This plugin is the perfect addition to any website that wants to collect donations and it can be the ultimate tool for a dedicated donation site. And unlike traditional fundraising platforms, you keep all of the donations, no middle man.

Today, I will demonstrate how to setup GiveWP to accept donations in WordPress.

Why Use A Donation Plugin in WordPress?

With an almost endless stream of fundraiser platforms to choose from, you might be wondering why you should consider using a donation plugin.

And the answer is actually pretty simple.

A fundraising platform is not free. In most cases, you will need to pay a maintenance fee on a monthly basis. Unless your fundraiser is huge, this fee could easily cost more in the end. And that happens a lot more often than you would think.

However, I know what your thinking, I’ll just use a platform that doesn’t charge a setup fee.

You could definitely go this route, which I would recommend, but there are still transaction fees. If you take a look at PayPal, which doesn’t charge a setup fee, you still need to pay 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction. In this scenario, you could never lose money, but you will not gain the full amount.

If you use something like Buy Me a Coffee, that platform will charge 5% of your income on top of the PayPal fees.

Using GiveWP with WordPress is superior to using a fundraising platform in most cases.

A WordPress donate plugin will simply help connect your website with the platform of choice. In this case, we will focus on PayPal.

How to Accept Donations with GiveWP

Step 1: Install GiveWP

The GiveWP plugin allows you to accept donations by connecting with a payment processor. The options include PayPal, Stripe, PayFast, PayU, and many more. The team behind the plugin is constantly growing the available options.

Each of these platforms has different fees and rules in place, so it’s important to find the right fit. For example, in Stripe, recurring donations do not have any fees. This is great for long-term fundraisers. I will demonstrate how to use PayPal in this tutorial, but the process is quite similar.

That said, you will need to have an account in place on whichever payment processor you use.

Let’s start by clicking on Plugins and selecting the Add New option on the left-hand admin panel.

Search for GiveWP in the available search box. This will pull up additional plugins that you may find helpful.

Scroll down until you find the GiveWP plugin and click on the “Install Now” button and activate the plugin for use.

Upon installation, you will see a welcome message inviting you to use the setup wizard. Click on the “Start Setup” button.

Step 2: Setup Wizard

The setup wizard is short and easy to go through and should only take a few minutes at most.

First, you need to select the type of fundraiser you are running. Your options include individual, organization, or something else. You must also enter what the cause behind your donation is by using the drop-down at the bottom.

Select the option that applies to you and click on the “Continue” button.

Enter your location and currency.

Now it’s time to select what should appear on your first form. You can add the donation goal, comments from other donators, terms & conditions, offline donation options, anonymous donations, and company donations.

Note: You can change these at anytime, so don’t worry too much.

Click on the options you want to include.

You will now see a preview of your donation form. This is just a preview based on the choices in the last step, you will be able to fully customize it after the setup wizard.

Click on the “Continue” button when you are ready.

You can now select additional options to include in your fundraiser. These include recurring donations, donor cover fees, PDF receipts, custom form fields, support for multiple currencies, and dedicate donations.

Select all that apply.

This concludes the setup wizard.

Step 3: Select Payment Processor

You now need to select a payment processor to use. By default, GiveWP only supports PayPal and Stripe. However, if you want a different option, you can purchase an add-on for the plugin. The developers have a huge library of selections.

However, most people will probably opt for PayPal or Stripe anyway.

You will now be brought to the payment gateway. Click on the appropriate button to connect with the payment processor of your choice.

Follow the instructions from the payment processor and you will be able to connect it with the GiveWP plugin.

Step 4: Customize the Donation Form

Now, you need to customize your donation form. If you remember the preview from the setup wizard, while it had the format in place, all of the text is extremely generic. This is where you can enter text specific to your cause and set the fundraiser goal.

Click on Donations and select the All Forms option.

Click on the Donation Form you created in the setup wizard.

You can customize every element on this form including the picture, and I highly recommend doing so. Leaving these fields with the default generic options will not help your cause in the slightest. Go through this section and craft a donation form that compels people to donate.

Click on the Donation Goal option.

