Understanding DonateMate Variants and SKUs

Understanding DonateMate Variants and SKUs

If you've peeked at your DonateMate donation product in Shopify Admin and seen a growing list of variants like "Amount: 5.00", "Amount: 10.00", "Amount: 23.50" — don't panic. This is totally normal. Here's what's going on.

Why Does DonateMate Create Variants?

Shopify doesn't natively support "enter any amount" for products. To allow customers to donate any amount they choose, DonateMate uses Shopify product variants  — each unique donation amount becomes a variant on your donation product.

So if a customer donates $7.50, DonateMate creates a "$7.50" variant (if it doesn't already exist) and adds that variant to the cart. This is how custom amounts flow through Shopify's checkout and payment system correctly.

Preset vs Custom Amounts

DonateMate handles two types of amounts differently:

• Preset amounts (e.g. $5, $10, $25): These are pre-created as variants when you set up your preset amounts in the DonateMate dashboard. They're stable and won't multiply.
• Custom amounts (entered by the customer): Each unique amount generates a new variant the first time it's used. Over time, this can accumulate — but Shopify handles it fine.

Managing and Cleaning Up Variants

If your donation product has accumulated hundreds of variants over time, you can clean them up:

1. Go to Shopify Admin → Apps → DonateMate
2. Open your donation product
3. Look for the Clean Up Variants option
4. This removes old, unused variant amounts while keeping your preset amounts intact

Important: Don't manually delete variants from the Shopify product editor — let DonateMate manage them. Manually deleting variants can cause errors when customers try to donate those amounts again.

Don't Add Extra Variants Manually

When editing your donation product in Shopify Admin (Products → [your donation product]), avoid:

• Adding new variants manually
• Editing existing DonateMate-managed variants
• Removing the DonateMate  tag from the product

DonateMate automatically manages variants based on your widget settings. Manual changes can create conflicts.

The Product Looks Different from My Widget Settings

If the amounts listed on your product page don't match what's in your widget:

• The product page and the widget are separate — the product page shows all variants (including old custom amounts), while the widget shows only your configured preset amounts and the custom input
• You can customise how the product page looks to hide the variant selector if needed
• Most stores direct customers to donate via the widget rather than the product page directly

SKUs and Inventory Tracking

DonateMate donation products should have:

• Inventory tracking: OFF — you don't want to run out of "stock" of donations!
• Shipping: OFF — donations are digital products, no physical shipment
• Taxable: depends — check with your accountant about whether donations are taxable in your jurisdiction. See Sales Tax on Donation Products for guidance.

These settings are usually configured correctly when DonateMate creates the product, but it's worth double-checking if you've edited the product manually.

Got questions about how your products are set up? Flick Ben a message — always happy to take a look. 🙌