How to Use the Donation Block in UniLink (Accept Tips and Donations on Your Page)
How to Use the Donation Block in UniLink (Accept Tips and Donations on Your Page)
The Donation block lets you accept one-time tips, custom amounts, and recurring support directly on your UniLink page — no third-party site required.
- The Donation block connects to Stripe or PayPal and accepts tips, one-time donations, and recurring payments directly on your page.
- Configure preset amounts, a custom amount field, a goal progress bar, and a thank-you message from the block settings.
- Link your UniLink wallet or a connected payment account before publishing — payments will not process without it.
- Best for creators, artists, streamers, nonprofits, and community builders who want direct fan support.
Selling a product is straightforward. Asking for a tip is harder — it requires your audience to feel a personal connection and then take an action that benefits you without an obvious transaction in return. The Donation block is designed to lower the friction on that ask. Instead of sending followers to a separate Ko-fi or Buy Me a Coffee page, you keep the entire interaction on your UniLink page: they see what they are supporting, they pick an amount, they pay, and they get a thank-you. No redirects. No extra accounts for them to create. That reduction in steps directly increases the rate at which people actually follow through.
What the Donation block does
The Donation block renders as a self-contained payment module on your page. It surfaces preset donation amounts as clickable buttons (for example, $3, $5, $10, $25), an optional custom amount field for donors who want to give more or less, and a payment flow powered by Stripe or PayPal depending on which account you have connected. The entire checkout experience happens without the visitor leaving your page — the payment sheet opens as a modal overlay, processes, and closes with a confirmation.
Beyond the basic payment flow, the block includes several features that increase conversion and engagement. A goal progress bar shows how much you have raised toward a target (for example, "Help me reach $500 for new recording equipment") — publicly visible progress creates social proof and motivates the last few donors who would have hesitated otherwise. An optional supporter list shows the names or messages of recent donors, adding a community dimension to the page. The recurring donation toggle lets supporters commit to a monthly amount rather than a single gift, which is the most valuable donation type for long-term sustainability.
All payments flow through your connected UniLink wallet or directly to your linked Stripe/PayPal account, depending on your setup. UniLink handles the payment processing layer so you do not need to build or maintain a separate checkout integration. Payouts follow the schedule of the underlying payment processor — Stripe typically settles within 2 business days, PayPal within 3–5 days depending on your account type.
How to add the Donation block
- Connect a payment account first: Go to your UniLink dashboard settings and navigate to Payments. Connect either your Stripe account (recommended) or PayPal. If you skip this step, the Donation block will appear on your page but payments will not process — visitors will see an error when they try to donate.
- Open the page editor: Navigate to the editor for the page where you want to accept donations. This is typically your main profile page.
- Click "Add block" and select "Donation": Use the plus button or block picker. The Donation block is usually listed under the Monetization or Commerce category.
- Write a block title and description: Add a short title like "Support my work" or "Buy me a coffee" and a 1–2 sentence description explaining what the funds go toward. Specificity increases donations — "Help me fund my next album" outperforms "Support me" every time.
- Set your preset amounts: Enter 3–5 suggested donation amounts separated by commas (for example, 3, 5, 10, 25). Pre-selecting a middle amount as the default tends to anchor most donors to that value.
- Enable or disable custom amount input: Toggle on "Allow custom amount" if you want donors to enter any value. This is recommended — some donors want to give more than your highest preset, and blocking that is leaving money on the table.
- Configure the goal (optional): Toggle on the progress bar, set a goal amount (for example, $500), and write a goal label. The bar fills automatically as donations come in.
- Enable recurring donations (optional): Toggle on "Allow recurring" to give donors the option to commit to a monthly amount. This requires Stripe — PayPal recurring is not supported on all account types.
- Write your thank-you message: This message appears after a successful payment. Keep it warm and specific — thank them for the specific thing they are supporting, not just for "the support."
- Enable supporter list (optional): If you want to show donor names publicly, toggle this on. Donors will have the option to display their name or remain anonymous during checkout.
- Save and test: Save the block, open your public page, and complete a test donation using a Stripe test card (4242 4242 4242 4242, any future expiry, any CVC). Verify the thank-you message appears and that the goal bar updates.
Key settings to configure
| Setting | What it does | Recommended value |
|---|---|---|
| Block title | Headline displayed at the top of the donation module | "Support my work" or a specific goal phrase like "Fund the next album" |
| Description | Short text explaining what donations support | 1–2 sentences; name a specific use ("cover hosting costs", "new camera lens") |
| Preset amounts | Suggested donation amounts shown as quick-select buttons | 3–5 values; spread across a range (e.g., $3/$5/$10/$25); pre-select the middle one |
| Allow custom amount | Lets donors enter any amount instead of only presets | On — always allow custom amounts |
| Default selected amount | Which preset is highlighted when the block loads | The second-lowest or middle preset |
| Goal amount | Sets a fundraising target displayed as a progress bar | Use for campaigns with a defined target; leave off for general ongoing tips |
| Goal label | Text shown next to the progress bar explaining the goal | Specific and visual ("New microphone setup") |
| Allow recurring | Gives donors an option to set up monthly donations (Stripe only) | On for creators with ongoing needs; off for one-time campaigns |
| Thank-you message | Message displayed after a successful donation | Personal and specific; mention what the funds go toward |
| Supporter list | Displays recent donor names or messages on your page | On for community-building niches; optional for others |
| Payment processor | Routes payments through Stripe or PayPal | Stripe preferred — lower fees, faster payouts, recurring support |
Best practices for the Donation block
The description field does more conversion work than any other setting. Donors respond to specificity. "Support my work" is vague and easy to ignore. "Help me cover the $40/month server cost that keeps this free community running" is concrete — it tells the donor exactly what their money does and how much is needed. Even for general tipping (not a specific campaign), naming what you would use extra support for — new equipment, time to create more content, travel to an event — makes the ask feel real rather than opportunistic.