Here, you can set the goal of the fundraising, the format of the goal, the color of the progress bar, and if the fundraiser should stop collecting donations if the goal is reached.

The Donation Options section allows you to add specific donation levels. For example, you can set donations for $1, $10, or $100 with specific titles that may show up on a donators list.

Go through each section and customize them to your liking and save the changes.

Step 5: Display the Form

All that’s left is to add your donation to a post or page in WordPress. This is done via shortcodes.

Click on the “Copy Shortcode” button.

Go to any existing post or page on your website, add a shortcode block, and paste the shortcode into it. Alternatively, you can also create a new page or post for testing purposes.

I recommend creating a page dedicated to donations. And you can even go a step further by including it in your navigation menu.

Congratulations on setting up the GiveWP plugin in WordPress and good luck raising money for your cause.

Thank Your Donators

Donations are a great way to raise funds for causes in your local area or even on a global scale. However, any success they have is thanks to the donators that are willing to back the cause and any volunteers that helped.

Construct some type of Thank You page that lists all of the donators, so everyone can see. This is similar to what educational institutions do, typically with plaques located around the campus. It might not seem like much, but it can really mean a lot to some.

What kind of fundraiser are you trying to start? How easy did you find the GiveWP plugin to use? Which payment processor did you use?

The post How to Add GiveWP to Create a Donation Site with WordPress appeared first on GreenGeeks.

Cryptocurrencies are everywhere. Many eCommerce websites also allow you to use crypto to pay for goods and services on their checkout page.

Today, I am going to show you exactly how you take bitcoin donations and other major cryptocurrency donations right on your website. You could code this in, but there are much cleaner and smoother ways to accomplish it.

Why Have a Cryptocurrency Donation Box on Your Website?

If you have a non-profit website, or you are trying to take donations for a cause, then having a clean and smooth way for people to donate through your website is important. Sure, there are the traditional ways of taking donations, but why not allow people to donate using Bitcoin or other cryptocurrencies?

This is just another way for you to get donations. You can take those crypto donations and convert them right away. You will be able to reach a bigger audience, especially overseas. Combine your cryptocurrency donation box with your other donation boxes and you give users a universal way to give money to your organization or cause.

Let’s take a look at the plugin we are going to use to give users the ability to donate bitcoins and other cryptocurrencies.

Cryptocurrency Donation Box

Cryptocurrency Donation Box is a WordPress plugin that gives you the ability to take Bitcoin and other crypto donations from your website users. The plugin is lightweight, smooth, and simple to set up and use.

All you have to do is add your coin wallet address and then display the free Bitcoin donation button box anywhere on your site you want using the auto-generated shortcode.

The plugin is straight to the point and very easy to set up. That being said, it is a powerful tool to have at your disposal if you are interested in giving people the ability to donate using cryptocurrency.

The plugin comes packed with some great features as well. Not only can you create a donation box for Bitcoins, but you can also create donation boxes and accept over 20 other cryptocurrencies as well. Some of the main features include:

• Easy to integrate using MetaMask
• Convert coin payment address to QR Code
• Support over 20 of the top cryptocurrencies
• Beautiful donation box design
• Add shortcode anywhere
• Responsive and mobile-friendly

If you want to easily accept crypto donations from your website, then the Cryptocurrency Donation Box is the plugin for you.

Let’s take a look at how to get the plugin installed and running on your WordPress website.

How to Accept Cryptocurrency Donations in WordPress

Step 1: Install and Activate the Plugin

In order to accept Bitcoin donations, as well as other cryptocurrencies, you first need to install and activate Cryptocurrency Donation Box. You can do this by heading over to the Plugins page of the WordPress admin dashboard.

Simply use the search field area to search the plugin by name. When it pops up, install and activate it right from there.

Step 2: Access the Main Setup Page

Now that the plugin has been installed and activated, it is time to access the main setup page. Click on Settings > Crypto Donation Box located in the left side menu area of the dashboard.

You will notice this is now an available tab option after you activated the Cryptocurrency Donation Box plugin.

Step 3: Add Coin Wallet Addresses

On this page, you will see three main tabs. The first tab is where you can add any coin wallet addresses you would like. Add as many different crypto addresses as you want.

