---
title: "Donation"
description: "The Donation app adds a Donation product option type to J2Commerce. Once the app is active, you create a Donation option and assign it to any product."
url: "https://docs.j2commerce.com/v6/apps-and-extensions/apps/app-donation"
markdown_url: "https://docs.j2commerce.com/v6/apps-and-extensions/apps/app-donation.md"
last_updated: "2026-10-31T23:07:34+00:00"
version: "J2Commerce 6"
breadcrumbs:
  - title: "Home"
    url: "https://docs.j2commerce.com/"
  - title: "J2Commerce 6"
    url: "https://docs.j2commerce.com/v6"
  - title: "Apps and Extensions"
    url: "https://docs.j2commerce.com/v6/apps-and-extensions"
  - title: "Apps"
    url: "https://docs.j2commerce.com/v6/apps-and-extensions/apps"
  - title: "Donation"
    url: "https://docs.j2commerce.com/v6/apps-and-extensions/apps/app-donation"
---

# Donation

The Donation app adds a **Donation** product option type to J2Commerce. Once the app is active, you create a Donation option and assign it to any product. On the product page, customers see a currency-symbol text field where they type any amount they choose. That amount is added to the product price and carries through the cart, order confirmation, and admin order detail — no extra configuration required.

This app suits charities, non-profits, community stores, or any seller who wants to give customers an easy way to add a contribution at the product level.

## Requirements

- PHP 8.3 or later
- Joomla 6.x
- J2Commerce 6.x

## Purchase and Download

**Step 1:** Go to our [**J2Commerce** website](https://www.j2commerce.com/extensions) **->** **Apps**

**Step 2:** Locate the **Donation** app **->** click **View Details** **->** **Add to cart -> Checkout**.

**Step 3:** Go to your **My Downloads** under your profile button at the top right corner and search for the app. Click **Available Versions -> View Files -> Download Now**

## Install the App

In the Joomla Administrator, go to **System** **->** **Install** **->** **Extensions**.

Upload the `app_donation.zip` file or use the Install from URL option.

![Joomla System Dashboard with System in the sidebar and the Install Extensions link highlighted to open the extension installer](https://docs.j2commerce.com/images/docs/shared/install.webp)

## Enable the App

Once you have installed the app, you will need to enable it. There are **two** ways you can access the extension.

**Option A:** Go to the **J2Commerce** icon at the top right corner **-> Apps**

**Option B:** Go to **Components** on the left sidebar **-> J2Commerce -> Apps**

![Joomla admin navigation to J2Commerce Apps: Components, J2Commerce, Apps in the sidebar and Apps in the J2Commerce menu highlighted, above the list of apps](https://docs.j2commerce.com/images/docs/shared/gift-wrap-apps.webp)

Look for **Donation**, click the **X,** and it will turn into a green checkmark. It is now enabled and ready for setup.

![J2Commerce Apps list searched for "donation", with the search box and the Donation app enabled status icon highlighted](https://docs.j2commerce.com/images/docs/shared/donation-enable1.webp)

## Adding a Donation Option to a Product

The Donation app works through J2Commerce's standard product options system. You create an option with type **Donation** and then assign it to one or more products.

### Create a Donation option

Go to **J2Commerce** **-> Catalog ->** **Options**.

Click **New** in the toolbar.

![J2Commerce Options list opened via the J2Commerce menu Catalog, then Options, with the New toolbar button highlighted](https://docs.j2commerce.com/images/docs/shared/donation-options.webp)

**Fill in the form**

![New option form, Details tab highlighted: Option Name Donation Amount, Unique Name donation_amount, Option Type Donation, Status Published](https://docs.j2commerce.com/images/docs/shared/donation-options-new.webp)

**Option Name:** The label shown to customers above the input field.

**Type:** Select **Donation** from the dropdown. This option type is registered by the Donation app and only appears when the app is enabled.

**Status:** Set to **Published**.

### Assign the option to a product

![Product edit, Options tab highlighted: Select options to add set to Donation Amount (donation_amount) with the Add Option button highlighted](https://docs.j2commerce.com/images/docs/shared/donation-product.webp)

Go to **J2Commerce** **-> Catalog -> Products** and open the product you want to accept donations for.

Click the **Options** tab.

Click **Add Option** and select the Donation option you just created.

![Product edit, Options tab with Donation Amount (donation_amount) added and the Required column highlighted, set to Yes, Ordering 0 and a remove button](https://docs.j2commerce.com/images/docs/shared/donation-product1.webp)

**Required:** When enabled, a red asterisk appears next to the label on the product page, signaling to customers that a donation amount is expected before adding the item to the cart.

