Get into the game and reach new donors!
Streaming platform Twitch has recently announced a new feature, Twitch Charity. It’s got the potential to change the game for your organisation in a big way.
That’s because teaming up with younger donors just became much, much easier.
Twitch and Fundraising
Twitch and fundraising – despite what you might suspect if you’re unfamiliar with the platform – have already gone hand in hand for many years.
Charity streams are the 2020’s version of the old-school TV Telethon: long broadcasts for a cause run by charismatic broadcasters and entertainers.
But the all-new Twitch Charity promises to:
- Make running a charity stream far easier for streamers
- Allow more charities to partner with big-time streamers
- Connect charities with younger audiences and break down generational issues
- Unlock the considerable generosity of the Twitch audience (yes, really) for social good
But how does it work? And more importantly: how can you make it work?
How Twitch Charity Works
The essential new feature of Twitch Charity is the addition of a Donate button when streamers enable Charity Mode on their channel.
The host or streamer will pick which charity to support, set a fundraising goal and date range, and during that time the usual subscription button will be replaced by the donate button.
Charities must be registered on the PayPal Giving Fund to be available for selection.
Donations can then be made natively on Twitch with just a few clicks, using the saved payment method.
Even better: any support will be shown in the live chat, which is a key part of the Twitch experience, and can easily be shown on the live video using streaming software.
That is, donors can be immediately thanked and recognised for their generosity – and publicly.
Twitch and PayPal will take none of the money as per their T&Cs, and fundraising goals will be updated in real time.
How is this different to previous fundraising on Twitch?
The key difference is that everything is now built in natively to Twitch. Given what was previously required to run a charity stream, this is massive news.
Previously, streamers would have to set up donation pages on third-party sites, track donations using another third-party program, and then (if they could be bothered) display the fundraising progress and celebrate live donations using yet another third party.
The user experience was also much worse. Viewers would have to type in a command to the live chat (such as ‘!donate’), to prompt a bot to reply with a link for donations.
That meant clicking to another tab, leaving the stream, entering credit card details, and so on.
On top of that, streamers would typically have to convert subscriptions, bits, and channel donations into real donations. In short, they are three popular (and essentially identical) ways to support your favourite channel. This was headache-inducing manual work on the streamer’s part.
So why has this got so much potential?
Three reasons:
- Because the Twitch audience is built on generosity already
- Because streamers can thank their donors in real time and recognise their generosity
- Most of all, because the new system is easy for creators.
To give some context: currently, streamers earn the bulk of their income on Twitch from the three mentioned support methods – subscriptions, bits, and channel donations, different ways to essentially patronise your favourite channel.
None of these are necessary as a viewer, though. Twitch is free to use for anyone. Subs do take away ads, but bits and donations are simply a way to support a channel.
The secret ingredient of these support methods is recognition.
Streamers typically set up software to pop up on their live video whenever anyone subscribes or donates. That is, you’re immediately thanked by name/username, publicly, in front of potentially thousands of viewers, when you subscribe.
The Twitch audience is generous, but it relies on recognition of that generosity.
Twitch Charity makes that not only possible, but easy.
So: here’s how YOU can start fundraising on Twitch
1. Register on the PayPal Giving Fund (if you haven’t already)
Setting your charity or organisation up on the PayPal Giving fund is quick and easy. Click here to register.
2. Approach a streamer (or lots of them)
You’ll need to work with a streamer who’s willing to support your cause and has a large enough audience to engage donors.
As another option, you could approach someone with a large enough public profile already, who may be willing to set up a Twitch channel and try running their own stream.
Cross-promotion makes sense as well – you can offer to promote a streamer on your existing channels.
3. Work with your streaming partner on communications
Provide social media posts, what to include in their Twitch ‘about’ section, what comms to include around donate buttons, and so on.
Let your streamer know what talking points to use and share how to best communicate your mission with their audience.
4. Set your campaign date and goal – and start fundraising
After that, it’s just about setting clear dates and times for viewers to tune in, and the fundraiser will be ready to go!
Got any questions about how Twitch Charity can help your non-profit raise more money? Get in touch with the Linked Creative team and we’ll be happy to help.