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Using the setup checklist

In short: The setup checklist is a guided "Setup Journey" that walks a new workspace through its first tasks: upload your logo, create a project, add a donor, record a donation, generate a certificate, and explore reports. Until the five required steps are done, your dashboard address (/) shows this checklist instead of the normal dashboard.

Overview

The checklist gets a new workspace up and running by linking straight to the page for each first task, with a progress bar that fills as you go. It's at the /checklist address, and ActiveDonor sends you here automatically after onboarding whenever the required setup tasks aren't all complete. You can work through the steps in order or jump to whichever you like.

Before you start

You'll need:

  • The onboarding wizard completed first — see Completing the onboarding wizard. After that, ActiveDonor routes you to the checklist automatically.

📌 Note: Your workspace ships with one default project and one placeholder donor. That's why the project and donor steps only count as complete once you have more than one of each — you have to add a genuinely new record.

The six steps

The checklist shows your organisation name and "Welcome to ActiveDonor! 🎉", a progress indicator ("Setup Progress" with an X/5 count), and a timeline of steps. The first five are required; the sixth is optional.

  1. Upload your logo (required, ~2 mins) — Add your logo and organisation details so receipts and certificates look professional. Links to Settings (the "Add Logo & Details" action). Counts as complete once your charity has both a logo and a name on file.
  2. Create Your First Project (required, ~1 min) — Projects organise donations by cause (for example "Building Fund"). Links to the create-project form. Complete once you have more than one project.
  3. Add Your First Supporter (required, ~2 mins) — Start your donor database. Links to the add-donor form. Complete once you have more than one donor.
  4. Record Your First Donation (required, ~1 min) — Enter a donation (even a small test amount) to create your first receipt. Links to the create-receipt form. Complete once at least one receipt exists.
  5. Generate Tax Certificate (required, ~1 min) — If you're registered with SARS, ActiveDonor creates Section 18A certificates for eligible donations. Links to the certificates page. Complete once at least one certificate exists.
  6. Discover Your Insights (optional) — Explore the reports that reveal donor patterns and growth. Links to Reports. Marked complete once you've visited the Reports section in this session.

How progress and completion work

  • The progress bar and the X/5 counter track only the five required steps. The optional reports step doesn't count toward the bar.
  • 🟢 Completed steps show a green tick and "Complete!"; ⏳ incomplete steps show a numbered circle and a "Click to …" prompt.
  • Encouragement messages appear as you progress ("Nice start! Keep going!", "Great progress! You're almost there!", and at 100% "All essential steps complete! 🎊").
  • When all five required steps are done, a "🎉 Congratulations!" panel appears with a View Your Dashboard button, and ActiveDonor automatically marks your checklist as completed. From then on, the dashboard address shows the normal dashboard rather than the checklist.

ActiveDonor can also detect a completed setup automatically: if your workspace already has donors, receipts, a project, a certificate and a logo, the checklist is treated as done even if you never clicked through it.

Getting help while you set up

The checklist's left panel includes a "Need help?" note: use the chat button in the bottom-right corner of the screen, or email help@activedonor.com. For all the support options, see Getting help and training.

Common issues & solutions

What you see What it means How to fix it
A step still shows incomplete after you did it. Each step has a specific completion test — the project and donor steps need more than one record because the workspace ships with a default. Make sure you added a genuinely new record, then refresh the page to re-check.
You want to return to the checklist after it's complete. Once complete, the dashboard address shows the normal dashboard. The checklist only reappears if your setup becomes incomplete again.
The certificate step won't complete. No certificate exists yet, or the donation isn't on a Section 18A project. Issue a certificate — see Issuing a single Section 18A certificate.

FAQ

Why does a step say incomplete even though I did it? Each step has a precise test. The project step needs more than one project and the donor step more than one donor, because your workspace starts with a default of each. Add a new record and refresh.

Do I have to do the steps in order? No — each step links straight to its page, so you can jump around. Only the five required steps count toward the progress bar.

Is the reports step required? No. "Discover Your Insights" is optional and doesn't affect the X/5 progress. It's marked complete once you visit Reports in your session.

How do I get back to the checklist after finishing it? You generally can't — once complete, / shows the normal dashboard. It only returns if your setup becomes incomplete again.

What this does not do

  • It does not block you from using ActiveDonor features — it just occupies the dashboard address until the required steps are done.
  • The optional reports step does not affect completion or the progress bar.
  • It does not require a certificate if you have no SARS-eligible donations — but the step only ticks once at least one certificate exists.
  • Completing the onboarding wizard
  • Understanding your dashboard
  • Organisation settings
  • Managing projects
  • Adding a donor (types and required fields)
  • Creating a receipt
  • Section 18A certificates explained
  • Issuing a single Section 18A certificate
  • Getting help and training

Need a hand?

If a step won't tick over even after adding the record and refreshing, contact ActiveDonor support and tell them which step is stuck.