Want to take Bitcoin donations? Go ahead and add that address. Want to take Ethereum or XRP? Then add those as well.

Click on the “Save Changes” button when you are done adding the wallet addresses you want.

Step 4: Adjust Any Settings Necessary

Now, click on the “Settings” tab. Under this tab, you can adjust and configure any of the MetaMask and title descriptions you see. Personalize it to your liking and click on the “Save Changes” button to move on.

Step 5: View Available Shortcodes

Finally, click over to the “Shortcodes” tab. Under here, you can view all the available shortcodes for the plugin. You see that the plugin allows for popup boxes, lists, and more. You can use whatever shortcode you prefer.

Copy and paste them somewhere if you want, or simply come back to the tab for reference when needed.

Step 6: Add Shortcode to Page, Post, or Widget

At this point, you are all set and ready to go. The settings are saved, and any crypto coin wallet address you want to accept for donations has been added.

Select the shortcode you want and add it to any post, page, or widget area of your website. Do this by using the copy and paste process.

Step 7: View the Cryptocurrency Donation Box on Website

Once the shortcode has been added where you want, take a look to see what the box looks like.

I went ahead and added a few wallet addresses for this demo so you can see how it looks. You see that I added Bitcoin, Ethereum, and XRP. Anyone donating can simply click through to the preferred crypto and donate straight to your wallet address.

Users can also use the available QR Code to do the same thing.

That’s it! You are up and running and from this point on have the ability to take cryptocurrency donations right on your WordPress website.

Is Cryptocurrency Here to Stay?

Well, there is still debate in certain circles on the relevance of cryptocurrency and if it is here to stay. At this point, it is hard to argue that it won’t be around for a long time, if not forever.

It provides a safe, secure, and oftentimes anonymous way to send and receive money. Furthermore, it gives you the ability to access other parts of the world and make easy payments and donations. There is no need to convert from one currency to another (although you can easily do this).

So, my opinion is that it is here to stay and that it is definitely a good idea to use a plugin like Cryptocurrency Donation Box to give site users the ability to donate to your organization or cause using different cryptocurrencies.

Final Thoughts

The way we do business is changing. The way we take donations is changing. Make sure you allow as many avenues of income and donations as possible when you are trying to get money for something.

One of the best ways to do this is to allow people to donate using cryptocurrencies. Not only does this help you reach more possible people, but it also gives your site users several different donation options.

I hope this tutorial was able to show you how easy it is to take Bitcoin and other crypto donations. The plugin above gives you access to over 20 coins and is easy to install, activate, and display on your site.

Have you ever taken cryptocurrency donations before? Do you prefer to do it a different way or do you like the plugin?

The post How to Accept Cryptocurrency from a Donation Box in WordPress appeared first on GreenGeeks.

This plugin allows you to receive payments from PayPal, Stripe, or WooCommerce, which makes it the perfect addition to any WordPress website. And most importantly, it’s done directly on your website and you get 100% of the donation, unlike platforms like Patreon.

Today, I will demonstrate how to collect donations from visitors with an awesome fundraiser plugin for WordPress.

Why Use A Plugin Instead of Patreon?

When it comes to accepting donations, there is no bigger name than Patreon, and it does a phenomenal job at it.

However, Patreon has a platform fee that can take 5-12% of the donation and charges a payment processing fee as well. As a result, you don’t get the full donation.

It’s also worth noting that visitors are taken to Patreon as part of the process, which means visitors are leaving your website.

While this is fine for large accounts that regularly collect a lot of donations, it can be troublesome for smaller accounts.

However, this isn’t a problem if you are collecting the donations yourself.

Instead, you can collect 100% of the donation, minus any process fees you may encounter through the platform of your choice (PayPal, Stripe, or WooCommerce).

Note: There are also other options like the Buy Me ACoffee plugin to consider.

How to Use WP Fundraising Donation

Step 1: Install WP Fundraising Donation

The WP Fundraising Donation and Crowdfunding Platform will give you the ability to collect donations or start your very own fundraiser or crowdfunding project. It fully supports PayPal, Stripe, and WooCommerce, which means users won’t have to make a new account.

