Forms created in Donor Management allow you to collect information from any users on the web, but if you don't know what fields to use when building those forms, things might seem a little confusing - or worse, might not track the information in the way that you intended.

This article will walk you through some of our most-used fields, what they do, and what they look like on the actual form.
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The "textbox" field is the most common field used within our forms. In most cases, this field is for shorter, text-based responses such as "First Name," "Last Name," or "Full Name" - essentially, any open-ended question requiring a brief response.

The replies will be "custom" text, meaning that the person filling out the form can write in anything and submit their replies.

The "textarea" field is used to add longer comments or notes to a form. For example, if a donor wants to write a testimonial for your organization, or if you'd like for them to submit their story for use in a future campaign, you can use the "textarea" field to provide them with enough space to do so.

The "email address" field is specifically designed for a contact's email address - that's because this field can also be used for other purposes in Donor Management, but only if the field contains a valid email address.

For example, you can use the "email address" field in a mailing list form to automatically add new contacts to Donor Management - you can learn more about that process here.

The "select" field generates a drop-down list, and can be used to offer multiple options at once to a contact - who will, in turn, select one option. This field takes up less space on a form than some of the other fields, and will also allow the person filling out the form to "un-select" their choice, if necessary.

The "checkboxes" field is an option that allows you to offer multiple options within your form and have the person filling it out select more than one option. Contacts are able to select and "un-select" any of the available choices, and also have the option to leave all of the options unchecked (as long as the field isn't set as a "required" field).

As an example, many organizations use "checkboxes" for questions or statements that include a "select all that apply" component.
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The "radio buttons" field is very similar to the "select" field, in that it allows a contact to make a single choice from an available list. However, "radio buttons" display all of the options as a full list, instead of in a drop-down format.

Once a radio button has been selected, all of the other buttons will become "un-selected." The person filling out the form won't be able to "un-select" the option that they selected unless they re-load the form - regardless if the "radio buttons" field was set as a required field or not.

The "file" field allows the person filling out your form to upload a file or attachment and send it along with their completed form. For example, a contact might want to include a photo of themselves that goes along with a story that they've shared.

The "number" field is designed for you to collect a numerical answer, such as how many guests someone may be bringing to an event, or how many copies of a booklet a household might need.