How to Set Up an Artist Donation Link (and a Goal Worth Giving To)

To set up an artist donation link, choose one real art cost, set a target, explain that supporters are not buying a commission, file, print, or reward, and place one URL where followers already follow you. A bare support-me page gives little reason to act. Honest limit: the link cannot create trust by itself. A Goal is one named goal with a progress bar: followers make one-time contributions and every contribution is yours whether or not the goal is reached — no deadline unless you set one, and nothing to ship.

What is an artist donation link?

An artist donation link is the support route you use when the payment is not a purchase. A reader, viewer, player, or follower clicks one URL and sends a small one-off amount because they want the work to continue. In ordinary creator language, this is an artist support link, not necessarily a charitable donation.

That distinction protects the relationship. If you are a comic artist raising money for chapter-one print proofs, the supporter is not buying a book through that link. They are helping remove one real cost between you and the next page, zine, map pack, animation test, or convention table. If you are selling a custom portrait, use Custom Requests: name the exact deliverable, set a fixed price and delivery time, and state that delivery is one-time.

Set up the link in this order: choose one cost from your actual workflow, set a target amount, write a title that names the project and expense, add one short paragraph explaining what the money changes, then place the URL where supporters already follow your work. Keep the title repeatable without context. “Help fund colour proofs for chapter one” is easier to share than “support my art journey,” because the supporter can repeat it without retelling your whole situation.

GoFundMe's pricing page states that US fundraisers have a 0% platform fee and a transaction fee of 2.9% plus $0.30 per donation (GoFundMe pricing). That model can be right for personal fundraising, but the fee does not decide whether your art ask is clear enough.

With Brillay Goals, you can open several Goals at once; each one has its own progress bar and its own shareable link, so test prints can be one Goal and the full run the next, and what comes in is money that you spend on whatever the proof run turns out to need. No monthly fee, you only pay a small platform fee when you get paid. 8% platform fee when a follower pays for work, 5% platform fee on tips and goals. Card processing is separate. The same terms are on the pricing page.

Why do bare tip links underperform?

A bare tip link is weak because it leaves the supporter with a payment button but no named reason. That is a practical page-design problem, not a claim about a public conversion benchmark. If the button says only “tip,” the supporter must infer whether the money helps with supplies, rent, software, the next comic page, or general thanks.

Ko-fi art donations are popular partly because the page shape is familiar: one URL, a small payment, and low ceremony. Check Ko-fi's current pricing page before relying on its plan and fee numbers, since a Standard plan and a paid Gold plan with different service fees on tips can change. Fee math matters, but a low-fee button still needs a reason beside it. A Goal puts that reason beside the button: the named cost and its progress bar sit next to the amount field, and the supporter chips in once as a guest, with no account to make and no membership to join.

The stronger pattern is: “I need this specific thing to make the next specific thing.” For artists, that might be risograph test prints, a replacement nib set, a booth banner, reference photos, font licensing, web hosting, or one month of asset tools. Those are not glamorous, but they are believable. A supporter can picture what a small contribution changes.

Write the goal as if it has to work in one sentence at the point of decision. “Help fund convention print proofs” or “Help renew my map-making asset licence” gives the supporter the object, not just the emotion. Then the description can add context: “These proofs let me check colour before the full zine run.” If you need a structure, use a guide to write a goal description that converts before the link goes live.

What makes a goal people actually give to?

A goal people give to is concrete enough that someone can understand it before checkout. It should answer four questions without a DM: what are you making, why does this cost money, how much is needed, and what happens if the full target is not reached?

Use a real number from the art workflow, not a mood. Hypothetical examples: a $72 paper order, a $95 font licence, a $140 booth banner, or a $300 print proof run — each is a real invoice amount, not a vendor's list price, and each gives you a goal that can be explained in one sentence. If your real cost is larger, break it into visible stages: test prints first, full run later. This is not because small goals are morally better; it is because small goals are easier to understand and easier to finish publicly.

Here is the arithmetic artists usually forget. Card processing is separate. If the goal is reached through thirty $10 US online-card payments, typical Stripe processing at 2.9% plus $0.30 would be $0.59 per payment, or $17.70 total, leaving about $282.30 before any other costs. Stripe's pricing page lists typical US online-card pricing at 2.9% plus $0.30 per successful transaction (Stripe pricing).

Kickstarter's help centre states that creators set a goal and deadline, projects can run from 1 to 60 days, and no one is charged unless the project reaches its goal (Kickstarter all-or-nothing funding). That structure is useful when a launch needs enough money to fulfil a larger promise, but it is often too heavy for a small art-supplies goal. A Goal is the lighter shape for that: no minimum to hit and no clock unless you set one, each contribution is yours as it arrives, and nothing goes in the post afterwards.

