There are many ways to lead to revenue from readership, while traditional subscriptions have dominated the market for quite some time-- several of our clients are seeing success by basing their reader revenue off of donations. These recurring or one-time donations are a great way for your readership to feel involved in your mission. MediaOS Enabled Websites make this even easier to setup and manage through our Donation Widget. The Donation Widget is a feature found in the Engagements portion of MediaOS. This allows users to donate to the organization of the site.
Step 1: Set up Memberships and Products #
Before configuring donation tiers, ensure that your Memberships are set up. Once memberships are in place, navigate to Sales > Offers to create the necessary donation-based products.
Note: For an in-depth look at setting up Memberships, click here.
Step 2: Configure Offer Packages #
When setting up an offer package, select Custom Pricing to allow donors to contribute variable amounts.
For One Time Supporters: #
For one-time supporters, make sure Auto-Renewal is disabled to prevent recurring charges. Set the Membership Length to 30 days—this temporarily stops donation requests and resumes them after the period ends. Set the base price at $1, and use the Customer Override option to allow donors to contribute more if they choose.
For Monthly and Yearly Donation: #
Follow the same setup process, making sure donors have the flexibility to choose their own contribution levels. To ensure ongoing support, be sure that Auto Renew is enabled.
Step 3: Create an Audience for Active Supporters #
To track active donors, create an audience segment called Active Supporters. Navigate to Audience Settings under the Websites tab and create a new segment. Define the segment using Membership Attributes, specifying the Membership Type as Supporter of [Site's Name]. This setup ensures that all active donors on a specific plan are automatically grouped together.
Step 4: Set up the Engagement Widget #
Setting up the Engagement Widget in MediaOS is simple and offers extensive customization options. This widget allows you to display targeted messages—such as donation prompts—on your website or in newsletters to boost reader engagement and support-based revenue. To get started, navigate to Websites > Engagement and create a New Template. You might use example text like “National News Won’t Cover Local Stores: Donate to Support.” From there, customize the template to fit your needs by adjusting padding, adding a button that links to your support page, and tailoring the message to match your brand and goals.
Step 5: Add the Engagement Widget to Newsletters #
To add the Engagement Widget to your newsletters, open the Newsletter Editor and click Add Block, then select Engagement Page. Choose the Engagement Template you previously created, and define the Audience Visibility Settings. This allows you to hide the engagement from current donors, helping you avoid redundant donation requests and creating a more personalized experience for your readers.
Step 6: Add the Engagement Widget as a Footer #
To add the Engagement Widget as a footer on articles, navigate to Websites > Engagement > Display Rules and create a new rule with a descriptive title, such as Donation Article Footer. Edit the rule with the following settings: set Placement to appear only on posts (not pages or other content types), and Visibility to show for All Visitors, except those with an active membership. Under Exclusion, select your Supporter Audience so the widget won’t appear for existing donors. Set the Restriction Type to Immediate, then click Save to apply the rule.
By applying these steps, you'll successfully implement donor-supported tiers in MediaOS, allowing for effective engagement with potential and existing customers!
