How to Add a PayPal Donate Button in WordPress (3 Methods)

Adding a PayPal donate button to your WordPress site can be a great way to raise money for a cause, accept tips and donations, or fundraise for a charity or nonprofit organization.

With PayPal being one of the largest online payment processors, integrating their donation services into your WordPress site provides a trusted and familiar way for site visitors to contribute.

In this comprehensive guide, we will cover the following methods to add a PayPal donation button in WordPress:

Using a free WordPress plugin
Creating a custom donation form with WPForms
Manually adding a PayPal button with code

We‘ll also discuss important considerations when accepting donations online, customization options, and some of the best WordPress plugins for fundraising.

Let‘s dive in!

Why Add a PayPal Donate Button in WordPress?

Here are some of the top reasons why website owners choose to add a PayPal donation option:

Raising money for a cause, charity, or to cover website costs
Providing an easy way for readers to tip or donate to content creators
Allowing supporters to contribute or fundraise for nonprofits and charities
Giving site visitors a quick option to show appreciation and support
Generating revenue through optional reader contributions
Fundraising for individuals in need, emergencies, or specific causes
Crowdfunding for projects, events, or community initiatives

The convenience of PayPal combined with WordPress‘ customization options make accepting donations easy. You can add buttons, forms, and links throughout your site.

PayPal handles payment processing securely. As the site owner, you simply receive the funds in your PayPal account, minus their transaction fees.

How PayPal Donations Work

When a site visitor clicks your PayPal donation button or submits a donation form, they will be redirected to PayPal to enter their donation amount and payment information.

You can customize donation buttons and forms to include default amounts, specific causes, covering transaction fees, and more.

After completing their payment, the user will receive an email receipt from PayPal. You as the recipient will also receive a notification email and the funds deposited into your PayPal account.

PayPal charges variable transaction fees on donations, which are typically around 3% + $0.49 per transaction:

Transaction Type	Fee
Personal payments	2.9% + $0.30
Charity donations	1.9% – 2.2% + $0.30
Registered nonprofit	1.9% – 2.2% + $0.30

However, charities can apply to have the fees waived through PayPal Giving Fund.

The money you raise can then be transferred to your bank account. You can also leave it in your PayPal account to spend or donate.

Now let‘s go over how to add PayPal donation options to your WordPress site.

1. How to Add PayPal Donate Button in WordPress (Free Plugin)

The easiest way to add a PayPal donation button is by using a WordPress plugin. The best free option is the Donations via PayPal plugin.

Benefits of the Donations via PayPal plugin:

Quick and easy to set up
Multiple button designs to choose from
Option to add button via shortcode or widget
Connects to your existing PayPal account

To get started, log in to your WordPress dashboard and go to Plugins » Add New. Search for ‘Donations via PayPal‘ and click the ‘Install Now‘ button.

After activating the plugin, go to Settings » PayPal Donations to configure your options.

You‘ll need to connect your PayPal account by adding the email you use to login:

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Select your PayPal currency, enter optional donation details, choose a button style, and configure any other options:

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Be sure to click ‘Save Changes‘ when you are done setting up the plugin.

Now you have two options for adding the PayPal donation button:

1. Via Shortcode

Edit the page where you want the button to appear. Add a shortcode block and insert the [paypal-donation] shortcode:

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2. Via Widget

Go to Appearance » Widgets and add the PayPal Donations widget to your sidebar or footer area. Enter a title and optional text:

[insert image 4]

That‘s all there is to it! The plugin handles connecting to your PayPal account and makes it super easy to display a donation button on your site.

Let‘s move on to a more customizable option using WPForms.

2. How to Add a Smart PayPal Donation Form in WordPress (using WPForms)

While the free donations plugin is great for quick and simple donation buttons, WPForms provides much more flexibility if you need it.

WPForms lets you build custom donation forms, capture donor information, send email receipts, and integrate with email marketing services.

The Pro or Elite License is required to use PayPal donation forms in WPForms.

Here‘s an overview of the process:

Install and activate the WPForms plugin
Add your WPForms license key
Install the PayPal add-on
Create a donation form
Configure the PayPal settings
Embed the form on your site

Let‘s look at each step in more detail:

Install and Activate WPForms

If you don‘t already have the WPForms plugin installed, you can search for ‘WPForms‘ in the plugin dashboard and click ‘Install Now‘.

After it finishes installing, click ‘Activate‘ to enable the plugin.

Add Your WPForms License Key

Next, we need to add the license key to unlock the PayPal integration.

Go to WPForms » Settings and enter your license key, which can be found in your WPForms account:

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Click ‘Save Settings‘ when done.

Install the PayPal Add-on

Now we can install the PayPal add-on for WPForms.

Go to WPForms » Add-ons and find PayPal Standard in the list. Click ‘Install Add-on‘ below it to install and activate the add-on:

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Create Your Donation Form

Go to WPForms » Add New to start creating your custom donation form.

Give your form a title, and select the ‘Donation Form‘ template:

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This will load a pre-made donation form template that you can customize using the form builder.

For example, you can add new fields, change field labels, adjust text, and modify the form design.

Under Settings, make sure to update the Submit button text to say ‘Donate‘ instead of ‘Submit‘:

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Configure the PayPal Settings

The last step is connecting PayPal to your form. Go to Payments » PayPal Standard in the form editor.

Check the box to enable PayPal Standard and add your PayPal email address. Select ‘Donation‘ for the payment type:

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Click ‘Save‘ and your donation form is ready!