For a one-off artist goal, avoid reward language unless you really mean it. If the contribution does not buy a print, file, commission slot, or early access, do not imply that it does. Say what the money supports, then keep the checkout simple. A progress bar can make the ask legible, but it cannot replace trust, regular posting, or a cost that makes sense.

Where should the link live?

Put the artist support link where supporters already decide whether to engage with you: your bio, pinned posts, comic page footer, newsletter, commission sheet, stream panel, portfolio footer, and end cards. Treat your bio as the first placement to test because it is visible to profile visitors on many platforms; then repeat the same wording in the places where your most committed supporters read.

The link should not be hidden on a separate support page that only your most determined followers will find. If your bio can hold one URL, send it to a page where the goal is visible rather than a bare payment form. For setup details, see how to add a goal to your link in bio.

Repeat the same goal wording wherever the link appears. If the page says “chapter-one print proofs,” the pinned post should say the same. Changing the label every time — donations, help, coffee, support, emergency, fundraiser — makes the ask harder to recognize and harder for supporters to share accurately.

Hosted donation pages have another trade-off: they are subject to platform rules. GoFundMe's Terms of Service reserve broad, one-sided removal power:

"We reserve the right to refuse, condition, suspend, freeze or ban any Donations, Accounts, Supporter Accounts, Fundraisers, Transfers or other transactions that we believe in our sole discretion may violate these Terms of Service or harm the interests of our Users, business partners, the public, or GoFundMe..." — GoFundMe Terms of Service

Stripe's Prohibited and Restricted Businesses page says it lists business types, products, and industries that cannot use Stripe's services (Stripe restricted businesses). Because GoFundMe's terms leave that removal decision to its sole discretion, its own terms do not promise a fundraiser will be reinstated once removed. That is the structural risk a hosted donation page carries under its own stated terms, not a claim about how often removal happens. Brillay's terms restrict Goals to an identified creator project, and a Brillay page is also subject to Stripe's rules and Brillay's terms; it is not a safe harbour for a fundraiser another platform removed.

Should you use a donation link, a goal, or commissions?

Choose the link type by expectation: no deliverable, progress toward one cost, custom work, or a larger public launch. The wrong structure creates avoidable tension. A supporter who expected a drawing will be upset by a donation link; a supporter who only wanted to chip in may bounce from a commission form.

The fee and rule comparison is less important than the promise you are making, but it keeps you from choosing a tool for the wrong job. Use the table as a routing decision, not as a universal cost calculator. Processing, payout, tax, currency, and account costs can vary by country and payment method.

If you mostly need one-off support for a named art cost, a goal is usually cleaner than a bare artist donation link. If you also want an evergreen thank-you button, keep the wording separate so supporters know whether they are helping a project or simply sending thanks. For illustrators choosing between those shapes, illustrator wishlist vs. tip jar is the closest comparison.

On Brillay, supporters pay by card as guests with no account, and creators in 41 countries can get paid; confirm your country and payout details in how it works. Stripe's own Connect documentation states that on a direct charge, "the merchant of record is the connected account" — meaning the creator, not Brillay, is the merchant of record (Stripe: Understand the merchant of record). That makes the link practical for a small one-off goal, but it does not turn Goals into product fulfilment, reward tiers, or a subscription.

Frequently asked questions

What should I call my artist donation link?

Call it by the thing it funds, not by the payment type. “Help fund the chapter-one print proofs” is stronger than “artist donation link,” because the supporter sees the reason before checkout. You can still use “support” in the button text if the page title names the goal.

Is Ko-fi better than a goal for art donations?

Ko-fi is a good fit for a simple tip-style support page, especially if you want an established coffee-button pattern. A goal is better when you want supporters to see a target amount and progress bar for one named art cost, rather than sending general support with no visible outcome.

Can I use one link for donations and commissions?

Yes. One Brillay page can show Goals beside Custom Requests as clearly separate choices. Keep Goals and Custom Requests separate: a goal promises no deliverable, while a Custom Requests listing states the deliverable, your fixed price, your delivery time, and what is excluded. Mixing those expectations is where disputes and awkward messages usually start.

What amount should I set for a first art goal?

Set the first goal around a real cost you can explain plainly, not around your whole dream budget. Supplies, proofs, licences, booth materials, and hosting are easier for supporters to understand. If the goal is too large, break it into named stages.

Can a Brillay goal be removed or restricted?

Yes. Brillay goals are subject to Brillay's terms and Stripe's rules, just like other hosted payment tools have their own rules. Do not move a removed fundraiser to Brillay expecting automatic approval; use it for an identified creator project that fits the platform.

You do not need a large following or an application approval to start: a clear Goal makes the ask feel like funding one real cost, not begging for vague support. It names the next real cost, shows where the money goes, and gives a supporter an easy way to chip in without turning every payment into a commission.

Create your free Brillay page and set up a goal for the art cost supporters can actually understand.