How To Set Up Donations On Twitch

What is Twitch Donation?

Twitch donation is one of the many ways a streamer can make some money on the platform. As the word suggests, it is when a streamer requests the viewers to support their content by donating some money to the channel. The fans then present what they can to show their love and appreciation. This motivates the streamers to continue to put effort into their streams. There is absolutely no pressure on the viewers to donate. Moreover, it is also a good opportunity for the fans to get noticed by their favorite streamers.

The best thing about collecting donations is that you don’t have to be a Twitch affiliate or partner to take advantage of this system. Donations are of immense help for the fresh streamers who are just starting. As a new streamer, you can then use the donation to increase Twitch followers and viewers (Twitchviral.com). This can help you to impress your organic followers and attract more crowds.

There are three ways through which you can collect donations on Twitch. The first one is a direct donation. The other one is twitch bits or cheering. And the third is through subscription. Let’s learn about what they are and how they work.

Setting up Direct Donation

Collecting direct donations is simple. You will need streaming software like Streamlabs or Muxy. Using Streamlabs is a great way to manage your twitch account externally.

• First, create an account on Paypal or any other online payment service. You can also accept donations via your credit card or Skrill account.
• Log in to Streamlabs using your Twitch account. Go to the settings button on the bottom left corner of your page and choose donation settings. In donation settings, you will find several methods to collect donation payments. But, we suggest that you use Paypal.
• You can directly log into your PayPal account and link it with Streamlabs.
• Go back to Streamlabs and make sure you are connected to Paypal. Don’t forget to copy the payment gateway link.
• You will see another setting button above next to the ‘method’ button. Here, you can customize how your donation gateway page will look to those donating to you. Choose currency, a minimum amount, length of the message a donor can send, etc.
• Now, go to your Twitch account and head to the channel page.
• Open your chat and click on the edit panel.
• Now, you can design your donation panel as you like. Paste the donation link and add an image to make it enjoyable.

Your viewers can click on this panel, taking them to the donation page. From there, they can send their donation. Also, they can send a message to you with the gift.

Setting up Donation Alarm

You can easily set up your donation goal and alarm through Streamlabs. To do this, first, log in to your account. Next, go to the widget section on the left side of your page and select the ‘Alert box.’ Then, click on general settings and customize if you need to. Next, click on ‘donations’ and choose to enable. You can add a layout, animation, alert duration, volume, etc.

How to set up a Donation Goal?

For setting up donation goals:

1. Log in to your account.
2. Navigate to the widget section and click on goals.
3. Select the donation goal and fill in the details.
4. Make sure your title is what you are collecting donations for.

Such as, it could be for a new microphone, a new video game, or some other upgrade for your streams. Once you are done, copy the URL and edit it to your screen.

Twitch Bits and Cheering

Twitch bits are like Twitch’s virtual currency on the platform. You can get your hands on Twitch bits in two simple ways. The first is purchasing bits with real money. For example, you can buy 100 bits for USD 1.40. And the second one is getting bits by watching ads. This is another fantastic way for the streamers to collect donations on Twitch without any third-party involvement. However, donating with bits costs a little extra for the viewers than a direct donation. And this requires that you must at least be a Twitch affiliate to use this feature.

How do Bits work?

• One Twitch bit is equal to 1 cent in USD. As a viewer, once you have enough bits, you can use them to cheer your favorite streamers through the chats. This action is called cheering.
• Twitch bits are sent in the form of cheer emos, typically diamond or star-shaped, with different colors depending on the bits’ amount.
• Streamers can change and customize cheer settings according to their likes. Also, they can set a minimum amount a viewer can send to avoid getting spammed with small donations.
• Donating bits will also get you different badges depending on how much you have contributed. Streamers can also customize or modify badges for their viewers.

Subscription

Getting people to subscribe to your channel is another way to collect Twitch donations. In this, fans will pay a monthly amount or gift to your channel for several subscriber benefits, such as ad-free viewing, exclusive chat rooms, special alerts, badges, etc.

A subscription helps streamers earn an amount every month, increasing as more people subscribe to the channel. But, the streamer will need to be an affiliate or partner to avail of this feature. One downside is that Twitch takes 50 % of the subscription earnings.

Why Do People Donate?

There are many reasons people like to donate to streamers. The number one reason is to get acknowledgment and recognition from their favorite streamers, as it feels incredible to get noticed by someone you admire. This allows the fans to connect with the streamers they like. The second reason is to show appreciation. It is nice to show gratitude when you enjoy the content that a streamer has put a lot of effort into. So, when you Donate, it shows that you support them. And thus, it can motivate the streamers to keep going and do better. Moreover, it gives the donors the satisfaction of contributing to something or someone they like.