To do a charity stream on Twitch, an Affiliate or Partner opens Charity in the Creator Dashboard, picks a charity enrolled with PayPal Giving Fund, sets a goal and starts the fundraiser before going live. Viewers then donate through Twitch to PayPal Giving Fund, which grants the money to the charity. Twitch says Bits, subs and tips are not charitable donations, so a promise to pass on your own revenue has to be worded as your personal donation.
The tool handles the money, but you still decide what you tell viewers, and in some countries fundraising law reaches the person asking for donations, not just the charity. This guide covers eligibility, setup, where the money goes, wording, a checklist from planning to wrap-up and notes for Australian, US and UK streamers. Ordinary support such as tips and Bits is compared in our guide to Twitch Bits versus tips.
Who can run a fundraiser with the Charity tool
Twitch's Charity tool article for creators says the tool is available to Affiliates and Partners only, and that charities must be enrolled with PayPal Giving Fund to appear. Its Charity tool FAQ adds that the charity must be in good standing, that Twitch can refuse organisations that break its rules, and that users in Singapore cannot take part because of local regulations.
The two pages disagree on reach. The creator article describes searching tens of thousands of charities around the world with country filters, while the FAQ opens by saying the tool currently supports US charities and donations in US dollars, with global support coming. The FAQ also says donations are tax deductible for US donors. So before announcing anything, search for your charity in the dashboard, check which currency donations will use and do not promise viewers outside the US a tax receipt they can use.
If your charity is missing, Twitch's charitable donations page suggests nominating it through Twitch's feedback site, using another fundraising platform with streaming tools, such as Tiltify, JustGiving, betterplace, DonorDrive or Streamlabs Charity, or sending viewers to donate on the charity's own website.
Setting up the fundraiser, step by step
- Open Charity in the Creator Dashboard menu and search the Discovery tab; leaving the search empty and using the category and country filters lists matching charities.
- Click Create Fundraiser on the charity's card and read the charity details on the campaign page.
- Set a goal. Twitch lets you raise it before or during the campaign but never lower it, and the progress bar in chat cannot be edited without ending the campaign.
- Save the fundraiser, which keeps it as a draft until you are ready.
- Click Start Fundraiser under the My Fundraisers tab; only one campaign can be active at a time.
- Turn on Charity Donations in your Activity Feed filter so you can thank donors on stream.
- Add the tag “charity” yourself, because Twitch does not tag fundraising streams automatically.
- Post the mobile link, twitch.tv/charity/ followed by your channel name, in chat and panels, since the mobile app shows neither the donate button nor the goal.
- Pause with Stop and resume with Restart if you take a break; deleting a campaign later removes it from your list without affecting money already given.
On desktop, the FAQ says your Subscribe button becomes a Donate to Charity button during a campaign, and viewers can switch between donating and subscribing. Subs and Bits still go to you, not the charity, so expect some viewers to ask which is which.
How donations reach the charity
The FTC's advice on donating through fundraising platforms lists six things a good platform should make clear. Here is how Twitch and PayPal Giving Fund answer each one, which doubles as the script for viewer questions.
| FTC question | Answer for Twitch's Charity tool | Twitch or PayPal page |
|---|---|---|
| Where does the money go? | To PayPal Giving Fund, a US 501(c)(3) charity that regrants it to the chosen charity; receipts name PayPal Giving Fund | Charity tool FAQ |
| What fees come out? | Neither Twitch nor PayPal Giving Fund takes a cut; payment processing fees vary with where the donor and charity are | Charity tool FAQ |
| Is the donation tax deductible? | Yes for US donors, who receive a receipt at their Twitch account email | Charity tool FAQ |
| How long until the charity is paid? | Enrolled charities are paid monthly, in nearly all cases 15 to 45 days after PayPal Giving Fund receives the funds | Donation Delivery Policy |
| What if the gift cannot be delivered? | PayPal Giving Fund keeps legal control, tries to ask the donor first and may reassign funds to a charity with a similar cause | Donation Delivery Policy |
| Who sees the donor's details? | Twitch passes your channel name to PayPal Giving Fund; donor names and emails reach the charity only if the donor opts in | Charity tool FAQ |
Two more limits are worth knowing. The FAQ sets each donation between 1 and 50,000 US dollars, and refunds are rare: donations are generally final, with refunds only in exceptional cases and only before the money has been granted.
What to say on stream and in your panels
Twitch's charitable donations page draws a firm line. Money given through its Charity tool, a charity fundraising platform or the charity's own website is a charitable donation. Money given to you through subs, Bits, tips or a crowdfunding page, even if you plan to pass it on, is not, and it is not tax deductible. The FTC says the same about donations to individuals. Twitch's suggested phrasing makes the pledge yours, for example promising to donate part of your monthly payout, and it warns against lines that suggest a subscription or a Cheer goes straight to charity.