Instead, they can just donate directly on your website and you can reap all of the benefits including no platform fees. As a result, it is a superior way of collecting donations as a smaller content creator, but might not be ideal for larger ones.

Let’s start by clicking on Plugins and selecting the Add New option on the left-hand admin panel.

Search for WP Fundraising Donation and Crowdfunding Platform in the available search box. This will pull up additional plugins that you may find helpful.

Scroll down until you find the WP Fundraising Donation and Crowdfunding Platform plugin and click on the “Install Now” button and activate the plugin for use.

Step 2: Set Up WP Fundraiser

On the left-hand admin panel, click on WP Fundraiser and select the Settings option.

You will now need to run through the setup process. Click on the “Setup” button to begin.

This will open a small popup on the same page. Click on the “Start” button to proceed. The first option is to select if you are using the plugin for Single Donation or Crowdfunding.

Single Donation is for if you are a content creator looking to collect donations or tips from your visitors to help you grow.

Crowdfunding is when you raise money for a specific goal or project. A common example of crowdfunding can be seen in the video game industry as hundreds of projects raise thousands of dollars to help start projects off. However, the projects can be for anything.

Select the option you intend to use. Be aware, you can change this later.

Click on the “Next” button and select what payment gateway you will use.

The default option includes support for PayPal, Stripe, cash on delivery, direct bank transfers, and more.

The WooCommerce option only accepts payments using WooCommerce.

Pick the option that suits your website the best.

And that concludes the setup process, click on the “Finish” button.

You should now notice a brand new settings section has appeared. In it, you can find a variety of settings you will need to carefully go through and customize to meet your website’s needs.

There are 7 tabs in total, and these include options like your payment (connecting with your PayPal account), page, social, and much more.

Take your time and go through each setting.

Step 3: Create A Campaign

With all of the settings out of the way, it is time to actually create a campaign.

Click on the Add Campaign option under WP Fundraiser.

The plugin uses the classic editor in WordPress. This will not affect other content on your website. You can create a title and add additional information to the campaign. Most notably this should include what the money is for, goals (if applicable), how to donate (payment types accepted), and any rewards donators will receive.

At the bottom are the campaign settings. They should look similar to the previous section, but their format is a little different.

You can select what type of campaign this is (single donation or crowdfunding), set a goal, customize the form that collects information, and other various settings.

Once you are satisfied with the settings, click on the “Publish” button to create the campaign.

Step 4: Add the Campaign

Once the campaign has been created, it’s time to actually add it to your website. This is accomplished by using shortcodes.

Note: I recommend testing the donation on a private page that way you can ensure everything is working as intended. The last thing you want to do is make the experience tedious for someone generous enough to donate.

You can find the shortcode for every campaign you create within the settings of the campaign itself.

Simply paste the shortcode on any page, post, or text widget and view it in action.

Congratulations on adding a donation option to your WordPress website.

Don’t Rule Out Patreon

While there are disadvantages of using Patreon, such as the platform fee, those are easily outweighed by the advantages.

Without a doubt, most people have heard of Patreon. It’s a respected name that people trust, and that by itself is worth the platform fee. However, there are also other advantages that are often not thought about.

For starters, ever wonder what happens when a payment is declined?

It’s not pretty, and you could end up paying a fee as a result. But, that protection is built into the Patreon platform. As a result, it’s not something you ever need to think about.

Another huge benefit is that patrons can sign up as a subscription. If they want to donate a dollar each month, it’s really easy to set up. The same cannot be said about the plugin approach.

Patreon is loaded with plenty of other benefits that you can take advantage of, which makes it an ideal platform to use.

Add Exclusive Rewards to Donators

donations have been around for quite some time. As a result, many content creators have figured out some creative incentives. One such thing is being able to view content early.

Depending on the type of content you produce, it can be a really good fit. For example, a very common one is to make an exclusive podcast for donators. This helps you build your brand and is an awesome way to reward your supporters.

Another one is to personally sign merchandise your visitor’s purchase. Again, this is very dependent on the type of content you create and not all of these methods work for everyone.

