Twitch has launched beta testing for a new “built-in fundraising stream feature,” according to a Tuesday blog post from the streaming service. The feature, Twitch Charity, is designed to simplify the process of setting up a fundraising stream and collecting donations via Twitch.
Currently, Twitch Creators who wish to host a fundraising stream are required to track donations, convert Twitch currency and manage multiple apps at once, among other tasks. Twitch Charity will “address community feedback around difficulties tracking donations during a stream and the logistics of making donations afterward,” a Twitch spokesperson told CNET.
With Twitch Charity, the app will automatically track donations and process them through PayPal — currently a manual process for the creator. It’s not all just about the creator, however, as Twitch Charity “makes donating to a charity stream more intuitive with a ‘Donate to Charity’ button and providing receipts for donations.”
A select few Twitch account holders were invited to take part in the test, with nearly 200 charities represented on the current beta version, though Twitch said it intends to add more soon. In the meantime, Twitch creators can nominate charities they’d like to see added at Twitch Charity UserVoice.
In the blog post, Twitch also made a point to note that the company “does not take a cut of these donations or receive any tax incentives.”
