermometer for Form Builder Users

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Powerful form builder | Best for: Complex donation forms

Formidable Forms takes a completely different approach. It’s an advanced form builder first, fundraising tool second. This allows you to build complex donation forms without code.

My Experience

I tested Formidable Forms’ Charity Tracker template after a client asked about adding fundraising to their existing setup.

The template includes two forms and three progress bar styles (classic thermometer, circular, and horizontal). The setup was straightforward if you already know Formidable’s interface.

The form customization exceeded what donation-specific plugins offer. For example, you get conditional logic, multi-step workflows, custom calculations, and more.

If you need a complex donation form with unusual requirements, Formidable Forms delivers.

But here’s the catch: donation forms in Formidable Forms require manual admin approval before they show on your thermometer. There’s no automatic real-time update out of the box.

► Pros

• Extreme form customization beyond standard donation plugins
• Works seamlessly if you already use Formidable Forms
• Three different thermometer display styles included

► Cons

• Expensive compared to other options
• Need Pro plan to access fundraising thermometer
• Manual donation approval required; no automatic updates
• Learning curve for fundraising-specific features

My Verdict

Formidable Forms is the perfect option if you want to build complex WordPress forms. The fundraising features work well when you need conditional logic, multi-step workflows, or custom calculations that standard donation plugins can’t handle.

Check out my Formidable Forms review. Also, compare WPForms and Formidable Forms, two of the most powerful form builders, to see which works best for you.

Pricing: Free plugin available. But requires Business plan at $199.50/year

Get started with Formidable Forms here

3. Donation Thermometer: Best Free Fundraising Thermometer Display

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Free & simple | Best for: Display-only needs

Donation Thermometer is built for only one thing, and it does it perfectly: show a beautiful thermometer. Nothing more, nothing less.

My Experience

I installed Donation Thermometer for a school PTA that already collected donations and payments through PayPal.

Setup took 3 minutes. Install the plugin, add the donation thermometer shortcode to any page, and you are done. The thermometer appeared instantly as crisp image graphics that looked sharp on every device.

What surprised me was the flexibility. You can show multiple donation categories in different colors within one thermometer.

Apart from that, you can set sub-target milestones and customize currency formatting. Plus, you can even pull values dynamically from WooCommerce or GiveWP if you’re comfortable with shortcodes.

The trade-off is manual updates. When donations come in, you update the “raised” number yourself. For small campaigns with occasional donations, that’s fine. For daily donation drives, it gets tedious.

► Pros

• Simplest setup of any thermometer plugin
• Clean image graphics that scale perfectly
• Zero cost with no hidden fees or upsells

► Cons

• Manual updates required (no automatic tracking)
• No built-in payment processing
• Requires shortcode knowledge for advanced features

My Verdict

Perfect if you already collect donations elsewhere and just need a visual thermometer. Due to its simplicity, it is perfect for small campaigns with manual updates.

Pricing: Completely free

Get started with Donation Thermometer here

4. GiveWP: Best Fundraising Thermometer for Nonprofits

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

100,000+ installations | Best for: Growing nonprofits

GiveWP is WordPress’s most popular donation plugin because it is easy to use and packed with practical charity features. Case in point, it has one of the simplest and powerful donation thermometer features.

My Experience

I tested GiveWP for a mid-sized nonprofit transitioning from Shopify to WordPress.

The visual form builder made creating donation forms straightforward with no coding required.

Apart from that, the Multi-Form Goal Block lets you show combined progress across multiple campaigns, perfect for homepage displays.

What sets GiveWP apart is scale.

It’s built to handle serious fundraising operations with a complete donor database, detailed campaign reporting, and over 15 payment gateways you users can choose from.

You can also set up recurring donations to ensure your users can support you continuously. But this requires the Plus plan.

The free version is also powerful and includes unlimited forms, donor management, and automatic progress bars.

But Stripe users pay a 2% platform fee on top of processing fees. That disappears with paid plans.

With so many options, beginners can feel overwhelmed initially, leading to a learning curve. I spent 20 minutes just exploring settings before creating my first form.