Embed and Display Your Form

To display your PayPal donation form on a page, add a new WPForms block and select your form:

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You can also use the WPForms widget to embed it in sidebars, footers, and other widget areas.

And that‘s it! With WPForms and PayPal Standard, you can create beautiful customizable donation forms for your WordPress site in just a few minutes.

3. How to Manually Add a PayPal Donate Button in WordPress (Code Method)

If you don‘t want to use a plugin, you can manually generate a PayPal donation button and add the code to your page.

This involves getting a button snippet from PayPal and embedding it using an HTML block in WordPress.

Here are the steps to add a PayPal donate button with code:

Generate button code at PayPal
Copy button snippet
Create HTML block in WordPress
Paste snippet into HTML block
Customize button image (optional)

Let‘s look at each part of the process.

Generate Button Code at PayPal

Select the ‘Donate‘ option:

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Follow the steps to generate a button. Choose options like currency, language, and button style.

At the final step, click ‘Finish and Get Code‘.

Copy Button Snippet

This will display code snippets to use your button. We want the one labeled ‘Shareable Link‘.

It will start with https://www.paypal.com/ and looks like this:

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Copy the shareable link to your clipboard. This allows customizing the button image.

Create HTML Block in WordPress

Now go to the page or post where you want to add the button. Add a new HTML block:

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Paste Snippet Into HTML Block

Insert the following code snippet into the HTML block, replacing the link with your shareable link from PayPal:

<a href="Your Shareable Link from PayPal" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">
  <img src="https://www.paypal.com/en_US/i/btn/x-click-but21.gif" alt="Click to Donate"/> 
</a>

It should look like this:

[insert image 14]

Customize Button Image (Optional)

If you want to use a different button image, replace the src link in the code with one of these options:

[insert PayPal button image options]

Or use the URL of your own custom image uploaded to your media library.

When you‘re ready, update or publish the page and your manually coded PayPal donation button will be live!

Customizing and Configuring Your PayPal Donations

Now that you know how to add PayPal donation buttons and forms to your WordPress site, let‘s go over some customization and configuration tips.

Creating a Dedicated Donation Page

Rather than adding donation forms or buttons to existing pages, consider creating a dedicated donation landing page.

This provides a focused experience for visitors who want to contribute to your cause or project.

Having a separate donation page also allows you to optimize the design, content, and calls-to-action specifically for converting donors.

Collecting Donor Information

When using options like WPForms, you can customize forms to collect additional information from donors like:

Name and contact details
Address for receipts
Whether to make donation anonymously or publicly

This helps build relationships with donors and cultivate support for your mission.

Sending Donation Receipts and Follow-Up Emails

It‘s important to thank donors and provide receipts for their records. PayPal will automatically send transaction emails, but you can also configure WPForms and other plugins to send custom emails.

Follow-up emails are also a great way to engage donors, update them on your progress, and encourage additional donations.

Setting Donation Goals

Consider displaying progress bars, thermometers, or goals showing how close you are to reaching specific donation targets.

Visitors are more inclined to give when they see how their contribution helps you achieve an objective.

Donation Matching and Special Promotions

Running limited-time promotions with donation matching or bonuses can increase contributions and excitement.

For example "All donations matched this week!" or "Donate $50 or more to receive a special gift."

Showing Donor Testimonials and Social Proof

Displaying stories, quotes, and feedback from past donors helps establish credibility.

Seeing that others have happily contributed makes visitors feel more secure donating themselves.

Using Popups or Slide-Ins

If you don‘t want to use space on your pages for permanent donation forms, consider a popup or slide-in form that appears after a certain time on site or upon exit intent.

Popups and slide-ins can boost conversions without taking away from your content.

Best Practices for PayPal Donations

If you plan on collecting significant donations through PayPal, be sure to follow these best practices:

Provide complete transparency on how funds will be used or allocated. Being upfront builds donor trust.
Make it clear who is collecting the donations. List your business name, charity or organization, and contact information.
Avoid claims that sound unrealistic or misleading. State facts accurately and objectively.
Ensure donors know that contributions are voluntary and optional. Never pressure.
Follow all laws and regulations that apply to fundraising and donations in your region.
Have a plan to protect donor privacy and data security. Never share info without consent.

By being ethical and transparent, you will foster goodwill and a positive reputation with donors.

Top PayPal Donation Plugins for WordPress

Here is a summary of the top three recommended plugins for accepting PayPal donations on your WordPress site:

Donations via PayPal

Simple and easy to set up
Shortcode and widget available
Free basic donation button

WPForms + PayPal Add-On

Build custom donation forms
Collect donor information
Accept credit cards too
More features with pro license

WP Charitable

Created for nonprofits and fundraising
Unlimited donation forms and campaigns
Full donor management and reporting
Advanced features to maximize donations

WP Charitable is the best choice for charities, churches, and nonprofits looking for complete donation solutions. But the free Donations via PayPal plugin is a great starting point for basic donation needs.

Conclusion

Accepting PayPal donations on your WordPress site is easy when using an intuitive plugin like Donations via PayPal or WPForms.

The manual code method works as well for simple buttons without needing a plugin.

Just make sure to follow best practices, provide donors with a smooth experience, and clearly explain how their contributions help your cause.

We hope this complete guide gave you all the tips and information you need to start collecting online donations through PayPal.

The ability to easily accept payments and donations is a huge benefit of using WordPress. So leverage tools like PayPal to maximize your fundraising and support.