Adding a Donate button to a blog post or website page allows readers to easily contribute money to support your work. This can be a great way to generate revenue from your online content. In this comprehensive guide, we’ll walk through the full process of adding a Donate button using various platforms and plugins.
Why Add a Donate Button
There are a few key reasons you may want to add a Donate or Tip button to your site:
- Allow readers to directly support your work – If you create valuable content, some readers will be happy to contribute
- Generate revenue from your site outside of ads – Donations can provide income without distracting ads
- Fund special projects or incentives – You can raise funds for new initiatives or as a reward for hitting goals
- Provide an alternative to subscriptions – Some may prefer to give one-time tips instead of ongoing paid memberships
Essentially, adding donation options makes it easy for your biggest fans to contribute. Even small one-time tips can add up over time. And it gives readers a way to actively encourage your work.
Choosing a Donation Platform
There are a variety of platforms you can use to accept donations. Here are some of the top options to consider:
Buy Me a Coffee
Buy Me a Coffee is a popular donation platform designed specifically for creators. It’s easy to set up and add to your site.
Some key features include:
- Simple profile and donation page creation
- Tools to add buttons to your site, including WordPress plugins
- Customizable button designs and suggested contribution amounts
- Ability to offer perks for different contribution tiers
- Subscription options so fans can donate monthly
Patreon
Patreon is a subscription platform where fans can support creators with recurring monthly payments. You can also add one-time donation options.
Benefits of using Patreon include:
- Offers recurring income from patrons
- Lets you provide subscriber benefits and perks
- Apps and plugins available to add buttons/links
- Established platform with large community
PayPal
PayPal is a widely-used online payment platform. It allows you to add donation buttons and links tied to your PayPal account.
PayPal features:
- Secure, trusted payment processing
- Customizable buttons and transaction options
- Ability to accept one-time or recurring payments
- Widespread user adoption makes it convenient for donors
There are many other options as well, like Ko-fi, Stripe, Venmo, Cash App, and more. Consider which features and fee structures make the most sense for your goals.
How to Add a Buy Me a Coffee Button
Buy Me a Coffee has several options for easily adding a donation button to your website or blog posts. Here are the main methods:
1. Buy Me a Coffee WordPress Plugin
If your site runs on WordPress, you can use the official Buy Me a Coffee plugin. To install:
- Go to your WordPress dashboard and click “Plugins” > “Add New”
- Search for “Buy Me a Coffee”
- Install and activate the plugin
- Go to settings and connect your Buy Me a Coffee account
- Use the shortcode or widget to add buttons where you want them to appear
This seamlessly integrates donation options anywhere on your WordPress site.
2. Copy/paste the Buy Me a Coffee button code
You can also simply copy the HTML code for a Buy Me a Coffee button and paste it wherever you want the button to appear.
To get the code:
- Go to your Buy Me a Coffee profile
- Click “Add to site”
- Select your button style and customize
- Copy the HTML code
- Paste the code into your page source or post where you want the button
This is an easy option for adding a button to sites without a WordPress plugin.
3. Direct link to your Buy Me a Coffee page
You can also simply link directly to your public Buy Me a Coffee page for donations:
For example:
This will send readers to your profile when they click. They can then select a donation amount to contribute.
Adding a Patreon Donate Button
Patreon also offers various options for adding donation buttons and links to your website or posts.
Patreon WordPress Plugin
Like Buy Me a Coffee, Patreon offers an official WordPress plugin to integrate your page and buttons into any WordPress site.
To install:
- Go to your WordPress dashboard and click “Plugins” > “Add New”
- Search for “Patreon WordPress”
- Install and activate the Patreon plugin
- Connect your Patreon account
- Add buttons, posts, and widgets as desired
This gives you full control over placing Patreon content within WordPress.
