{"id":9175,"date":"2018-05-24T08:59:26","date_gmt":"2018-05-24T08:59:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hostinger.com\/tutorials\/?p=9175"},"modified":"2025-12-02T15:40:54","modified_gmt":"2025-12-02T15:40:54","slug":"paypal-donate-button-wordpress","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"\/ca\/tutorials\/paypal-donate-button-wordpress","title":{"rendered":"PayPal donate button WordPress: how to add it to your site"},"content":{"rendered":"

No matter the stage of your website’s journey, a little financial support goes a long way. Even though asking for donations might seem too small to make a difference, they can really add up.<\/p>

One of the easiest ways to accept donations is by adding a PayPal donation button to your site, even if it’s just to cover basic costs, like hosting, a domain name, and other tools.<\/p>

Below we explore why you’ll want to add a PayPal donation button to WordPress, break down the associated costs, and show you two ways to do it.<\/p>

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Why a PayPal Donation Button<\/h2>

There are a lot of WordPress plugins<\/a> that can help you collect and manage donations, but often these are overkill. Sometimes all you want to do is add a simple donation button to your site. With this approach, you can add it to any text or widget area across your WordPress site<\/a>.<\/p>

Users can click this button and make a donation via PayPal using their balance or credit card. Since PayPal is a well-known processor, your visitors will know your link is secure.<\/p>

PayPal Donation Fees<\/h2>

Before we continue, there are some processing fees you’ll want to be aware of.<\/p>

There is no cost for placing a donation button on your site. But, to process the transaction, PayPal will charge $.30<\/strong> plus 2.9% of the total transaction. Your contributor won’t be charged, as this percentage will come out of the donation amount.<\/p>

With that out of the way, it’s time to show you how to add a PayPal donation button to your site.<\/p>

How to Add a PayPal Donate Button to WordPress<\/h2>

There are two ways to add a PayPal donate button to a WordPress site:<\/p>

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  1. Generating a button on PayPal’s website and embedding it into your site.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. Using a plugin to connect to your PayPal account and embed a button with a WordPress shortcode<\/a>, or a widget.<\/li>\n<\/ol>

    Both approaches will lead to the same result, so it’s up to you which route you’d like to take.<\/p>

    Creating a Donation Button via PayPal<\/h3>

    With this method, you’ll create a button on the PayPal site and copy and paste the generated code into your website. Here’s how you do it:<\/p>

    1. Sign up for a PayPal Account<\/h4>

    If you don’t have a PayPal account, then you’ll need to create one first. Navigate to the PayPal site<\/a> and click on ‘Get Started Today’.<\/p>

    \"Creating<\/a><\/figure><\/div>

    Decide whether you need a personal or business account and fill out the required fields.<\/p>

    With your account set up, you can create your very own donation button.<\/p>

    2. Generate Your Donation Button<\/h4>

    With your account created, navigate to the PayPal Fundraising page<\/a>, and click on the link that says ‘Learn about creating a donation button<\/strong>’.<\/p>

    \"Setting<\/a><\/figure><\/div>

    Then, click on the link that says ‘Create a button<\/strong>’.<\/p>

    \"PayPal<\/a><\/figure>

    On the next screen, you can start creating your button. From the drop-down box, select the ‘Donations<\/strong>’ option.<\/p>

    \"PayPal<\/a><\/figure><\/div>

    Enter the name of your organization, then click on ‘Customize text or appearance’. The stock button looks pretty good, but you can customize it to fit your site if you wish.<\/p>

    Your next decision is choosing whether you want donors to contribute a fixed amount or whatever amount they wish.<\/p>

    \"Setting<\/a><\/figure><\/div>

    Finally, select whether you want to use your primary email address or use a secure merchant account ID. The merchant account option will keep your email address hidden.<\/p>

    Now, click on Step 2, and check the box that says ‘Save button at PayPa<\/strong>l’. This will save the button for later use and keep you safe from fraudulent charges.<\/p>

    Step 3 is optional, but there are some features you might want to enable like:<\/p>