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The quickest way to add a PayPal donation button to WordPress is to install a donation plugin, enter the email address for your PayPal account, and place the plugin’s shortcode or widget. If you do not want a plugin, create a Donate button in PayPal and paste its HTML into a WordPress Custom HTML block. Both methods send donors to PayPal to complete payment.
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Choose the plugin route for easier placement in several parts of a site. Choose PayPal’s button generator when you want the code supplied by PayPal itself. The menus and plugin screens can change, so confirm the current labels in your WordPress dashboard and PayPal account while following these steps.
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What you need before starting
Have access to a WordPress site where you can install plugins or edit blocks, and have the PayPal account that should receive donations. The plugin instructions summarized for this task describe an account email as the only required plugin setting. PayPal’s own button generator requires a PayPal Business account; a personal account must be upgraded first, an upgrade described as free in the available guidance.
- WordPress access: an administrator account is normally needed to install and activate a plugin. If your role cannot see Plugins → Add New, ask the site owner to install it.
- A receiving PayPal account: use the email address associated with the account that should receive the funds, and check it carefully for spelling.
- A page or widget location: decide whether the button belongs on a dedicated donation page, in a post, or in a sidebar or footer.
- A test plan: after publishing, open the page as a visitor and make a small test donation if your organisation’s procedures allow it.
Neither route requires you to write custom PHP or JavaScript. The plugin supplies the WordPress insertion method; the generator supplies PayPal-hosted button HTML.
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Choose between a plugin and PayPal-generated HTML
| Route | Setup | Account requirement | Placement |
|---|---|---|---|
| WordPress plugin | Install a donation plugin, enter the PayPal email, then insert a shortcode or widget. | Guides describe a PayPal account email as the required setting. | Shortcode blocks in content, or a PayPal Donations widget in widget areas such as sidebars and footers. |
| PayPal button generator | Open PayPal’s button tool, choose Donate, copy the generated HTML, and paste it into a Custom HTML block. | PayPal Business account; a personal account must be upgraded first. | The pasted code occupies the block location where you add it. |
Both approaches use PayPal-hosted payment pages. A plugin does not turn PayPal into an on-site checkout, and generated HTML does not avoid the PayPal redirect.
Method 1: Add the button with a WordPress plugin
1. Select and install a plugin
- In the WordPress dashboard, open Plugins → Add New.
- Search for a plugin whose current listing matches the donation workflow you want. The guides identified Donations via PayPal and Accept Donations with PayPal & Stripe as examples.
- Open the listing and check its current compatibility, update history, author details, and installation instructions before clicking Install Now. Plugin names, settings and compatibility can change.
- Click Activate after installation. If the listing or your dashboard uses a different name, follow the active plugin’s own documentation rather than assuming the labels are identical.
Installing from the WordPress repository keeps the package tied to the site’s normal plugin update process. Do not install several donation plugins merely to test their buttons on a live site; overlapping scripts and settings can make troubleshooting harder.
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- Open Settings → PayPal Donations if that menu is present after activation.
- Enter the email address for the PayPal account that should receive the donation.
- Save the settings.
The summarized plugin guides describe the email as the only required field for this basic setup. Your installed version may expose additional options, such as currency or wording; read each option’s current description before changing it. Do not paste an email address into the page content in place of the plugin setting: the setting is what tells the button where the payment should be sent.
3. Put a shortcode button in a page or post
- Open the page or post editor and place the cursor where the button should appear.
- Add a Shortcode block.
- Enter
[paypal-donation]exactly as shown. - Preview the page, then publish or update it.
The shortcode is deliberately simple. Do not add quotation marks or turn the square brackets into ordinary paragraph text. If visitors see the literal shortcode instead of a button, confirm that it is inside a Shortcode block, that the plugin is active, and that the shortcode matches the active plugin’s documentation.
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4. Put the button in a sidebar or footer
- Open Appearance → Widgets.
- Select the sidebar or footer widget area where the button should appear.
- Add the plugin’s PayPal Donations widget.
- Save the widget area and view a public page that uses that area.
Widget availability depends on the theme. A block theme may present site-wide areas through the Site Editor rather than the classic Widgets screen. If Appearance → Widgets is not available, look for the theme’s widget or Site Editor interface and use the plugin’s documented widget block, if supplied.
5. Test the complete donation path
- Open the published page in a private browser window or while logged out of WordPress.
- Check that the button is visible, readable and clickable on a phone and a desktop browser.
- Click it and confirm that PayPal opens the expected donation flow rather than an error page.
- If permitted by your finance procedures, make a small test payment and verify that it reaches the intended PayPal account.
- Check the transaction in PayPal and record the date, amount and any fee shown there for your bookkeeping.
A visual button test confirms only that the link works. It does not prove that the receiving email, currency, fee treatment or accounting notifications are correct.
Method 2: Add a PayPal Donate button without a plugin
1. Use a PayPal Business account
PayPal’s button generator route is described for Business accounts. If you have a personal account, upgrade it before opening the button tool; the available guidance describes that upgrade as free. Account menus vary by country, account history and PayPal’s interface changes, so use the labels displayed in your own account.
2. Create a Donate button in PayPal
- Sign in to PayPal.
- Open Tools → All Tools → PayPal Buttons, if those menu labels appear for your account.
- Choose Donate.
- Complete the options PayPal presents for the donation button.
- Generate the button and copy the HTML PayPal supplies.
Do not copy code from an unrelated button type. The generated markup contains the destination and button details PayPal expects. If your account shows a different path, search PayPal’s current help content for its button tool rather than guessing at an old URL or menu name.
