How to Show Donation Alerts on Twitch: Tips, Memberships & Orders (2025)
Complete guide to displaying donation alerts, tip notifications, membership alerts, and order notifications on Twitch. Works with CashApp, Venmo, PayPal, Patreon, and more.
Donation alerts are the lifeblood of monetized Twitch streams. When a viewer supports you — whether through a CashApp tip, a Ko-fi membership, a Fourthwall merch order, or a Twitch subscription — a real-time notification pops up on screen, thanking them by name and creating a moment the entire chat can celebrate.
But “donation alerts” on Twitch actually covers a wide range of alert types: direct tips via payment apps, one-time donations on platforms like Ko-fi and Buy Me a Coffee, recurring memberships on Patreon, shop orders on Fourthwall, and Twitch's own Bits and Subscriptions. Each source works differently, has different fees, and requires a different setup.
This guide covers every type of donation alert available to Twitch streamers in 2025, how to set each one up, and how to maximize the revenue you earn from each.
Most Alert Types Don't Require Affiliate
Twitch Affiliate is only required for Bits and Subscriptions. External tips (CashApp, Venmo, PayPal), donations (Ko-fi, Buy Me a Coffee), memberships (Patreon, Ko-fi, BMAC), and shop orders (Fourthwall, Ko-fi Shop) all work for any streamer from day one.
In fact, external payment methods often yield higher revenue — CashApp and Venmo have 0% fees versus Twitch taking 30-50% of Bits and Subs.
Types of Donation Alerts on Twitch
Here's a complete breakdown of every alert type available to Twitch streamers, what triggers them, and what you actually keep:
| Type | Source | Affiliate Required? | You Keep | Alert Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tips | CashApp / Venmo | No | 100% | 5-10 sec |
| Tips | PayPal | No | ~97% | 5-10 sec |
| Donations | Ko-fi | No | 100% | 2-5 sec |
| Donations | Buy Me a Coffee | No | 95% | 2-5 sec |
| Pledges | Patreon | No | 88-95% | 2-5 sec |
| Memberships | Ko-fi | No | 100% | 2-5 sec |
| Memberships | Buy Me a Coffee | No | 95% | 2-5 sec |
| Shop Orders | Fourthwall | No | Varies | 2-5 sec |
| Bits (Cheers) | Twitch | Yes | ~50-70% | Instant |
| Subscriptions | Twitch | Yes | ~50% | Instant |
Revenue Comparison
A viewer cheering 1,000 Bits costs them $14 — you receive about $10. That same viewer sending $14 via CashApp means you keep all $14. A $5/mo Ko-fi membership means $5 in your pocket vs. ~$2.50 from a Twitch Tier 1 sub. External payments consistently deliver 40-100% more revenue from the same viewer spend.
Method 1: Stream Alert (All-in-One)
Stream Alert is the only tool that covers every donation alert type from a single dashboard — CashApp, Venmo, and PayPal tips via Gmail monitoring, plus Ko-fi, Buy Me a Coffee, Patreon, and Fourthwall via webhooks. No other platform offers this breadth of coverage.
Setup Time: 10 minutes (all sources)
- Create your account
Visit streamalert.gg/register — 30-day free trial, no credit card
- Connect your Gmail
Stream Alert monitors emails from CashApp, Venmo, and PayPal for automatic tip detection (read-only OAuth access)
- Connect Ko-fi webhook
Copy your Stream Alert webhook URL → Ko-fi → Settings → Webhooks → paste. Covers Ko-fi donations, memberships, and shop orders.
- Connect Buy Me a Coffee webhook
Copy webhook URL → BMAC → Settings → Integrations → Webhooks → paste. Covers BMAC donations and memberships.
- Connect Patreon webhook
Copy webhook URL → Patreon → Creator Settings → Webhooks → paste. Triggers on new pledges, upgrades, and renewals.
- Connect Fourthwall webhook
Copy webhook URL → Fourthwall → Settings → Integrations → paste. Triggers on new shop orders and donations.
- Customize alert appearance
Choose themes, sounds, TTS, and per-source styling from the dashboard
- Add browser source to OBS
Copy overlay URL → OBS → Sources → Browser → paste URL → set to 1920x1080
One Dashboard, Every Source
Stream Alert unifies all your donation sources into a single analytics dashboard. Track tips, donations, memberships, and orders — see top supporters, daily totals, and revenue trends all in one place.