Use an on-screen panel or pinned message that covers:
- The charity's full name and, where it has one, its registration number.
- That you are fundraising in a personal capacity, in aid of the charity, and that the charity is not responsible for your stream.
- Where donations go, through the Donate button or the mobile link, and who issues receipts.
- That subs, Bits and tips support you, separately from the fundraiser.
- What happens to the money if a stretch goal or challenge is not completed.
- Any expenses you will deduct, if you are collecting money outside the tool, stated before anyone gives.
Several of those items come from UK guidance on raising money for charity from the Charity Commission and the Fundraising Regulator, which also asks you to name a secondary purpose for leftover money and to avoid personal bank accounts. Australia's charity regulator makes a related point about charities' own appeals in its note on charity fundraising and the public: do not promise that all of every contribution reaches beneficiaries if some will not.
Charity stream checklist, from planning to wrap-up
- Verify the charity on its official register: the IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search, the ACNC Charity Register or the Charity Commission's register of charities, as relevant.
- Contact the charity before the stream; it may have rules on using its name and logo, or an events team that can share material.
- Choose one donation route and stick to it: the Charity tool, a recognised fundraising platform or the charity's own page.
- Never collect donations into your own PayPal or bank account to forward later.
- Write the disclosure panel and a short spoken script for the start of every hour.
- Set up a chat command that posts the mobile donation link.
- Brief moderators on spam, scam links posing as donation pages and questions about where money goes.
- If you add incentives such as a prize draw, check the prize and lottery rules where you live before you announce it.
- Plan the music like any other stream, since fundraising does not change the rules in our guide to music on Twitch.
- During the stream, thank donors in a way they are comfortable with, and leave out the name of anyone who asks to stay anonymous.
- After the stream, screenshot the total on the campaign management page and save the list from View Donations.
- Post a wrap-up with the dates, the total raised, the charity's name and when PayPal Giving Fund expects to pay it.
- Follow up with the charity once the grant should have landed, and keep your records with your other channel paperwork.
Country notes: rules that can reach the streamer
| Where you stream from | What can apply to you | Official page to check |
|---|---|---|
| Streaming from Australia | Fundraising is regulated by each state and territory, not the national charity regulator; tax deductibility depends on deductible gift recipient status | The ACNC page on donating to legitimate charities, which explains the Charity Register and ABN Lookup |
| Streaming from the United States | Donations to individuals are not deductible, and the FTC sends problems with local charities to state charity regulators | The FTC fundraising platform guidance and NASCO's list of state charity regulators |
| Streaming from the United Kingdom | Fundraising on a charity's behalf is regulated; a streamer paid by the charity may be a professional fundraiser, and one who pre-agrees to donate a share of income may be a commercial participator | The Fundraising Regulator's online gaming and fundraising guide |
| Streaming from Singapore | Twitch says creators and viewers there cannot use its Charity experience at all | Twitch's Charity tool FAQ |
The UK gaming fundraising guide is the most detailed for streamers. It separates volunteers fundraising “in aid of” a charity on their own initiative from those fundraising “on behalf of” it at the charity's direction, says a payment from the charity of £10 or more a day or £1,000 or more a year can make someone a professional fundraiser, and covers moderation, game age ratings and loot boxes during charity streams.
Pledges, personal causes and sponsors
Not every good cause is a charity. Twitch allows fundraising for things like equipment upgrades or a community member's medical costs, but says you must not present those contributions as charitable donations. The UK guidance goes further, warning that implying personal-cause fundraising is charitable could amount to fraud. If you want to give away part of your own earnings, do it after your payout arrives and describe it as your donation.
Brands sometimes offer to match donations or sponsor a charity marathon. Treat that as a sponsorship with its own disclosure and contract terms, covered in our streamer sponsorship guide, and agree in writing how any matched money reaches the charity.
Limits of this charity stream guide
This guide uses Twitch's help articles, PayPal Giving Fund's policy and guidance from the FTC, ACNC, Charity Commission and Fundraising Regulator when consulted on 1 October 2026. Twitch's own pages conflict on which countries the Charity tool supports, so the dashboard decides what you can actually offer. Fundraising laws in Australian states, US states and the UK nations differ in detail, and this guide does not cover raffles, prize draws or lotteries, which have their own permits in many places.
Treat it as background reading rather than legal or tax advice. If you are paid by a charity, handle money yourself, run regular fundraising or plan prizes, check with the charity and get a view from a lawyer or accountant who knows fundraising rules where you live.