![Group Activity product page with the required Donation Amount field with a dollar prefix highlighted above the quantity box and Add to Cart button](https://docs.j2commerce.com/images/docs/shared/donation-product2.webp)

- When the customer tries to add the product to the cart without entering a donation amount, they receive a **Donation Amount is required** message

![Group Activity product page with the validation message Donation Amount is required highlighted under the empty dollar amount field above Add to Cart](https://docs.j2commerce.com/images/docs/shared/donation-product3.webp)

### Verify on the product page

Visit the product on the frontend. The donation input appears below any other product options. It shows your store's active currency symbol on the left and accepts a numeric amount.

## What the Customer Sees

On the product page, the customer sees:

- The **option name** as a label (for example, "Donation Amount").
- A currency-symbol prefix (for example, `$` or `€`) followed by a text input.
- If the option is marked **Required**, a red asterisk next to the label.

When the customer enters an amount and clicks **Add to Cart**:

J2Commerce checks that the value is a positive number. If it is not — for example, if the customer typed letters or left the field at zero — an error message appears and the item is not added to the cart.

If the amount is valid, it is added to the product's unit price for that line item.

The cart shows a donation line alongside any other option details, so the customer can see exactly what they contributed.

The donation line carries through to the order confirmation page and the admin order detail view.

![Your Cart drawer showing Group Activity with the line Donation Amount ($): 5 highlighted, quantity 1, price $11.75 and a free shipping progress message](https://docs.j2commerce.com/images/docs/shared/donation-product5.webp)

## How Donated Amounts Appear in Orders

The donated amount appears in the order detail alongside standard option data:

- **Name** — the option name followed by the currency symbol in parentheses, for example `Donation Amount ($)`.
- **Value** — the number the customer entered.
- **Price** — the same amount shown as a `+` adjustment to the line-item price.

This entry is visible in:

- The **cart summary** while the customer is shopping.
- The **order confirmation** page after checkout.
- The **admin order detail** screen (**J2Commerce** -> **Sales** -> **Orders** -> open an order -> **Items** tab).
- Order confirmation **emails** sent to the customer and store admin.

## Plugin Settings

![Donation plugin, Plugin tab highlighted: Debug Mode set to Never, with Save highlighted in green, status Enabled and access Public](https://docs.j2commerce.com/images/docs/shared/donation-debug.webp)

To access plugin settings, go to **J2Commerce** -> **Apps**, find **Donation**, and click the plugin name to open its configuration.

**Debug Mode**

When enabled, the plugin writes diagnostic messages to `administrator/logs/app_donation.php`. Useful for troubleshooting setup issues. Disable in production.

## What's New in J2Commerce 6

If you previously used the Donation app for J2Store, here is what changed in the J2Commerce 6 version:

- **No separate admin screen.** The J2Store version had an admin settings view under the Apps section. In J2Commerce 6 that screen is gone — there are no plugin-specific settings beyond Debug Mode, which is accessible from the standard plugin parameters.
- **Option type injection.** In J2Store, the Donation type was registered via a dedicated event. In J2Commerce 6, the app injects the **Donation** entry into the standard option Type dropdown at form-load time using Joomla's content form event. The result is the same: the Donation type appears in the dropdown only when the app is enabled.
- **Price application.** The donated amount is applied to the cart item's price at the cart-resolution stage rather than at the option-price lookup stage, because J2Commerce resolves option prices differently from J2Store. The customer-facing result is identical.
- **No database tables.** The plugin owns no tables. Donation amounts are stored as part of the standard option value data on the order item.

## Troubleshooting

### "Donation" does not appear in the option Type dropdown

**Cause:** The Donation app is not installed or is not enabled.

**Solution:**

1. Go to **J2Commerce** -> **Apps** and check whether the Donation plugin is listed and enabled (green check).
2. If it is not listed, reinstall the `app_donation.zip` package via **System** -> **Install** -> **Extensions**.
3. If it is listed but disabled, click the status toggle to enable it, then reload the option edit form.

### The donation input does not appear on the product page

**Cause:** The Donation option has not been assigned to the product, or the option is disabled.

**Solution:**

1. Open the product in **J2Commerce** -> **Catalog** -> **Products**.
2. Click the **Options** tab and confirm the Donation option is listed.
3. If it is missing, follow the steps in [Adding a Donation Option to a Product](https://docs.j2commerce.com/v6/apps-and-extensions/apps/app-donation#adding-a-donation-option-to-a-product).
4. If the option is present but disabled, enable it from **J2Commerce** -> **Catalog** -> **Options**.

### Validation error when entering a donation amount

**Cause:** The amount field contains a currency symbol, comma, space, or other non-numeric character (for example, `$10` or `1,000`).

**Solution:** Enter only digits and a decimal point, for example `10` or `10.50`. The currency symbol is displayed by the app automatically and must not be typed into the input.

### Donation amount not visible on an existing order

**Cause:** The order was placed before the Donation option was assigned to the product, or the option type was not set to **Donation** when the cart item was created.

**Solution:** This only affects historical orders. New orders placed after the option is correctly configured will include the donation line. No data was lost — the order was simply placed before the option existed.

## See Also

- [Apps Overview](https://docs.j2commerce.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&id=47)