Looking to turn your passion for blogging into a source of income? You don’t need to bombard your readers with ads or chase after affiliate marketing deals. With a simple and effective tool—a donation form—you can start earning from your blog while keeping your content genuine and reader-focused.
If you have a WordPress website, it’s easy to set up a simple donation form and start collecting funds to help keep your blog running.
Read this article to find out how to use donation forms to monetize your blog and learn about other tools and methods that can help you fund your blogging journey.
Let’s dive in and take a look!
Why You Should Collect Donations on Your Blog?
Every donation, big or small, can help cover the costs of running a blog, such as:
- Web hosting fees
- Domain name registration
- Content creation expenses
- Marketing and promotion costs
Donations are voluntary contributions of money. You don’t need to give a donor anything in return for their financial gift. But you can still thank them with a shout-out, a small reward, or special recognition.
Free tools like WP Full Pay make it easy to set up a donation form for your WordPress blog. Built with Stripe, a trusted online payment system, WP Full Pay enables bloggers to securely accept donations without writing a single line of code.
What Types of Donation Forms Content Creators Can Create?
Here are two types of donation models available:
One-Time Donations
The most common donation model that’s used by bloggers is one-time donations. This model essentially allows readers to make one-time contributions to support your content. It offers flexibility for both the blogger and their audience, as readers can contribute an amount of their choice whenever they feel inspired to do so.
Here’s what makes one-time donations on your WordPress site ideal:
- Flexibility – Readers can donate what they want, whenever they are able to, allowing for spontaneous acts of support.
- No commitment – Unlike recurring donations, one-time contributions don’t require long-term commitments, which can be appealing to casual readers.
Recurring Donations
Another very commonly used donation model that’s used by content creators and bloggers is recurring donations. With this model, you can set up donation forms on your WordPress site and allow readers to commit to regular, ongoing contributions, such as weekly, monthly, or annually.
The subscription-based model can help you create a steady stream of income and is ideal for bloggers who have pretty consistent readership.
This model offers benefits such as:
- Predictable income – Recurring donations provide a stable source of income, allowing bloggers to plan for the future.
- Stronger supporter relationships – You can use a recurring donations model to help foster a sense of community among your most loyal readers, who want to contribute to your blogging platform’s success more often.
Custom Amount Donations
Some blogs, especially those that offer exclusive insights or specialized knowledge, can benefit from pay-what-you-want (PWYW) pricing or voluntary donations. Unlike the more traditional pricing structure, this approach gives the customer control over the amount they pay.
Custom amount donations let your readers decide how much they want to give. By adding this option to your blog, you give supporters the flexibility to donate an amount that fits their budget.
This approach is ideal for bloggers who want to make donating as easy and comfortable as possible for their audience. With custom amount donations, you can reach a wider range of supporters, from those who can only give a little to those who are able to contribute more.
This flexibility can lead to several benefits:
- Increased support: Supporters who wish to contribute smaller amounts can do so easily. It ensures that every contribution, no matter how small, counts toward your goals.
- Encourages generosity: By allowing donors to decide their amount, you’re more likely to receive larger contributions from those who feel strongly about your blogging activities.
- Improved donor experience: Giving donors the freedom to choose their contribution makes the donation process more personal and satisfying.
Using WP Full Pay, you can easily set up a donation form that lets readers enter their own amount, making the process smooth and user-friendly.
Tips for Encouraging Donations
It can be tricky to get your readership to start donating to your WordPress site. So we’ve put together a few ways that can help your readers conduct this one-time action.
Add a “Coffee” Button
A coffee button is essentially just a payment button that lets your readers use Stripe’s payment methods and buy you a cup of coffee. You can easily motivate your readers to use the donation form by mentioning small benefits that they can get by donating a coffee, such as getting a shout-out on X, for instance.
This is a great way to encourage your readers since it mimics the exchange of a coffee, a friendly gesture, rather than just a payment. You can think of it as a barter system: they buy you a coffee and you offer a small benefit in return rather than ask for money.
💡 Tip: Always ensure there is a compelling value proposition for your visitors to consider contributing!
Use the Simple Payment Approach
The easiest way to accept donations from your readers is to keep the process as simple as possible by using simple payment forms on your WordPress site.
It works well with the psychology of your site visitors—if it’s simple like one-click-payments, they don’t have to think much about the donation process, and if they’re already motivated to support your work, changing their mind will be less likely!
Provide a Membership Option
Another way to get readers to start supporting your site is to provide them with premium content that’s already published, i.e. no extra work on your end. Use WP Full Member to create a membership site, restrict access to certain posts on your site and then set up a subscription payment form using WP Full Pay, and place it on your WordPress site.
This way, when readers make membership payments (using Stripe) they can access premium blog posts and content on your site. This not only encourages more donations but also helps build a community around your content.
Offer Multiple Payment Options
When you offer more ways for people to pay, you make it easier for them to donate. Some people prefer credit cards, while others like to use digital wallets. By giving them options, you make it simpler for everyone to support your blog.
You can accept various payment methods supported by Stripe, like credit and debit cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay, and even local payment options like Alipay or SEPA Direct Debit. This flexibility means that donors can choose the method they are most comfortable with, increasing the chances they’ll complete the transaction.
💡 Tip: Add a “Thank You” Page: After a reader donates, redirect them to a personalized “Thank You” page. It’s a small touch, but it can encourage repeat donations.
Suggest Donation Amounts
A suggested donation amount is a pre-set figure that guides your readers on how much to donate to support your blog. By providing a suggested amount, you remove the guesswork for your audience, making it easier for them to decide how much to give. This can be particularly helpful for first-time donors who may not know what amount is appropriate. When bloggers use suggested donation amounts, they often see an increase in contributions because it simplifies the decision-making process.
📖 You might also like to read 9 donation page best practices.
Conclusion
Accepting donations is a way of giving your readers a chance to show their appreciation for the work you do—whether it’s the hours spent researching, the creative anecdotes you weave in, or the practical advice you offer. These strategies focus on more than just financial gain; they’re about building a community that recognizes and values your content. As you continue to create, know that each donation and member is a nod to your hard work and the meaningful impact your blog has on your readers.