Set up redirects for old donation pages

Archived campaign redirects

The Redirects setting applies to archived campaigns for 18 months after they are archived. After that, the redirect no longer applies, and links return a page-not-found error. A campaign that is disabled but not archived keeps its redirect for as long as it stays disabled.

Set up redirects in Apache

You can configure redirects in an Apache server configuration or, if your host allows it, an .htaccess file. The following examples use mod_alias; .htaccess rules require the appropriate override permissions.

1. Locate the configuration or .htaccess file that applies to the old URL.
2. Add a rule for the path you want to redirect.
3. Validate the configuration and apply it using your hosting provider’s instructions.

For example, this rule redirects only /old-page and /old-page/ to the specified destination:

1RedirectMatch 301 "^/old-page/?$" "https://example.com/new-page/"

To redirect a directory and its descendants, you can use a prefix rule:

1Redirect 301 "/old-category/" "https://example.com/new-category/"

Apache appends the remaining path to the destination. Choose a destination that does not match the source rule, or the redirect may loop. Check trailing slashes and test every intended path.

Read the Apache redirect documentation →

Set up redirects in Nginx

Locate the active Nginx configuration for the old site. Its location depends on your hosting environment. Add a rule to the appropriate existing server block, validate the configuration, and reload Nginx using your hosting provider’s instructions.

For example, this location redirects the exact path /old-page:

1location = /old-page {
2    return 301 https://example.com/new-page;
3}

For a domain-wide move, an appropriately configured server block for the old domain can use the following directive to retain the path and query string:

1return 301 https://new.example.com$request_uri;

Apply a domain-wide rule only to the old domain. It affects all matching requests and requires a destination that does not redirect back to the old domain.

Read the NGINX redirect guidance →

Set up redirects in Windows Server

For websites using Internet Information Services (IIS), install the HTTP Redirection role service if it is not already available. Configure the redirect in IIS Manager or the applicable web.config file.

For example, to configure a redirect for old-page, place this location element directly inside the existing configuration element in the site’s web.config file:

1<location path="old-page">
2  <system.webServer>
3    <httpRedirect enabled="true" destination="https://example.com/new-page/" exactDestination="true" httpResponseStatus="Permanent" />
4  </system.webServer>
5</location>

For a site-wide redirect, add or update httpRedirect inside the site’s existing system.webServer element:

1<httpRedirect enabled="true" destination="https://new.example.com/" exactDestination="true" httpResponseStatus="Permanent" />

The site-wide example sends requests to the exact destination. Check the scope and destination before applying it: IIS settings can be inherited by child paths. Use httpResponseStatus="Permanent" to return 301; the default is 302.

Read the IIS HTTP Redirect documentation →

Set up redirects in WordPress

For WordPress websites, the Redirection plugin lets you create 301 redirects without needing FTP access to your web server. The old URL must be handled by the WordPress site for the plugin to apply the redirect.

Verify redirects

After applying the rules, check each old URL:

1. Confirm that the old URL returns an HTTP 301 response and that the Location header contains the intended destination.
2. Follow the redirect and confirm that the destination loads and does not redirect back to the old URL.
3. Test any relevant paths, trailing-slash variants, and query parameters. Check that unrelated pages still work.

If a redirect fails or loops, restore the previous configuration and review the rule with your website administrator or hosting provider.