We’re excited to share another successful web development project here at Total WP Support! This one was a unique collaboration with a local nonprofit organization—the Terwillegar Trail Run, an annual event that brings together runners and nature lovers in Alberta. While their main site is built on Squarespace, we were brought in to create a custom WordPress solution to help them handle event registration and payments more effectively. And the result? A sleek, user-friendly payment portal built by our WooCommerce experts.
About the Terwillegar Trail Run
The Terwillegar Trail Run is a nonprofit community event that celebrates fitness, local trails, and the beauty of Edmonton’s river valley. The race brings together all kinds of participants—from competitive runners to casual joggers and families. Organized by volunteers and supported by generous sponsors, the event promotes outdoor activity and helps raise funds for local causes. Their main website, which provides event details, sponsor information, and trail maps, is hosted on Squarespace and is available at terwillegartrailrun.com.
While the existing Squarespace site does a great job of showcasing the event and providing important information, the platform presented some limitations when it came to collecting race registration payments.
The Challenge: Streamlining Payments Without Upgrading Squarespace
The event organizers needed a way to securely collect registration fees online. Ideally, this functionality would live on their existing Squarespace site, but the Squarespace plan they were on did not allow for advanced checkout and payment features without a costly upgrade. Rather than increase monthly costs for a once-a-year event, they reached out to Total WP Support for a flexible, affordable solution.
The Solution: Build a Payment System Using WordPress and WooCommerce
To work around the limitations of their existing platform, we proposed creating a separate, dedicated registration site on a subdomain—payment.terwillegartrailrun.com. This new site would be built on WordPress and hosted by Total WP Support, giving us full control over functionality and design. We used WooCommerce—the most popular eCommerce solution for WordPress—to power the cart and checkout experience.
Our team built out the checkout experience with additional fields for shirt size, gender and accepting the terms and conditions. We kept the design clean and minimal to match the branding of the main site, while ensuring the user experience was seamless for all visitors.
Using Square as the Payment Gateway
Since the Terwillegar Trail Run already used Square for in-person and mobile payments, we integrated the Square for WooCommerce payment gateway into the new site. This allowed us to keep everything consistent on the back end for their accounting and reporting needs, while providing users with a smooth and secure checkout process.
With Square as the payment processor, the organization didn’t have to open a new merchant account or learn new tools—they simply extended their existing system to their online store. It’s a great example of leveraging what’s already working while extending capabilities through open-source web tools like WordPress.
Why WordPress Was the Best Fit
In this case, WordPress provided the perfect combination of flexibility, cost savings, and scalability. Here’s why we recommended it:
- No platform upgrade fees: Unlike Squarespace, WordPress doesn’t charge extra for advanced eCommerce features.
- WooCommerce is free and powerful: With hundreds of extensions and full customization, we could tailor the checkout process to fit the event’s needs.
- Subdomain setup was seamless: Keeping registration on a dedicated subdomain kept the main site uncluttered while offering a focused payment experience.
- Integrates easily with Square: Since the nonprofit already used Square, WordPress made it easy to stay within that ecosystem.
- Mobile-ready and user-friendly: Participants can register and pay quickly on any device with a clean and responsive layout.
Ongoing Support and Maintenance
We’re proud to continue supporting the Terwillegar Trail Run team with regular maintenance, software updates, and performance optimization for the new WordPress registration site. Even though the site is seasonal, keeping it secure and up to date year-round ensures it’s ready to go the next time race day comes around. Our Essential WordPress Care Plan is the perfect fit for their needs.
Whether it’s adding new features, adjusting pricing, or ensuring a smooth registration flow, we’re always on hand to help.
Need a Flexible Web Solution Like This?
This project is a great example of how Total WP Support helps nonprofits and small organizations overcome platform limitations without breaking the bank. By using open-source tools like WordPress and WooCommerce, we create practical, scalable web solutions tailored to your specific needs.
If you’re facing challenges with your current site or want to add eCommerce features without a costly upgrade, reach out to us. We’re here to make web development simple, smart, and affordable—no matter what platform you’re starting from.
Visit totalwpsupport.com to learn more about our custom WordPress development services and see how we can help you next.