Method 2: Streamlabs (Free, PayPal Only)
Setup Time: 20 minutes
- Go to streamlabs.com and connect your Twitch account
- Navigate to Donation Settings → Create Donation Page
- Connect your PayPal account as the payment processor
- Customize the donation page URL, minimum amount, and alert design
- Copy the alert box widget URL from the Alertbox section
- Add a browser source to OBS with the widget URL (800x600)
- Add your donation page link to your Twitch panels
Limitation: PayPal only (2.9% + $0.30 fees). No CashApp, Venmo, Ko-fi, BMAC, Patreon, or Fourthwall support. Viewers must leave Twitch to visit an external donation page.
Streamlabs is the most well-known alert tool, but its donation support is limited to PayPal. It handles Twitch-native events (Bits, Subs, Follows) well, but for external payment methods you'll need a supplementary tool like Stream Alert.
Method 3: StreamElements (Free, PayPal Only)
Setup Time: 15 minutes
- Go to streamelements.com and login with your Twitch account
- Dashboard → Tipping → Enable tipping and configure your tip page
- Dashboard → Payment Methods → Connect PayPal
- Dashboard → Alertbox → Select or customize an alert theme
- Copy the overlay URL from Alertbox settings
- Add a browser source to OBS with the overlay URL
- Share your tip page link in Twitch panels and chat commands
Limitation: PayPal tipping only. More customization options and better overlay performance than Streamlabs, but no CashApp, Venmo, Ko-fi, BMAC, Patreon, or Fourthwall integration.
StreamElements offers a cleaner overlay system and cloud-based alertbox, making it a popular choice for streamers who want maximum customization. However, like Streamlabs, its tipping support is restricted to PayPal.
Customizing Your Alerts
Regardless of which tool you use, customizing your alerts makes them feel on-brand and keeps viewers engaged. Here are the key settings to configure:
Design Themes
Choose an alert theme that matches your stream's aesthetic. Most tools offer pre-made themes with animations, or you can upload custom images and GIFs. Stream Alert includes themes specifically designed for tips, memberships, and order alerts.
Sound Effects
Assign unique sounds to each alert type so your audience (and you) can tell the difference instantly. A tip might play a coin sound, a new membership could play a celebration chime, and a shop order might play a cash register.
Text-to-Speech (TTS)
Enable TTS so donation messages are read aloud on stream. This is a massive engagement driver — viewers love hearing their messages spoken to the entire audience. Set character limits (100-200 characters) and enable a profanity filter to prevent abuse.
Tip Tiers
Configure different alert styles based on donation amount for maximum impact:
- $1-4: Simple popup + subtle sound (3 seconds)
- $5-9: Animated alert + custom sound (5 seconds)
- $10-24: Premium animation + TTS reading (8 seconds)
- $25-99: Full-screen takeover + special sound + TTS (12 seconds)
- $100+: Custom mega alert + extended celebration (15 seconds)
Minimum Amounts
Set a $1-2 minimum for alerts to prevent spam. This filters out $0.01 trolls sending offensive messages while keeping the bar low enough for genuine supporters. You can set different minimums for TTS (e.g., $3 minimum for TTS, $1 minimum for visual alert).
Animation Duration
Keep alerts between 3-12 seconds depending on the tier. Too short and donors feel ignored; too long and it interrupts gameplay. Stream Alert lets you set different durations per source and per amount tier.
Twitch Panel Setup
Your Twitch panels (the sections below your stream) are where viewers go to find out how to support you. A well-organized panel section can dramatically increase donations.
Creating a Donation / Tip Panel
Go to your Twitch channel → About → Edit Panels. Create a panel with a clear title like “Support / Donate” and include:
- Your CashApp $cashtag
- Your Venmo @username
- Your PayPal.me link
- Links to your Ko-fi, Buy Me a Coffee, and Patreon pages
- Link to your Fourthwall shop (if applicable)
Adding Payment Links
Use the panel's “Link” field to direct viewers to your preferred payment page. For streamers using multiple methods, create separate panels for each or use a Linktree-style page that lists all your payment options in one place.
Using Stream Alert's Donation Page
Stream Alert provides a hosted donation page that lists all your connected payment methods in one clean interface. Link this in your panels so viewers can choose their preferred payment method without confusion:
Example: streamalert.gg/donate/YourUsername — one link, all payment methods, automatic alerts for every source.
Panel Design Tip
Use a custom panel image with a CashApp/Venmo/PayPal logo collage. Visual panels get 3-5x more clicks than text-only panels. Free panel templates are available on sites like Nerd or Die and OWN3D.