How easy did you find the plugin to set up? What payment method did you select?

The post How to Use WP Fundraising Donation and Crowdfunding in WordPress appeared first on GreenGeeks.

In years past if you wanted to get donations on your website, you would have to use some sort of eCommerce plugin. Or, you used another third-party plugin or company to set this up for you. In either case, it was not ideal.

Now, using a combination of the Stripe WordPress API and a solid form plugin, you can build the entire thing and take donations yourself.

There are a few things you need to have in place on your WordPress site to make this work properly. Let’s review those real quick before diving into the setup process.

Things You Need to Accept Donations Using Stripe

As mentioned above, there are a few things you need to have in place before you can set up a donation button and take donations using Stripe.

First, you need to have excellent hosting for your website. Find a good platform that gives you everything you need from the beginning.

Second, you need to have a WordPress website setup and in place ready to embed forms and take payments.

Third, you need to have an SSL installed. This will secure your website and allow you to take payments straight from your domain without bumping people off to a third-party payment gateway. Most hosting companies provide you with a free SSL as part of the deal.

Fourth, you will need to have a Stripe account. They are free; just set one up and fill out the relevant information needed. I will show you more of the setup and connections later.

Fifth, you have to settle on a solid form plugin. You will have to have the pro version of whichever forms system you use, as the free versions don’t allow for Stripe add-on integration.

I suggest either Gravity Forms, or WPForms. For the demonstration below I will be using Gravity Forms, but the process is the same in WP Forms as well.

Now that we have everything in place, let’s set up Stripe and add a donate button to your WordPress site.

Download and Install Gravity Forms

The first thing you need to do is download and install the Gravity Forms plugin.

Note: Gravity Forms does not have a WordPress plugin directory listing. You will need to get it from your account on their site. WPForms does have a plugin directory listing, so you can install and activate the plugin from there.

You will need to manually install the Gravity Forms plugin, as well as the Stripe add-on plugin when you download them from your account.

To do that, download the plugin. From your WordPress admin dashboard, click on Plugins > Add New. From there, click on the “Choose File” button, choose the plugin file, upload and activate.

Now that Gravity Forms and the Stripe add-on have been uploaded and activated, let’s move on.

Build a Donation Form

We first need to build our donation form. On the left side menu of your WordPress admin dashboard, click on Forms > New Form.

A popup box will appear that allows you to add a form title and description. Name your donation form whatever you want. Click on the “Create Form” button when you are ready.

You will be taken to the from building area of the Gravity Forms plugin. Here, you will find all the different types of fields you can add and configure. There will be four main “Fields” including:

• Standard Fields
• Advanced Fields
• Post Fields
• Pricing Fields

These all dropdown and have several subcategory fields listed under each. All you have to do is drag and drop the form fields you want in the order you want them.

Customizing the Form

You can choose any fields you feel necessary. This will be based on the information you want to obtain from the person donating.

In this example we are using:

• Name
• Email
• Company
• Message

Again, though, add whatever you want; address, date, time and personalize it how you see fit. Your Stripe donate button form should be created according to your own needs.

Now, there are a couple of certain form fields you have to add to make the donation form work correctly.

Click on the “Pricing Fields” box. Under that drop-down, you will see some pricing field options.

You need to add the following three fields:

• Product: This will allow a user to input the amount they want to donate.
• Total: This will show the form total to the user.
• Credit Card: This is where the user will fill out financial info to make a donation.

However, there is one modification we need to make to the product field. Click on the field to modify it. When the field drops down to edit, click on the “Field Type” option. Within the choices presented, you want to select “User Defined Price.”

This will allow users to type in the amount they want to give.

Note: You can use other pricing option fields if you want to set your donation options. It’s totally up to you and how you want to set it up.

Once you have added all the fields you want, along with the fields that must be in there, click on the “Update” button located on the right side of the form editing area.

Edit Form Settings

When you have updated your form, you are ready to move on. At the top of the editing screen, you will see some link options.

They include:

• Edit
• Settings
• Entries
• Preview

Click on the “Settings” link and a drop-down will appear. From there, click on “Form Settings” and let’s configure those options.