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3. Paste the code into WordPress
- Open the WordPress page or post where the button belongs.
- Add a Custom HTML block.
- Paste the complete PayPal-generated code into that block without editing it.
- Use the editor preview and the published page to confirm that the button renders.
The block editor may show markup in the editor while displaying the button only in Preview or on the public page. If WordPress removes part of the code when you save, your user role or security settings may restrict HTML. Ask an administrator to add the block, or use the plugin route instead of weakening site security.
4. Test the generated button
Follow the same visitor-level test used for a plugin button: check responsive display, click through to PayPal, and verify a permitted test transaction in the receiving account. Keep the original generated code in a secure internal record so you can restore the block if later edits damage the markup.
Fees, nonprofit status and PayPal Giving Fund
Creating the button is described as free, but PayPal charges a fee per transaction. Published guides in the available material give conflicting percentages and fixed amounts, and those rates can change by country, account type, payment method and nonprofit eligibility. Do not rely on an old rate copied into a tutorial.
- Open the fee schedule shown in your PayPal account before publishing the button.
- Check PayPal’s current nonprofit information, including Accepting Donations Online as a Nonprofit.
- Confirm whether your organisation’s charity status has been verified and which rate applies to the exact payment flow.
- Record fees from the actual transaction details for reconciliation.
Some guidance describes a discounted rate for confirmed 501(c)(3) organisations; another guide says a 501(c)(3) account is required, while other sources do not. That requirement is not established as universal here. Treat eligibility as something PayPal must confirm for your organisation, not as a prerequisite you can assume from a WordPress tutorial.
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PayPal Giving Fund is separate from the ordinary Donate button. It is sponsored by an IRS-registered 501(c)(3) public charity and can grant eligible funds to a charity’s PayPal Business account monthly. Eligible enrolled charities can be listed in PayPal’s app and fundraising site, and donor terms limit grants to organisations recognised by the IRS as public charities under Sections 509(a)(1) or 509(a)(2). You do not need to join Giving Fund merely to place a PayPal donation button on a WordPress site.
What donors experience
In both implementations, the button sends the donor to PayPal-hosted pages to complete the donation. This can provide a familiar payment environment, but the transition away from your domain affects the donation journey.
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- Third-party reviews commonly flag the off-site redirect as a branding limitation.
- Those reviews also say the standard PayPal-hosted flow offers limited organisation branding and that the organisation may not issue its own tax-compliant receipt automatically.
- Fee presentation and customer support are described by those reviewers as potentially unclear or limited.
These are third-party assessments, not PayPal statements. Set donor expectations on your page: explain that payment opens PayPal, identify the organisation receiving the funds, and state how donors can obtain any receipt or acknowledgement your organisation provides.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Placement and content decisions that prevent confusion
Use a dedicated donation page
A dedicated page gives you space for the organisation’s name, purpose, contact details and a short explanation of what happens after the visitor clicks. Place the button near that explanation rather than hiding it among unrelated navigation links.
Use a sidebar or footer only when it is persistent
A widget is useful when donations are a standing site goal, but a button repeated on every page can distract from game guides or other primary content. Check the theme’s mobile layout so the widget does not push the article’s main content far below the fold.
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Label the action plainly
Use a heading and surrounding text that make clear whether the click is for a one-time donation, a recurring contribution or another PayPal flow. Do not promise a tax deduction, receipt or fee treatment unless your organisation and PayPal have confirmed it.
Troubleshooting common failures
The shortcode appears as text
- Confirm the plugin is activated.
- Move
[paypal-donation]into a Shortcode block instead of a Paragraph block. - Check the shortcode spelling and brackets.
- Clear any page cache and test while logged out.
The button is missing from a sidebar
- Verify that the widget was added to the active sidebar or footer area.
- Check whether the theme uses the Site Editor instead of the classic Widgets screen.
- View a page template that actually displays that widget area.
PayPal opens, but the wrong account receives the payment
Return to the plugin’s PayPal settings or regenerate the HTML from the correct Business account. Compare the configured receiving email with the account details in PayPal before accepting real donations.
WordPress strips the generated HTML
Your role, host security layer or an installed security feature may restrict Custom HTML. Have an administrator insert the block, or use a repository plugin that stores the PayPal destination in WordPress settings instead of pasting markup.
The button works in the editor but not for visitors
Test the public URL in a private window, then temporarily check caching, optimisation and security features that could alter or block the button. Re-enable each feature after identifying the conflict; do not leave a protection feature disabled as a permanent workaround.
A payment appears with an unexpected fee
Open the transaction details and your current PayPal fee schedule. Rates are account- and eligibility-dependent and should be confirmed in PayPal rather than inferred from an older article.
Maintenance checklist
- After WordPress, theme or plugin updates, open the public donation page and click the button.
- Review the receiving PayPal account and email setting whenever staff or account ownership changes.
- Check PayPal’s current fee and nonprofit pages before publishing fundraising campaigns or budget projections.
- Keep the donation page’s organisation name, contact route and receipt instructions current.
- Remove a button promptly if the associated PayPal account is closed, restricted or no longer authorised to receive funds.
Which method should you use?
Use a plugin when you want the shortest setup and the ability to place the same donation action in a page, post, sidebar or footer through WordPress controls. Use PayPal’s generator when you already manage a Business account and prefer to paste PayPal’s own HTML into one specific location without adding another plugin. In either case, confirm the live account requirements and fees in PayPal, test the public flow, and explain the off-site payment experience to donors.
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