Donation Ticker Widget Setup for Streamers

Setting up a donation ticker widget for your stream gives viewers a real-time visual of recent donations, which can encourage more contributions and make your stream feel more interactive. This guide walks you through the process using a common streaming setup (OBS Studio with Streamlabs or StreamElements), covering everything from creating the widget to adding it to your scene and avoiding common pitfalls. You’ll need your streaming software, an account with a donation/alert service, and a few minutes to follow these steps.

What You’ll Need

• A streaming program that supports browser sources (e.g., OBS Studio, Streamlabs Desktop, Twitch Studio).
• An account with a donation/alert service (e.g., Streamlabs, StreamElements, or Streamloots).
• A way to receive donations (like a PayPal or Stripe account linked to that service).
• Basic knowledge of your streaming software’s settings.

Step-by-Step

1. Choose your donation service. If you don’t have one yet, pick a service like Streamlabs or StreamElements. These are free to use and integrate directly with OBS. Sign up and link your streaming account (Twitch, YouTube, etc.) and your payment processor (e.g., PayPal).
2. Set up your donation page. In your service’s dashboard, find the “Donation Settings” or “Alert Box” section. Create a donation link that you can share with viewers. This link will be where they go to donate, and it will trigger your ticker when a donation comes in.
3. Navigate to the ticker/alert widget. In your service’s dashboard, look for “Alert Box”, “Widgets”, or “Overlay” sections. The exact name varies, but you’re looking for something that handles on-stream notifications. Open it.
4. Enable the donation ticker. Within the widget settings, find the “Ticker” or “Recent Events” tab. Turn it on. This is what will display the scrolling list of recent donations.
5. Customize the appearance. Set how many donations to show (e.g., 5), the scroll speed, and the text style (font, color, size). You can also choose to show only donations, or include other events like follows and subs. Save your changes.
6. Copy the widget URL. After saving, look for a “Copy Widget URL” or “Copy Overlay URL” button. This gives you a direct link to your ticker, which you’ll add to OBS.
7. Add a Browser Source in OBS. Open OBS Studio. In your scene, click the “+” under “Sources”, select “Browser”, and name it (e.g., “Donation Ticker”). Click OK.
8. Paste the URL. In the Browser Source properties, paste the widget URL into the “URL” field. Set the width and height to match where you want the ticker to appear (e.g., 800×60 for a horizontal bar at the bottom). Leave the other settings as default.
9. Position and resize. Click OK. Now you’ll see the ticker in your scene. Drag it to the desired location (usually the bottom or top edge) and resize it to fit. Test it by making a small test donation (you can usually send a test event from the service dashboard).
10. Go live! Once it looks good, you’re ready. Your ticker will update automatically whenever someone donates.

Common Mistakes

• Forgetting to enable the ticker in the service dashboard. Many users add the browser source but forget to turn on the ticker feature itself. Double-check that it’s active.
• Using the wrong URL. Some services have separate URLs for alerts and tickers. Make sure you copied the ticker URL, not the alert box URL.
• Setting the browser source size too small. If the ticker is cut off or text is overlapping, your source dimensions are probably too small. Increase the width and height in the Browser Source properties.
• Not testing with a real donation. A test donation from the dashboard is essential to confirm the ticker updates correctly. Don’t skip it.

Tips

• Keep it subtle. A ticker that takes up too much screen space can distract from your content. Place it in a corner or along the bottom edge, and use a semi-transparent background if your service allows it.
• Customize the message format. Most services let you change the text template. Include the donor’s name and amount, but keep it short to avoid clutter.
• Use a consistent style. Match the ticker’s font and color to your overall stream branding for a professional look.
• Set a minimum donation to show. If you get many small donations, you might want to only show donations above a certain amount to keep the ticker readable.

Troubleshooting

Problem: The ticker doesn’t appear in OBS. First, check that the browser source is visible (the eye icon is not crossed out). Then, right-click the source and select “Refresh” to reload it. If it still doesn’t show, copy the URL again and paste it into a regular browser tab—if it doesn’t load there, the issue is with the service, not OBS.

Problem: The ticker shows but doesn’t update when a donation comes in. This usually means the ticker is not connected to your donation events. Go back to your service dashboard, ensure the ticker is enabled, and that it’s set to display “donations” (not just follows). Also, check if you have any filters that might be hiding test events.

Problem: The text is too small or too large. Adjust the font size in the service’s widget settings, not by scaling the browser source. Scaling a browser source can make text blurry. If you must scale, do it proportionally.

Problem: The ticker is laggy or causes OBS to stutter. Reduce the width/height of the browser source to the minimum needed, and close any other heavy browser sources. You can also try lowering the scroll speed in the service settings.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Can I use this with Twitch bits or YouTube Super Chat? Yes, most services can show those as “donations” in the ticker. You’ll need to enable the integration in your service dashboard (e.g., connect your Twitch account and turn on “Bits”).

Q: Do I need to pay for the widget? No, the basic ticker widget is free on Streamlabs and StreamElements. They make money by taking a small percentage of donations if you use their donation page, but the widget itself is free.

Q: Can I show a ticker without a donation service? Not easily. The ticker needs to receive event data, which requires a service to process donations. You could manually update a text file, but that’s not practical for live streaming.

Q: How do I hide the ticker when there are no recent donations? Some services have an option to hide the widget when there’s no activity. If not, you can create a browser source that is only visible when you want it, or use a scene that doesn’t include the ticker for your “starting soon” screen.

Q: Can I change the order of donations shown? Yes, most services let you sort by newest first, largest amount, etc. Look for a “Sort” or “Order” setting in the ticker options.

Q: My ticker shows “Test Donation”—how do I remove that? That’s a test event from the service. You can usually clear test events from the dashboard, or wait for real donations to push it off the list. Some services have a “clear events” button in the widget settings.

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