Add Patreon buttons, images, and links
You can also manually add Patreon buttons, images, and links to any website page or blog post with some simple copy/pasting:
- Go to your Patreon page
- Under “Grow your membership” select “Promote”
- Choose elements to add like buttons, images, or text links
- Copy the HTML or links provided
- Paste into your page source or post editor
For example, you can easily add a Become a Patron button by copying the HTML code from Patreon.
Using PayPal Donate Buttons
PayPal also makes it simple to add customized donate buttons connected to your PayPal account. Here’s how:
Create a PayPal donation button
- Go to www.paypal.com and login to your PayPal account
- Click the “Tools” icon in the top menu
- Select “All Tools” then choose “Donate”
- Click “Create Donate button”
- Customize your button – amounts, text, color, etc.
- Select the donation type – one-time or recurring
- Grab the button code snippet to add to your website
Add PayPal button code
To actually add the button, copy the full HTML code that PayPal provides.
Then paste that code wherever you want the donate button to appear, like in your page source or WordPress post editor.
The code will instantly render the customized button you created.
Donation Button Best Practices
To maximize the impact of adding a donate button, keep these tips in mind:
- Provide value first – Don’t ask for donations from readers you haven’t provided value to yet.
- Suggest clear amounts – Give specific suggested contribution amounts like $5, $10, $20.
- Explain the impact – Share what reader donations will help you accomplish.
- Offer incentives – Consider special perks for recurring or higher contributions.
- Give options – Allow both one-time and recurring donations if possible.
- Use popups carefully – Donation popups can work but risk annoying some readers.
- Test different placements – Try buttons at the top, bottom, or in sidebars to see what converts best.
With the right strategy, adding a well-placed donate button can be a win-win for you and your audience!
Other Ways to Accept Direct Donations
In addition to dedicated donation platforms, there are other ways readers can send you tips and contributions directly:
Paid Memberships
Paid membership platforms like MemberPress for WordPress allow you to offer exclusive content or perks in exchange for ongoing subscriptions. Readers can support your work through monthly or annual payments to gain access.
Peer-to-Peer Payments
Apps like Venmo, Cash App, and PayPal allow peer-to-peer transactions. You can share your username or link for these services for readers to directly send you money.
Virtual Tip Jars
Tools like Tip Jar from Codepen allow you to add a digital tip jar to your site. Readers can enter custom donation amounts. You will need to connect to PayPal or other methods to actually receive funds.
Physical Merchandise
Selling shirts, mugs, stickers, and other merch can generate passive income from fans supporting your work.
Utilize print-on-demand services like Teespring so you don’t have to manage inventory.
How Do You Add a Donate Button to YouTube?
YouTube creators can also add donation options to earn revenue from fans. Here are some ways YouTube allows donations:
Super Chat & Super Stickers
YouTube Super Chat and Super Stickers allow viewers to pay for highlighted chat messages and stickers during live streams. This functions as a public way to get attention and support the creator.
Channel Memberships
Channel memberships allow YouTube creators to offer exclusive perks like custom emoji and badges in exchange for a monthly subscription fee.
Integrate External Platforms
You can link external donation platforms like Patreon and Buy Me a Coffee directly on your YouTube channel page or in your video descriptions.
This allows viewers to contribute one-time or recurring donations off of the YouTube platform.
Merchandise Shelves
The YouTube Merchandise Shelves feature lets creators display branded merchandise designs below their videos. Fans can purchase shirts, hats, phone cases, and more to financially support the channel.
Crowdfunding Campaigns
YouTubers can promote crowdfunding campaigns through Patreon, Kickstarter, or their own website to fund special projects or incentives.
These one-time donation drives can generate large lump sums rather than small recurring tips.
Conclusion
Adding a donation option enables readers and fans to directly support creators by contributing money. Various platforms make it simple to quickly set up and integrate donate buttons.
Buy Me a Coffee, Patreon, and PayPal allow you to easily customize and add buttons to WordPress sites and blog posts with minimal effort.
Be sure to provide value upfront, suggest clear donation amounts, and offer incentives to encourage contributions. With the right strategy, donations can provide meaningful income from your most engaged followers.