You will be taken to the form settings page. Fill this out how you see fit.

There is one thing you may want to concentrate on, though. In the “Form Button” area, you can upload an image as the button or simply write text.

In this case, I have written the text “Donate Now” as the button title.

Click on ”Update Form Settings” at the bottom of the page and then move on. Click on the “Confirmations” tab to go to the confirmation setup page.

You can leave the default confirmation how it is if you choose. Otherwise, you can build your own confirmation page by clicking on the “Edit” link.

Now click on “Notifications.” This is where you will set up all email notifications for the donation form. Again, make your selections and fill it how you see fit.

Don’t forget to click on the “Update Notification” button when you are done.

Configuring Stripe

Now it is time to configure Stripe and attach it to the form so that you can receive donations from your WordPress website.

Click on the “Stripe” link to get started. When you do, click on the “Stripe Settings” link to configure the forms options.

You will be taken to the main Stripe settings page. Here you will find three main sections that need to be filled out:

• Stripe API
• Payment Collection
• Stripe Webhooks

To do this, you need to first log into your Stripe account. You should have one already at this point or already created one via the link earlier in this article.

Stripe API: To access your Stripe API keys, you will need to click on Developers > API keys, within your dashboard. In this case, you are going to copy and paste both the Live Publishable Key and the Live Secret Key.

NOTE: If you are just testing Stripe and the form, use the “Test” API keys.

Paste those keys into the relevant fields within your Stripe API configuration in Gravity Forms.

Payment Collection: In this case, click on the radio button titled “Gravity Forms Credit Card Field.”

Stripe Webhooks: To access and enable Stripe Webhooks, simply click on the “View Instructions” link. You will see instructions on how to perform this action.

Follow the instructions to enable Webhooks in Stripe. When you are finished, come back and check the box titled “I have enabled the Gravity Forms webhook URL in my Stripe account.”

Paste in the Test and Live signing secret keys.

Click on the “Update Settings” button at the bottom of the page and you are all done!

Conclusion

That’s it! You can now go embed your form on any post or page you want. Once someone fills out the form, donations become available in your Stripe account.

I hope this article showed you how easy it is to take donations from your WordPress site using Stripe. Simply follow the process and you will have a Stripe donate button on your site in no time at all.

What other methods have you used to collect donations on your WordPress site? If you aren’t using a Stripe donate button, what are you using?

The post How to Add a Donate Button in WordPress Using Stripe appeared first on GreenGeeks.

While PayPal is often used as a shopping cart system, it can also help you fund a charity or even just yourself.

With a donate button linked to your PayPal account, you can accept money for a variety of purposes. It gives people a chance to send you money for virtually any reason. This also makes it convenient if you support charities or conduct your own drive for a good cause.

In this tutorial, we’re going to show you how to install this button.

Your Own PayPal Account

Before you get started, you need to have your own PayPal account. This is a free sign up and links directly to your bank account or credit card. To start the signup process, visit PayPal.com.

Although signing up for PayPal is free, there is a fee for every transaction. This is dependent on the type of account you use. For instance, fees range from 2.2 percent to 2.9 percent plus $0.30 per transaction. So, if someone gave you $10, you’d only receive as much as $7.50 depending on your account.

You will need your banking information in order to transfer funds and verify your identity. This process could also take up to five business days.

If you complete the sign up process by uploading your identification and other required information, you may be qualified for a PayPal Mastercard as well. This works just like a debit card and will pull money directly from your PayPal account.

To get your account ready for donations:

Step 1: Go into your PayPal account.

Step 2: View your summary page. Scroll down until you see “Seller Preferences” on the left. Click this link.

Step 3: On the left side under “My Profile,” you will find “Custom payment pages.” Click the “Update” link on the right side of this feature.

Step 4: From here, you can customize your payment page. Many people will leave this as the PayPal default. However, you can customize it to make the page look similar to your own website by clicking the “Add” button located here. You can change colors, add logos and even include header images to give it the same look and feel of your site.

Step 5: Once you have changed all of these settings, give the page style a name and click the “Save” button on the bottom right.