► Pros

• Most comprehensive features in any donation plugin
• Proven scale with $250 million raised
• Multi-form goal tracking for combined progress

► Cons

• 2% Stripe fee on free plan (waived with paid plans)
• Steeper learning curve than simpler alternatives
• Recurring donations only on the Plus plan or higher

My Verdict

Worth the complexity if you’re running a serious nonprofit with growth plans. The free version works great for getting started. Upgrade when you need recurring donations or advanced features.

Check out my GiveWP review for more details.

Pricing: Available on the free plan. Pro plans from $149/year

Get started with GiveWP here

5. Donorbox: Best Fundraising Thermometer with Built-In Platform

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

SaaS platform with built-in meter | Best for: Nonprofits wanting hosted solution

Donorbox takes a different approach. It’s a hosted fundraising platform that embeds into WordPress, not a traditional plugin.

My Experience

I tested Donorbox for a client who wanted everything managed outside their WordPress site.

The setup was refreshingly simple. All I had to do was create an account, build a campaign, set a goal, and embed the donation form.

After that, the goal meter displays automatically and updates in real-time as donations arrive.

What makes Donorbox unique is the separation. Your donation data lives on Donorbox’s secure servers, not your WordPress database.

For nonprofits worried about PCI compliance and data security, that’s reassuring.

I love that the goal meter can be embedded separately from your donation form. As a result, you could show progress on your homepage while keeping the actual donation form on a dedicated page.

The interface feels more polished than most WordPress plugins. You get real-time analytics, donor management, and automated receipts all come standard.

The catch is the platform fee. After your first $1,000 in monthly donations, Donorbox charges 1.5% on top of standard payment processing fees. For growing campaigns, those fees add up.

► Pros

• Real-time automatic updates with no manual work
• Secure hosted platform handles PCI compliance
• Separate meter embedding for flexible display

► Cons

• 1.5% platform fee above $1,000/month donations
• Not WordPress-native; requires external account
• Less customization than dedicated WordPress plugins

My Verdict

Choose Donorbox if you want a professionally managed platform that works with WordPress, not inside it.

Pricing: Free up to $1,000/month; 1.5% platform fee above that

Get started with Donorbox here

6. Ultimeter: Best Fundraising Thermometer for Visual Customization

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Visual customization champion | Best for: Design-focused campaigns

Ultimeter offers the most diverse visual options for progress displays. If design matters to your charity campaign, this plugin delivers.

My Experience

I tested Ultimeter for a nonprofit rebrand project where matching their visual identity was critical.

The free version includes horizontal progress bars and vertical thermometers. On top of that, the Pro plan adds radial meters, flip counters, inline meters, and custom image uploads as meter shapes.

What stood out was the milestones feature. You can mark achievements within your thermometer like “Foundation complete” or “Halfway there.”

Plus, you can trigger celebration confetti animations when you hit goals.

Ultimeter connects directly with GiveWP, Charitable, Gravity Forms, and WooCommerce. This means automatic updates when donations arrive through those plugins with no manual number entry.

Like Donation Thermometer, Ultimeter displays progress only. It doesn’t collect donations, so you need Charitable, GiveWP, or another payment solution alongside it.

On top of that, the interface takes some exploration since it has so many settings to navigate. But once configured, the visual results exceed basic progress bars.

► Pros

• Most visual styles and customization options
• Milestone markers and celebration animations
• Automatic integration with major donation plugins

► Cons

• No payment processing; display progress bars only
• Best features require the Pro plan
• More complex setup than simpler alternatives

My Verdict

Choose Ultimeter when visual polish matters and you’re already using a compatible donation plugin. The integrations with GiveWP or Charitable create a powerful combination for design-focused campaigns.

Pricing: Available on the free version. Pro from $59.99/year

Get Started with Ultimeter

That wraps up my list of dedicated fundraising thermometer plugins. But some popular donation tools take different approaches to showing campaign progress.

Bonus: Other Donation Plugins with Progress Displays

These plugins handle donations well, but approach fundraising thermometers differently than the main six options above. Here’s how three major plugins handle visual goal tracking.

WPForms

WPForms takes a different approach to how it visualizes donation campaigns. It tracks form completion, not campaign goals.

When donors fill out a multi-page donation form, the progress bar at the top shows how many steps remain. You can choose from horizontal bars, circular indicators, or connector lines.

