Connecting ActBlue to your Electbase site

The short version: every ActBlue campaign gets a hosted contribution page with its own link. Your Electbase site connects to it with a donate button. If you're a federal campaign (or a 501(c)(3)/(c)(4) organization), you can additionally embed an ActBlue form directly on your page. Either way, the money goes straight from your donor to ActBlue to your committee — Electbase never touches it.

The one rule to know first

ActBlue's embedded forms and buttons — the kind that let a donor give without leaving your website — are available only to federal campaigns and 501(c)(3)/(c)(4) organizations. That's ActBlue's rule, not ours.

If you're running for state or local office, your site uses a donate button that links to your hosted ActBlue form. And that is not a downgrade. The hosted page is the standard pattern across the Democratic ecosystem: it's the page donors already recognize, it's where ActBlue's saved-payment express lane lives, and it's fully mobile-optimized. Most donors who click "Donate" on a campaign site expect to land on an ActBlue page — because that's how nearly every state and local Democratic campaign does it.

Finding your ActBlue link

Your hosted contribution form has a URL that looks like secure.actblue.com/donate/your-form-name. You'll find it in your ActBlue dashboard, where you can also create multiple forms (a main donate page, a form for a specific ask, a form for an event) — each with its own link. Grab the URL for the form you want your site's donate button to point to.

Connecting it in Electbase

In the editor, open the Campaign details panel, choose ActBlue as your processor, and paste your hosted form URL — your donate section updates on the next publish. Federal campaigns and c3/c4 organizations also get the embedded-form option; state and local campaigns get the donate-button setup, because that's what ActBlue permits (Electbase checks this at connect time and again at publish, so you can't end up embedded somewhere ActBlue doesn't allow).

If you're eligible to embed

A few things worth knowing about embedded ActBlue forms:

Your page still needs your "Paid for by" disclaimer. The embed handles the payment; the disclaimer on the surrounding page is your responsibility, and Electbase places it for you by default.

Getting donation data back into Electbase

ActBlue can send donation records back to your Electbase supporter list automatically, via what ActBlue calls vendor webhooks. Two things to know:

• It requires per-campaign approval from ActBlue. The request is initiated from your ActBlue dashboard, and ActBlue's review typically takes about 5 business days. This is a one-time setup per campaign.
• Until it's approved (or if you skip it), your donation data still lives in your ActBlue dashboard, where you can export it anytime. The webhook just saves you the manual step.

Your webhook status lives on the Connections page (top navigation) — the ActBlue card shows whether donation data is flowing and walks you through requesting the webhook from ActBlue support, including the exact URL to give them.

Quick checklist

1. Confirm your committee is set up on ActBlue (Democrats and progressive organizations; note ActBlue isn't available in Connecticut).
2. Copy your hosted form URL from the ActBlue dashboard.
3. Connect it in Electbase: Campaign details in the editor for the donate section, the Connections page for the data webhook.
4. Verify your "Paid for by" disclaimer appears on the donate page — Electbase does this by default, but look at the live page anyway.
5. Optional: request the data sync from your ActBlue dashboard and allow ~5 business days.

Not sure ActBlue is the right processor for your race? Start with Which donation processor is right for your race?