Using a Plugin to Install the PayPal Donate Button

There are plenty of plugins available to help you set up a donation button. In this tutorial, we’re going to use the PayPal Donations plugin. It’s an easy method for quickly adding a button whether you use it as a widget or by using the available shortcode.

To set up this plugin:

Step 1: Go to the “Plugins” area of your WordPress administrator screen.

Step 2:  Click the “Add New” button and search for “PayPal Donations.”

Step 3: Install and activate the plugin.

Step 4: This plugin will add a new function to your “Settings” labeled, “PayPal Donations.” Click this in order to open the plugins options.

Step 5: Once you have the PayPal Donations settings open, enter in the “PayPal Account” you use. This will be the email address of the account you set up PayPal with earlier.

Step 6: Select the type of currency you use. PayPal will also automatically convert currencies should someone in another country donate money.

Step 7: In the section for Page Style, you will need to enter the name of the custom page you created in PayPal for the donation.

NOTE: This is optional. The PayPal style will have a default that displays your account email address.

Step 8: The return page is a URL to show the donator once the funds have been completed. Some people will set up a specific “thank you” page in WordPress for this purpose. Place the link in this field. This is also optional. You could also just use the URL of your website.

Step 9: If you leave the amount blank, this gives the donator a chance to send any dollar amount he or she wishes. Otherwise, you can set a specific amount in this box.

Step 10:  The purpose is a message that tells people why you need the donation.

Step 11: A reference message is added to the donation so that visitors know what the money pertains to. For example, some people will simply put their name, the company or the charity in this field.

Step 12: Choose a donation button. This plugin comes with three default buttons you can use. You can also select to use a custom button if you have a specific graphic you want to use. OPTIONAL: If you choose to use a custom button, enter the URL of the graphic in the field for “Custom Button.” Otherwise, leave it blank.

Step 13: Set your country and language for the donation button. This plugin supports more than 15 current languages and locations.

Step 14: Click the “Save Changes” button on the bottom.

Step 15: Once your settings are saved, you can add the donation button to any post or page using the following shortcode:”[paypal-donation]”

Using the Widget

Alternatively, this plugin will also install a widget you can use to place the donation button in a sidebar. Because the sidebars are so widely used in WordPress, using the widget can quickly place the donation button on nearly every part of your site instantly.

To do this, go to the “Widgets” area of your WordPress administrator screen. Find the “PayPal Donations” widget and drag it to the sidebar you wish to use. You can give it a title, description, purpose and reference from this widget. However, these are optional fields. Once you’re done, simply click the “Save” button and your donation widget is live.

NOTE: The advanced tab of the plugin can be of great use if you want to fine-tune how it behaves. For instance, you can set the button to open in a new tab or enable sandbox mode for testing.

Manual Installation

Although this plugin works exceptionally well, it is possible to install the donation button manually. Luckily, PayPal takes a lot of the work out for you and will give a code to copy-and-paste into your WordPress website.

This code can be placed virtually anywhere that accepts HTML, including the “Text” widget if you want to place it in a sidebar.

To set up the button manually:

Step 1: Log into your PayPal account summary and scroll down to “Seller Preferences.” Click this link.

Step 2: A new window will open labeled, “My Profile.” The first option should be “PayPal buttons.” Click the update link on the right side.

Step 3: This will open another window displaying all the buttons you have ever created. On the right side, you should see a link to “Create new button.” Click this link.

Step 4: The “Create PayPal payment button” screen will appear. In the “Choose a button type” drop down window, select the option for donations.

Step 5: Fill in the rest of the information needed in steps one, two and three on this page. Once you are done, click “Create Button” on the bottom.

Step 6: This will load up a screen where you can copy the code created by PayPal. Paste this code into any area of your site that accepts HTML, such as the “Text” tab in pages and posts.

Adding a PayPal donate button to your website can have a variety of purposes. It can help generate revenue or help you finance a good cause. It’s a safe and secure method of accepting money on the Internet.

What kind of methods do you offer visitors to pay for services on your site? What kinds of charities do you help, and would this button serve your purposes?

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