Chat Commands
Set up chat commands using Nightbot, StreamElements bot, or Moobot so viewers can quickly find your payment info without scrolling to panels:
- !donate — “Support the stream! CashApp: $YourTag | Venmo: @YourUsername | PayPal: paypal.me/you | Ko-fi: ko-fi.com/you”
- !tip — “Send a tip to trigger an alert on stream! CashApp ($YourTag) and Venmo (@You) have 0% fees.”
- !cashapp — “CashApp: $YourTag (0% fees, instant alert on stream!)”
- !venmo — “Venmo: @YourUsername (0% fees, instant alert on stream!)”
- !kofi — “Support on Ko-fi: ko-fi.com/YourPage (one-time or monthly membership!)”
- !merch — “Check out my shop: yourshop.fourthwall.com (order alerts show on stream!)”
Don't Overdo It
Avoid setting these commands on a timer. Having a bot spam donation links every 5 minutes feels pushy and drives viewers away. Let viewers discover the commands naturally, or mention them once at the start and occasionally during natural breaks.
Maximizing Donations on Twitch
1. Offer Multiple Payment Options
The single biggest thing you can do to increase donations is accept every popular payment method. Different viewers prefer different platforms — some have CashApp, others use Venmo, international viewers prefer PayPal or Ko-fi. Each additional payment option you add captures donors who would have otherwise passed.
2. Make Panels Visible and Clear
Use eye-catching panel images with recognizable payment logos. Place your donation/tip panel near the top of your panel section (after your About panel). Include a brief, friendly description — never guilt-trip viewers into donating.
3. Verbal Acknowledgment
Always read the donor's name and message aloud. This is the #1 driver of repeat donations. When viewers see that their contribution gets a genuine, personal response, it creates a positive feedback loop that encourages more supporters to participate. Make eye contact with the camera and take a moment to express sincere gratitude.
4. Donation Goals
Set visible donation goals that give viewers a reason to contribute toward something tangible:
- Equipment upgrades: “$200 → New microphone for cleaner audio!”
- Stream events: “$100 → Extended 8-hour stream this Saturday!”
- Community rewards: “$500 → Gift sub raffle for all donors this month!”
- Charity: “$1,000 → Matched donation to [charity name]!”
5. Milestone Celebrations
Celebrate donation milestones during stream to create memorable moments. When you hit $50 in tips for the day, do something fun on camera. When someone gives a particularly generous donation, give them a shoutout and follow their social media. These moments become clips that attract new viewers and inspire future donations.
The Compound Effect
Streamers who implement all five strategies — multiple payment methods, visible panels, verbal acknowledgment, donation goals, and milestone celebrations — typically see 3-5x more donation revenue than streamers who simply put a CashApp tag in their panels and hope for the best.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need Twitch Affiliate to receive donations?
No. External donations (CashApp, Venmo, PayPal, Ko-fi, Buy Me a Coffee, Patreon, Fourthwall) work for any streamer regardless of Affiliate status. Twitch Affiliate is only required for Bits and Subscriptions.
What's the difference between tips and donations?
In practice, “tips” and “donations” are used interchangeably by streamers. Technically, tips refer to direct peer-to-peer payments (CashApp, Venmo, PayPal), while donations often refer to payments through platforms like Ko-fi or BMAC. The key difference is the payment path — tips go directly to your payment account, while platform donations may pass through a third party first.
Can I show alerts from CashApp and Venmo on stream?
Yes, but not through Streamlabs or StreamElements alone — they don't support CashApp or Venmo. Stream Alert detects CashApp, Venmo, and PayPal tips automatically by monitoring your Gmail for payment confirmation emails.
How do membership alerts work?
When someone joins your Patreon, Ko-fi membership, or BMAC membership, the platform sends a webhook notification to Stream Alert, which instantly triggers an on-stream alert. This works for new signups, tier upgrades, and monthly renewals.
Are Twitch donations taxable?
Yes. All income from tips, donations, memberships, and shop orders is considered taxable income in most countries. Keep detailed records of all revenue sources and consult a tax professional for guidance specific to your situation.
Which donation tool should I use?
If you only need PayPal donations, Streamlabs or StreamElements work fine. If you want to accept CashApp, Venmo, Ko-fi, Buy Me a Coffee, Patreon, and Fourthwall — all with automatic alerts — Stream Alert is the only all-in-one option.