Automatically fill Virtual Terminal fields
Use URL parameters with Virtual Terminal to simplify data entry and reduce errors.
When your team opens Virtual Terminal, they see a blank form. They select a campaign, enter supporter details, and fill in any other required fields for each donation. During high-volume events like telethons or phone campaigns where most donations share common attributes, this repetitive data entry takes time and creates opportunities for errors.
URL parameters let you prefill Virtual Terminal fields automatically. You can create a link that opens Virtual Terminal with specific information already entered — the campaign selected, a designation chosen, or tracking codes filled in. Your operators can focus on collecting supporter information and payment details instead of selecting the same options for every donation.
When to use URL parameters
URL parameters work well when your operators process many donations with similar attributes. Consider using them when you're:
- Running a TV or radio campaign where every donation should go to a specific fund.
- Processing phone donations during an event where all donations support the same cause.
- Working with a corporate partner who requires tracking codes for donations through their program.
- Training new operators who need to practice with consistent example data.
- Managing multiple teams where each team handles donations for different campaigns.
How to add parameters to the link
Virtual Terminal is accessed through your Dashboard at this address:
When a logged-in user clicks this link, Virtual Terminal opens with empty fields.
To make Virtual Terminal open with information already filled in, you need to add URL parameters to the link. Parameters are instructions added to the end of a web address that tell the system what information to display. They work the same way as adding parameters to donation links.
Here's what a link looks like with a parameter added:
The part after the ? is the parameter. This one tells Virtual Terminal to select campaign FUNXXXXXXXX. When your team clicks this link, they'll see that campaign already selected in the Campaign section, in the Name dropdown.
Adding multiple parameters
You can include multiple parameters in one link. Follow these formatting rules:
- Start the first parameter with a
?. - Separate additional parameters with
&. - Replace spaces with
%20(standard URL formatting).
Here's an example with multiple parameters:
This link opens Virtual Terminal with:
- Campaign FUNXXXXXXXX selected in the Name dropdown.
- Designation EXXXXXXX shown in the Designation dropdown.
- The value "ACME123" entered in a custom field called "partnerId."
Available parameters
Virtual Terminal URL parameters are case-sensitive: campaignId works but CampaignId doesn't. The order of parameters does not matter.
| Parameter | What it does | Example |
|---|---|---|
campaignId | Selects a specific campaign in Name dropdown of the Campaign section. You'll need the campaign's unique ID, which you can find in your Dashboard by going to Campaigns and looking at the campaign details. | campaignId=FUNXXXXXXXX |
designationId | Fills in a specific designation. Find designation IDs in your Dashboard under Designations. The designation must belong to the campaign you select. If it’s not part of that campaign, it will not appear in the Virtual Terminal. | designationId=EXXXXXXX |
customField | Fills in a custom field that you've set up for your campaign. The field name must match exactly what you named it in your campaign settings. The format is customField=fieldName,value. You can enter up to 200 characters for the value. | customField=partnerId,ACME123customField=sourceCode,BIG321 |
fundraiseupLivemode | Opens Virtual Terminal in test mode so you can practice without processing real donations. Set this to no to enable test mode. This works the same way as testing regular donation forms. | fundraiseupLivemode=no |
disabled | Locks specific fields so your team can't change them. List the fields you want to lock, separated by commas. This prevents accidental changes during busy events. | disabled=campaignId,designationId,partnerId |
Locking fields
Sometimes you need to make sure your team doesn't accidentally change certain information. For example, during a telethon where every donation should go to your "Annual Fund" campaign, you don't want an operator to select the wrong campaign by mistake.
The disabled parameter locks fields so they can't be changed. Your operators will still see the information, but they won't be able to edit it.
You can lock:
- The campaign (use
campaignIdin the disabled parameter). - The designation (use
designationIdin the disabled parameter). - Any custom field (use the exact field name in the disabled parameter).
Putting it all together
Let's walk through a real example. Say you're running a telethon for your building fund, and you want to make sure:
- All donations go to your "Building Fund 2026" campaign.
- All donations are designated to "Construction" within that campaign.
- Each donation is tagged with your partner ID "ACME123" for tracking.
- Your operators can't accidentally change the campaign or designation.
You would create this link:
Let's break down what each part does:
campaignId=FUNXXXXXXXX— Selects your Building Fund 2026 campaign (where FUNXXXXXXXX is that campaign's ID).designationId=EXXXXXXX— Selects the "Construction" designation (where EXXXXXXX is that designation's ID).customField=partnerId,ACME123— Fills in "ACME123" in your partnerId custom field.disabled=campaignId,designationId— Locks both the campaign and designation so they can't be changed.
When your operators click this link and log in, they'll see:
- The campaign dropdown showing "Building Fund 2026" but grayed out (they can't change it).
- The designation field showing "Construction" and also grayed out.
- The partnerId field showing "ACME123" that they can change if needed.
They just need to enter the supporter's name, contact information, and payment details. Everything else is already set up.
Privacy considerations
Be careful about what information you put in these links. Anyone who can see the link can see the information in it.
Don't include personally identifiable information like names, email addresses, or phone numbers in your Virtual Terminal links. Focus on campaign IDs, designations, and tracking codes.
This follows the same privacy guidelines as regular donation forms. Fundraise Up doesn't automatically check what you put in these links, so you're responsible for making sure your links follow your organization's privacy policies.
Next steps
Before using URL parameters with Virtual Terminal:
- Review your Virtual Terminal configuration and make sure your campaigns and custom fields are set up correctly.
- Test your links in test mode by adding
fundraiseupLivemode=noto verify that fields prefill as expected. - Brief your team on which fields are locked and why, especially before high-volume events.
If you're planning a telethon or large-scale fundraising event, check out our practical guide for running successful events with Virtual Terminal.