❖ Heads up! This article is only intended for Amplify & Center Site Managers. Sustain sites do not have the custom forms feature.
With Custom Forms, you can collect information from visitors to your site. You can also collect information from volunteers with custom questions. But there are other ways you can use forms to your advantage.
For example, you could use Custom Forms to add a Contact Us Page, gather consent to updated terms and conditions, or get feedback on the Agencies or Programs featured on your site.
After you create your Custom Forms, volunteers can start submitting their responses! You select the email address the responses are sent to when you create the Custom Form.
ℹ️ So you know: Some sites have language overrides. This means you may see Needs instead of Opportunities, Agencies instead of Programs, or Prerequisites instead of Qualifications. You may also see menu options that differ from those in the examples since all sites are set up differently.
Getting Started
Before you create a Custom Form, be sure to create a Custom Page for it. This is the Form Landing Page—which you must select when creating the Custom Form. The landing page is where the volunteer submits the form. You will have to go back to your Custom Pages and add the Custom Form for it to be live on your site.
After you've created the landing page for the form, you can get started creating the form itself:
Go to Content > Custom Forms.
Click Add New Form.
Give the Custom Form a name.
Add the email you want your form responses sent to in the Email Recipient field.
Select the Form Landing Page with the dropdown.
Click Submit Form.
Now, you can start building the form out by clicking Add Element.
Select the Element Type with the Select Type dropdown.
Different fields appear for you to complete depending on the element you select.
Type | Description |
Copy | This appears at the top of the form and can be used as an introduction.
You can use the text editor to personalize your Copy text. |
Header | This is a larger font than the Copy text. |
Text | This is for single-line text answers to open-ended questions.
The default width for a Text element is 225px, but it can be changed. |
Textarea | This is for multi-line text answers to open-ended questions.
The default for a Textarea element is 260px x 45px, but it can be changed. |
Select | Use this option if you want a user to select one option from a list of possible answers. |
Multi-select | Use this option if you want a user to select multiple options from a list of possible answers. |
Check | Use this option to create an item that can be answered by marking or clearing a checkbox. |
Hidden | When someone submits a form, an email is sent to the site manager.
The information here is shown in the body of that email. |
Captcha | Use this element if you want users to prove they aren't robots before submitting a completed form. |
Let's Set Up a Form Element Together!
Click Add Element.
Select Multi-select for the Element Type.
Enter a Field Name (this won't appear on the front end to users).
Enter a Display Name (this does appear on the front end to users). This is typically the question you want to ask.
Leave the Default Value field blank.
Enter the answers you wish for them to select from in the Key and Value fields and click Add.
If you want to move them around, just click the answer and click Up or Down. You can also delete them if you've made an error or change your mind about the answer options. Just highlight the one you wish to delete and click Delete.
Check the box beside Required if you want to require users to answer this question.
Click Submit Entry when finished.
Here's what it looks like on the form to the user:
How to Assign a Custom Form to a Custom Page
Once you've created your Custom Form, you can assign it to a Custom Page. To do this, you must edit an existing Custom Page.
Go to Content > Custom Pages.
Select the Page Name you wish to assign the Custom Form to.
Click More Options.
Use the Page Form dropdown to select the Custom Form you wish to assign to that page.
Be sure to click Submit Page to save your changes!
The Volunteer Perspective
When a volunteer visits the page that you've assigned the form to, they see this:
