Getting Started with DonateMate

Getting Started with DonateMate

Welcome to DonateMate! 👋 You're just a few steps away from collecting donations on your Shopify store. This guide walks you through everything from installation to your first live donation widget.

DonateMate works by creating a special donation product in your Shopify store and then displaying it to customers via an app block (widget) in your theme. Here's how to get set up.

Step 1: Install DonateMate

If you haven't already, install DonateMate from the Shopify App Store. Once installed, you'll be redirected to the DonateMate dashboard inside Shopify Admin.

Step 2: Create Your Donation Product

When you first open DonateMate, it will guide you through creating a donation product. Behind the scenes, DonateMate creates a special product in your Shopify store that handles all the donation magic — custom amounts, preset values, and seamless checkout.

1. Click Add New Product in the DonateMate dashboard
2. Give your donation product a meaningful name (e.g. "Donate to Bushfire Relief" or "Support Our Mission")
3. Add a description that tells customers why their donation matters
4. Click Save

⚠️ Important: Don't remove the DonateMate  tag from your product, and don't manually add extra variants — DonateMate manages those automatically based on your donation settings.

Step 3: Configure Your Donation Settings

Back in the DonateMate dashboard, you can set up how donations work:

Go to DonateMate > Manage Products > Edit to change these settings:

• Preset amounts: Quick-select buttons (e.g. $5, $10, $25) that make it easy for customers to choose
• Custom amounts: Allow customers to type in any amount they want
• Minimum amount: Optionally set a floor (e.g. $1 minimum)

Step 4: Add the Widget to Your Theme

The DonateMate widget is an app block that you add to your Shopify theme. Here's how:

1. Go to Shopify Admin → Online Store → Themes
2. Click Customize on your active theme
3. Navigate to the page where you want to show the donation widget (product page, cart page, or a custom page)
4. Click Add block or Add section
5. Find DonateMate in the app blocks list
6. Add the widget and position it where you'd like it to appear
7. Click Save

Pro tip: The cart page is a popular spot — customers see the donation option right before they check out. You can also add it to product pages, the homepage, or create a dedicated donations page.

Note: You can only have one DonateMate app block per page, if you want to have multiple donation products, consider using a Product Collection.

Step 5: Test It Out

Before going live, test your donation flow:

1. Visit your store as a customer
2. Find the donation widget
3. Select or enter a donation amount
4. Click Add to Cart
5. Complete a test checkout (you can use Shopify's Bogus Gateway to avoid real charges)

The donation will show up as a line item in the order, just like any other product.

You're Live! 🎉

That's it — your store is now set up to collect donations. When customers donate, the funds go directly to your Shopify payout (same as any product sale). DonateMate doesn't touch the money.

What's Next?

• Set up preset donation amounts
• Add donations to your cart page
• Customise how your donation product looks
• Set up recurring donations

Got questions? Hit the chat button — Ben (the Aussie dev who built this) is usually around. 😊