Position the Donation block where it will be seen in context, not in isolation. Placing it immediately below a video block, a music player, or a gallery of recent work creates narrative momentum: the visitor experiences your content, feels something, and then immediately sees the option to support more of it. A Donation block at the very bottom of a long page, after everything else, gets far fewer clicks than one placed right after your most engaging content. If you are a streamer, position it below your recent clips. If you are a musician, put it below a song preview. If you write, place it after your best article link.
If you have a goal, keep it achievable and time-bound. An open-ended goal with no deadline loses urgency quickly. "Recording fund: $0 of $500 raised" sitting on a page for six months becomes invisible. Instead, tie goals to something specific and upcoming: "Recording session booked for June — $312 of $500 raised." Update the goal label when circumstances change. Donors who return to your page and see progress feel rewarded for their earlier contribution and are more likely to give again or share the page.
Monthly recurring donors are worth far more than one-time donors over time, so make the recurring option visible but not pressured. The best approach is to make "Monthly" and "One-time" equally prominent toggle options on the block, with one-time selected by default. Forcing or defaulting to recurring feels aggressive and increases abandonment. If even a small percentage of your donors choose monthly, the cumulative income compounds quickly — ten $5/month donors are worth $600 per year.
Common mistakes and how to fix them
| Mistake | Why it happens | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Donations fail silently with no error shown to donor | Payment account was not connected or is in restricted mode | Go to Dashboard → Payments, reconnect Stripe/PayPal, and verify the account status is Active |
| No donations despite significant page traffic | Block description is generic; preset amounts are too high for the audience | Rewrite description with specific use case; lower the minimum preset (try starting at $1 or $3) |
| Progress bar never updates after donations | Goal amount was set but goal tracking was not enabled properly | Toggle the goal bar off and back on, re-enter the goal amount, and save again to force a refresh |
| Recurring option does not appear for donors | PayPal is set as the payment processor; recurring requires Stripe | Switch to Stripe in Payment settings; if PayPal is required, disable the recurring toggle |
| Thank-you message does not appear after payment | Thank-you message field was left blank | Enter a thank-you message in the block settings — even one sentence triggers the post-payment screen |
| Supporter list shows donor emails instead of names | Donor chose to display their email during checkout; no default display name was prompted | Update the supporter display setting to show first name only by default; review the privacy prompt shown during checkout |
| Block looks mismatched with the rest of the page | Default block colors were not updated to match the page theme | Open block design settings and update the button color, background color, and text color to match your page palette |
When to use the Donation block
- You are a creator, artist, musician, or streamer with an audience that already consumes your content for free
- You run a nonprofit, community project, or cause-based initiative and need a lightweight donation mechanism
- You want to replace a third-party tipping platform (Ko-fi, Buy Me a Coffee) with something that lives directly on your page
- You have a specific short-term goal (equipment, event, project) that you can explain clearly to your audience
- You want to offer monthly recurring support as an alternative to a full membership tier
When to use something else
- You are selling a specific product or service — use the Product block or a link to a checkout page instead; donations imply no exchange of value
- You are running a large-scale nonprofit campaign that needs tax receipts, donor management, or CRM integration — a dedicated fundraising platform (Donorbox, Givebutter) is better suited
- Your audience is primarily B2B or professional — donations feel informal in contexts where invoicing or project-based payment is the norm; use the booking or contact block instead
- You have no content on the page yet — a donation ask without social proof or visible work above it will be largely ignored
Frequently asked questions
What payment processors does the Donation block support?
The Donation block currently supports Stripe and PayPal. Stripe is recommended for most creators because it offers lower processing fees, faster payouts (typically 2 business days), and full support for recurring monthly donations. PayPal is available for those who already use it or whose audience prefers it, but PayPal's recurring donation support depends on your account type and country. To connect either processor, go to Dashboard → Settings → Payments.
Can I accept donations in currencies other than USD?
Yes, if your connected Stripe account is configured for multi-currency payouts. The currency displayed to donors defaults to your Stripe account's settlement currency. If you have a global audience, Stripe will automatically show the donor's local currency equivalent during checkout. PayPal handles currency conversion on its end. You do not need to configure anything extra in UniLink — the setting is controlled at the payment processor level.
How do I cancel a recurring donation on behalf of a supporter who can no longer manage it themselves?
Recurring donations are managed at the payment processor level. Log in to your Stripe Dashboard, navigate to Billing → Subscriptions, find the relevant subscription, and cancel it from there. Stripe will stop charging the donor and send them an email confirmation. For PayPal recurring payments, go to your PayPal Business account, find the recurring payments section, and cancel the relevant agreement. You cannot cancel a recurring donation from within UniLink directly — the cancellation must happen in the processor dashboard.
Does the supporter list show donor payment details publicly?
No. The supporter list displays only the name or message that the donor chose to share during checkout. Payment details (card numbers, billing addresses, amounts) are never shown publicly. Donors are explicitly asked during the payment flow whether they want their name displayed on the page — they can choose to appear by name, by a custom message, or remain anonymous. If a donor contacts you about removing their name from the list, you can do so from the Donation block settings under the supporter management panel.
- Connect Stripe or PayPal in Dashboard → Payments before publishing the Donation block — without it, payments will not process.
- Specific descriptions outperform generic ones: name what the donation supports and how much you need.
- Set the default selected preset to a middle value to anchor donors to a higher average gift.
- Position the block immediately after your most engaging content, not at the bottom of the page.
- Enable recurring donations (Stripe only) — even a small percentage of monthly donors provides compounding income over time.
Ready to start accepting support directly on your page? Create your free UniLink page and add your Donation block today.
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