If you've been sharing tips and suggestions online in the hope of getting more eyes on your business, then you might like to offer the option of adding a PayPal tip jar to raise funds for keyworkers and those struggling financially due to Covid-19. I know in the past I've been very appreciative of a blog post that's resolved a serious problem that I've had, and it's just the same as giving your waitress or mechanic a tip! In this case, you're tipping your virtual helpers for a good cause.
You may even be volunteering like the many ladies who have been sewing masks online or the restaurant owners who have initiated a “pay what you can” policy for their curbside, no-contact service in an effort to support keyworkers and those that are struggling. Whatever your reason, a PayPal tip jar can be a great thing to add to your high traffic posts.
How to Make a Donate or Contribute Button from Your PayPal Business Account:
Log into your PayPal business account.
Go to the top and click Tools.
The menu drops down. Click All Tools. You will now be taken to the tools area:
Scroll down a bit to the PayPal buttons box and click Open.
Select the button you'd prefer to use. For a “donate” or “contribute” button, select Donate.
You are now taken through a series of questions that will help you custom build your PayPal button.
Customising Your Tip Jar Image
One fab feature that ensures your button will look original is that you can select a Custom Image to use in place of the PayPal button image, which currently says “Donate.”
Please note that the button image that you use to replace the standard “donate” button must already be an image that's been published on your website.
PayPal will need to have the URL or link associated with the button image and where it lives on your site. This is easy to get. Just right click the image on your website and you will see a pop up window. Click “Copy Image Address” and that will give you the image URL for your button.
If you have not created an image already and published it live on your website, you will not be able customise your tip jar. However, the standard Donate button provided by PayPal will still do the job.
Now it's time select your language, country, and the size of your button – large or small. When finished making your choice, click NEXT.
On the next page, you'll be given options to upload your logo, type in your blog's name, and type in a few lines to describe the cause that you're supporting. You do not have to fill in these details if you prefer not to. PayPal discourages users from choosing this type of button if this is not for the purpose of receiving donations.
On the next screen you can specify donation amounts that your readers can choose from when deciding to donate via your blog. There is also an option to get a recurring donation of a set amount… also with the option to add in an amount of your choice, if you don't care for the amounts suggested.
I prefer to skip the specifics and select the button option where your users can donate any amount they'd like.
On the next page of your PayPal donation button area, you'll see even more helpful settings to add to your button code before publishing. Here, you can actually capture contact info from the people who donate to your cause. If you select “yes” for “Get info from donors,” they will be asked to share their email address with you. In the next choice you can also give donors the option to leave you a note. Select your choice, yes or no, for this option to feature on your button.
Finally, another helpful option/feature is to choose the button build option where you can route users back to a specific page on your site after their PayPal transaction goes through. This means you can add a thank you video or a download gift.
There is also an option for advanced HTML coding options, which you will likely not require if you're just making a simple donate button. Once you complete all of your choices, you can get the HTML code to add your button to your site.
To share your PayPal tip jar you are given a strip of HTML code that you must copy and paste into the source code of a web page where you'd like the button to appear. If you have WordPress I recommend you pop the HTML code into a code widget and add it to your sidebar.
Or, you can choose code for a link that's sharable from PayPal. The link can be used in social media posts and emails, for example. Or, you can choose the QR code option. This creates a scannable code that you can click with the camera of your phone. This makes your donate button shareable at virtual events, and you can even add it to slides.
Adding a tip jar to your site can be really a beneficial way to raise funds for your local area or community from something you're doing already – writing and sharing great content.
Remember to update your readers with your tip jar's cause and how much you've donated to your local area.
If at some point you decide to change your tip jar's purpose, go back and look through the options on the PayPal donate button and see which one fits your change of circumstances. Some website owners like to say “Buy me a coffee” and it's clear that a donation goes to the site owner
Good luck in raising funds through your helpful content. And, if you liked this post, donate something extra at your local Foodbank as a way of saying thank you.
