How to Set Up Donations on Twitch

Twitch donations are a popular way to earn income for Twitch streamers. It may be difficult to believe for new streamers, but there are users who are more than willing to donate to their favorite streamers. The size of a donation is generally directly proportional to the value a viewer gets out of it. Gamers like Ninja, Tfue and Shroud get paid millions of dollars from their loyal viewers. The only catch is that you have to have an audience and the audience must like, follow and donate to your Twitch.tv channel!

 

In this article, you’ll learn about Twitch donations. All your questions like how they work, how to set them up, and the best practices to get more donations are listed here. Keep reading.

How do Twitch donations work?

Twitch donations are more than just setting up a donate button, verifying a payment account, and start accepting donations. To set up donations on a Twitch account, one has to go through a well-defined procedure, which includes verifying a PayPal account and then setting up a donation button using a third-party applications like StreamLabs StreamTips or DonorBox.

 

Get Twitch Donations: Opt In

Alternatively, a streamer can also opt-in to accept his/her donations through Twitch Bits, the official donation system of Twitch. However, Twitch Bits are only available for Twitch Partners and affiliates. For everyone else, they can go with direct donations linked with a PayPal or Stripe account. Despite that, chargebacks have been a huge issue on Twitch, where a viewer would donate some money to a streamer and then request the money back after some time. If there are too many chargebacks, your Twitch account can also be flagged for being a potential scammer.

Therefore, Twitch donations are way too complicated compared to other donation systems like that on YouTube. In addition to that, you also need to report them to your Local Tax Government body. Too much hassle, right?

How to Set up Donations on Twitch

Setting up donations on your Twitch account can be as easy as a simple math equation or as complicated as understanding the theory of relativity, it all depends upon the source. Here, we will discuss all the possible methods of setting up donations on Twitch in a detailed manner. After this, you will be able to replicate the process easily. Without further ado, let’s get straight into the process.

 

Adding a Donate button on Twitch

The donate button can be added quickly to your account in simple steps using any of the third-party web applications like StreamLabs, StreamBits, Donorbox, and many more. For now, we will learn how one can set up a donate button using Donorbox. Using Donorbox, you can accept donations through PayPal, Credit Cards, and even through Bank Transfers at a nominal transfer fee. Following is a six-step procedure to help you set up a donate button on your account.

 

Step 1) The very first step is to select an image for your donation button. You can simply choose from the already available images on Donorbox or choose to use one from your computer.

 

Step 2) Now, to link your Donorbox form, go to your channel settings and enable “Edit Panels.” Once you enable this option, you will see a huge “+” symbol on your screen.

 

Step 3) Click on the “+” sign and click “Add a Text or Image Panel” afterward and enter a caption for this panel, like “Donate” or “Donate Here.” Following this, select the button image that you saved in the first step.

 

Step 4) Now copy your donation page link by heading to your Donorbox dashboard.

 

Step 5) Paste the link you copied in the last step into the box that says “Image Links to.” Type a description to tell your viewers why they should donate to your channel and then click “Submit.” Turn off the “Edit Panels” function, and you’re all set to receive donations on your Twitch account.

 

Donate button will now appear on your Twitch Stream, and once your stream ends, you can collect all the donations and withdraw them directly to your bank account.

How to set up Twitch donations without PayPal?

How to Set Up Donations on Twitch with Paypal?

One of the most common approaches to receive donations is through PayPal, which can easily be established within a minute.

 

Add a donation section to your Twitch Channel by enabling Edit Panels option, which can be reached by clicking your Twitch Channel Page. Click the giant “+” button, type in your “Panel Title,” Description field, and then add your PayPal.me link with a short message explaining why you think your viewers should donate you.

 

However, if you don’t have a PayPal account, we already discussed in the last section, how you can set up a donate button using Donorbox. In case you’re not satisfied with its performance, you can choose to go with StreamLabs, which is one of the most widely used applications by Twitch users to accept donations. The same will be discussed under the next heading.

How to Set Up Donations on Twitch with Streamlabs

Streamlabs doesn’t offer a standalone payment gateway. You can power your donation page using Streamlabs. However, donations will be sent to your PayPal account or any other selected method. For now, we will discuss how you can set up donations that will send your funds directly to the linked PayPal account in 4 simple steps.

 

1. Open donation settings from your StreamLabs dashboard.

2. Now click on the PayPal icon so that your viewers can directly donate to your Paypal account, and the sponsored money will be sent to your linked bank account. You can also choose other payment options like skrill and credit cards, but we recommend using Paypal, given its wide usage among Twitch users.

3. Head to Donation Settings – Settings, select your native currency, and a minimum amount you think your users should at least donate. This is an excellent approach to tackle users from spamming your streams with small donations.

4. Save settings at the end of the page. A donation link will pop up that looks something like https://streamlabs.com/username, copy this link and paste into your donation section on your Twitch Channel page.

Make Money on Twitch with Other donation methods

You can also choose to receive donations via Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies like Litecoin and Ethereum. For the fact, these cryptocurrencies are faster, secure, and incur comparatively lower transaction fees. Just copy the link of your wallet address and follow the same procedure you observed in the last section.

How to encourage your Twitch viewers to donate?

 

There is no foolproof way that can guarantee donations from your viewers. However, there are a few methods that can help viewers to stick to your channel and can benefit you in the long run. Following are some key points that a streamer must focus on if he/she wants to grow fast:

1. Buy Twitch Followers

2. Stay Consistent

Consistency is the key to building your viewer base. If you stream regularly, there is a high possibility that your audience will tune in to your stream frequently and donate sooner or later. Additionally, streaming regularly will also take you one step closer to becoming a part of the Twitch Affiliate program.

3. Stick to your genre

For example, if you’ve been streaming FPS games for a long time, stick to that. Your viewers won’t like it if you suddenly start streaming Role play games. The type of content you stream builds your overall audience, and it’s your responsibility to provide them what they are coming for.

 

3. Connect to your audience

It’s crucial to communicate with your audience. Try to connect to your viewers on a personal level. Ask them how they are, read message enclosed with every donation, respond to them whenever possible, and create a bond. Once your viewers can connect to you, they will donate more often.

These are 3 of the most important points that we could think of in building a stronger audience. You can experiment with your content as well as how you approach your viewers for donations.

Twitch Donations Frequently Asked Questions

Here are some of the general questions discussed on the internet about Twitch Donations.

1. Are Twitch donations taxable?

Yes. Any donation coming from Twitch is taxable as your local government standards.

2. Are Twitch donations refundable?

Yes, if a viewer who donated you via PayPal files a chargeback and the PayPal favors it. The total donation amount is deducted from your wallet. In case you have already withdrawn your funds, your walled will reflect negative funds value.

3. Can Twitch Affiliates get donations?

Yes, Twitch Affiliates can earn from donations as well as from cheering bits that are introduced once you’re a part of the Twitch Affiliate Program.

4. How to donate on the Twitch app with the phone?

Donations on mobile work close to how it works on the web-based platform. Once you click the donate button, you will be redirected to the corresponding donation page where you can donate easily.

 

5. What is Twitch donation chargeback protection?

Chargeback protection helps you fight against potential scammers and viewers that are trying to hurt you, emotionally and financially. It contains a list of users that have filed wrongful chargebacks. All such users are banned from donating users who have subscribed to Chargeback protection.

We are sad to conclude our extensive guide on Twitch Donations. However, we hope that we’ve covered almost everything that a new stream can wander about donations. If we have still not covered something, let us know, and we will be happy to answer you.