> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.payreque.st/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Donation Mode

> Run a fundraising goal on your PayRequest Page with a live progress bar, a public donor feed, and monthly auto-reset.

# Donation Mode

Turn your PayRequest Page into a crowdfunding page. Set a goal amount, let visitors contribute any amount they want, and show a live progress bar plus a public feed of recent donors — perfect for community servers, creator support, or covering recurring costs.

<Info>
  Donation Mode is one of three PayRequest Page display modes, alongside **Products & services** and **Amount buttons**. You can switch between them at any time from **PayRequest Page → Settings**.
</Info>

## Overview

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Live Progress Bar" icon="chart-line">
    Shows total raised vs. your goal in real time, with a percentage and remaining-to-go amount.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Monthly Auto-Reset" icon="rotate">
    A monthly goal resets on the 1st of each month — no manual reset, no cron jobs.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Public Donor Feed" icon="users">
    Recent donations appear below the bar with name, amount, and relative time.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Pay Any Amount" icon="hand-holding-dollar">
    Donors can give exactly what they want. Optional preset amounts (€2, €5, €10…) appear as one-click buttons.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

## How It Works

<Steps>
  <Step title="Switch to Donation mode">
    Open **PayRequest Page** from the dashboard, scroll to **What to show on your page**, and click the **Donation goal** tab.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Set your goal amount">
    Enter the amount you want to raise (e.g. `10.00`, `100.00`, `2500.00`). Use the currency configured on your business profile.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Pick a reset period">
    Choose **Monthly** (resets on the 1st of every month, ideal for recurring costs like server hosting) or **One-time** (no reset — runs until you switch it off, ideal for a fixed campaign).
  </Step>

  <Step title="Toggle the donor feed">
    Enable **Show recent donor feed** to display a public list of donations under the bar. Set how many donors to show (1–50, default 10).
  </Step>

  <Step title="Add suggested amounts (optional)">
    Add quick-pick amount buttons (e.g. €1, €5, €10) under **Add suggested amount**. Donors can still type any amount they like in the custom field.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Save and share">
    Click **Save Settings** — your live page at `payrequest.me/<your-handle>` now shows the goal, progress bar, and donor feed. The URL stays permanent; the goal resets on its own.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## What Visitors See

Once enabled, every visitor lands on a page with this structure (in order):

1. **Your avatar, name, tagline, and bio** — same as the other PayRequest Page modes
2. **Donation goal card** — heart icon, period label ("This month" or "All time"), days-left counter, big "€X of €Y" headline, progress bar, and a "X% funded • €Z to go" status line
3. **Donor feed** — recent donors with name + amount + how long ago they gave
4. **Payment form** — preset amount buttons (if configured), custom amount input, name/email fields, and the Pay button

<Tip>
  The progress total is calculated live from your paid invoices linked to the page. Refunds and chargebacks automatically reduce the total — no manual reconciliation needed.
</Tip>

## Reset Periods

| Period       | Resets                                 | Best for                                                        |
| ------------ | -------------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Monthly**  | Automatically on the 1st of each month | Recurring costs (server hosting, subscriptions, community fees) |
| **One-time** | Never (runs until you change it)       | Fundraising campaigns, equipment funds, charity drives          |

<Info>
  Switching from monthly back to one-time resets the start date to "now", so the new one-time window starts fresh. Switching the other way is also safe — the monthly window picks up at the start of the current month.
</Info>

## When the Goal is Reached

When the total hits or exceeds your goal:

* The progress bar fills to 100% and turns green
* A **Goal reached!** badge appears next to the total
* The status line changes to "**Thank you! Extra donations are still welcome.**"
* Donations continue to accept normally — the form stays live so supporters who want to overshoot the goal can

<Tip>
  For a monthly goal, hitting the target early just means the next month starts at €0 on the 1st as usual. Communities often overshoot and "bank" momentum into the following month emotionally, even though the counter resets.
</Tip>

## The Donor Feed

The feed shows each completed donation as one row:

```
Lasse                       €5.00  •  15m ago
Anna B.                     €2.50  •  3h ago
Mark                        €10.00 •  12h ago
Jeroen van Dijk             €1.00  •  1d ago
Sophie                      €3.50  •  2d ago
```

* **Name** is whatever the donor typed into the form. If they leave it blank, it shows as **Anonymous**.
* **Amount** is the actual donation amount in your page's currency.
* **Time** is shown as a relative timestamp ("3 hours ago"), so the feed always feels fresh.

The feed updates automatically as donations come in — no refresh needed for new visitors. To turn off public visibility, switch off **Show recent donor feed** in settings.

## Best Practices

<Tip>
  **Pick a realistic goal.** A €10 monthly server-hosting goal is far more motivating than a €1,000 one — donors love seeing the bar fill up. You can always raise the goal later once you've built momentum.
</Tip>

<Tip>
  **Add 3–5 preset amounts**. Small amounts like €1, €2, €5 lower the bar to participate. Most donors pick a preset rather than typing a custom amount.
</Tip>

<Tip>
  **Write your bio to explain the cause.** Donors give more when they understand the "why". Mention what costs you're covering, who benefits, and why their contribution matters. Two short sentences is enough.
</Tip>

<Tip>
  **Share the link in communities.** Donation Mode shines when shared in Discord servers, gaming communities, newsletters, and social bios — anywhere supporters already gather.
</Tip>

## Frequently Asked Questions

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Does the goal reset automatically?">
    Yes, if you pick **Monthly**. On the 1st of each month, the progress bar starts at €0 again — no action needed. **One-time** goals never reset; they keep counting until you switch modes or change settings.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="What happens to past donations after a monthly reset?">
    They stay in your transaction history and analytics — they're just no longer counted toward the current month's progress total. You can always view the full historical list in **Transactions**.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Can donors stay anonymous?">
    Yes — if they leave the name field blank, they show as **Anonymous** in the feed. You can also turn off the feed entirely if your audience prefers privacy.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Can I see who donated what privately?">
    Yes. The full donor list (with email, exact timestamp, transaction ID, and payment method) is always in your **Transactions** page — the public feed is a curated public-facing view, not the full ledger.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Do refunds affect the progress total?">
    Yes. The total is computed live from invoices marked **Paid**. If you refund a donation, it drops out of the total automatically and disappears from the feed.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Can I switch back to Products mode later?">
    Yes, freely. Your goal settings stay saved on the page — switch back to Donation Mode any time and the goal picks up where it left off (monthly) or from the saved start date (one-time).
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="What currency does the goal use?">
    The currency configured on your business profile. All donations are recorded in the same currency for clean totals.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## Next Steps

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="PayRequest Page Styling" icon="palette" href="/shop-and-checkout/sales-page-styling">
    Brand your donation page with an avatar, tagline, and accent color.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Custom Domains" icon="globe" href="/shop-and-checkout/custom-domains">
    Use your own domain for your donation page instead of payrequest.me.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Payment Providers" icon="credit-card" href="/payment-processing/setting-up-payment-providers">
    Connect Mollie, Stripe, or PayPal so donors can pay through their preferred method.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Smart Links" icon="link" href="/payment-processing/smart-links">
    Build pre-filled donation links for specific tiers or campaigns.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>