This visual guide reduces form abandonment by showing donors they’re almost done.

It’s on this list because WPForms excels at collecting donations and payments through PayPal, Stripe, and Square integration.

Plus, the AI form builder creates donation forms quickly, so that you can spend time on your actual charity campaign.

Get started with WPForms here.

WP Simple Pay

WP Simple Pay is the best Stripe payment plugin.

What makes it valuable for donations? Ready-made donor templates get you started quickly. The clean interface removes friction from the giving process.

It is simple: Once you set up your donation form, the donors see payment status icons showing transaction progress.

They can choose from pre-set donation amounts or enter custom values. The best part is they can complete checkout through 13+ payment methods, including Apple Pay and Google Pay.

It’s on this list because WP Simple Pay handles recurring donations smoothly, making it perfect for monthly giving programs.

Get started with WP Simple Pay here.

WooCommerce Donation Plugin

WooCommerce donation plugin takes an eCommerce approach by treating donations as products in your existing store.

The visual advantage comes from the familiar shopping cart experience. Donors see suggested amounts, add donations to their cart, and watch their contribution appear during checkout.

Get started with WooCommerce Donation Plugin here.

How to Choose the Right Fundraising Thermometer

The best plugin depends on what you already have and what you need. Let me help you narrow down your best options.

• Need everything in one plugin? Choose Charitable. It handles donation forms, payment processing, and automatic thermometer updates. The free version works great for most small campaigns.
• Already collecting donations elsewhere? Go with Donation Thermometer. It’s free, displays beautiful progress bars, and takes 3 minutes to set up. Perfect if you’re using PayPal buttons or another payment method.
• Running a serious nonprofit with growth plans? GiveWP offers the most comprehensive features. Donor management, detailed reporting, and proven scale. Worth the learning curve if fundraising is central to your mission.
• Need complex donation forms? Use Formidable Forms to create forms with calculators, engaging surveys, conditional logic, and more. Add fundraising through Formidable Forms’ Charity Tracker template.
• Want a hosted platform instead of WordPress management? Donorbox handles everything externally. Real-time updates, secure payment processing, and professional analytics.
• Need maximum visual customization? Ultimeter provides the most design options. Pair it with Charitable or GiveWP for automatic donation tracking plus beautiful displays.

I always recommend starting with free versions first, which is why I have added fundraising thermometer plugins that offer that.

Then, upgrade only when you grow and need more features like recurring donations or peer-to-peer campaigns.

FAQs: Best Donation Goal Meter Plugins

Final Verdict: Should I Use a Fundraising Thermometer?

Yes, and here’s why it matters.

Fundraising thermometers work because they tap into social proof. When people see progress toward a goal, they’re more likely to donate.

Studies show campaigns with visible progress raise 40% more than those without. The visual element creates urgency. As a result, donors want to help you reach that finish line.

For WordPress sites, adding a thermometer takes minutes with the right plugin.

The key is matching your choice to your actual needs. Simple campaigns need simple tools. On the other hand, growing nonprofits benefit from comprehensive platforms.

Start today. Pick the plugin that fits your current situation, set your goal, and watch your progress grow. Your cause deserves the visibility and momentum a fundraising thermometer provides.

Related Resources for Fundraising and Nonprofit Sites

Building a fundraising thermometer is just the start. A complete fundraising website needs the right theme, plugins, and features working together.

Want to improve your fundraising website? Check out these helpful guides:

• Best WordPress Themes for Nonprofits and Charity Websites – Find the perfect theme for your nonprofit organization
• Top Crowdfunding WordPress Themes – Beautiful themes designed specifically for crowdfunding campaigns
• Best WordPress Crowdfunding Plugins – Powerful plugins to run complete crowdfunding campaigns
• How to Let Users Submit Calendar Events in WordPress – Allow your community to add fundraising events to your calendar
• How to Offer Sermons Online for Churches – Share your church’s message and accept donations online

Thanks for reading! I’d love to hear your thoughts, so please feel free to leave a comment with any questions and feedback.

Now go ahead and choose the fundraising thermometer that fits your needs. Your cause deserves the support, and the right plugin makes it easier for donors to help you reach your goals.