What is a donothon?

In a donothon, the countdown only moves with donations: one euro, dollar or pound adds a set amount of time. Subs, bits and memberships can count too, but the format is built around direct donations.

It is popular for charity streams, for channels that cannot rely on subs yet, and on platforms where donations are the main way to support a creator.

The two formats share the same clock, with a few differences:

• A subathon rewards recurring support (subs); a donothon rewards one-off gifts of any size.
• Donations go through a payment service, so you choose the currencies and the minimum.
• A donation-only rate card is easy to read: everyone sees how much time one euro buys.

Marathon-Timer counts donations from several services on the same countdown:

• Connect Streamlabs, StreamElements, Tipeee or Ko-fi from Connections.
• Set the time per unit of currency in Time Settings, and leave subs and bits at zero if you want a pure donothon.
• Add a donation goal with its own overlay and public page.
• Plan a happy hour to give the end of the evening a push.

Be transparent: say which organisation receives the money, how it gets there, and show the total on screen. Viewers give more readily when they can follow the result.

Dedicated charity platforms are not connected to Marathon-Timer. If you collect through one of them, add the time by hand or through a moderator's chat command, so the countdown stays in step with the total.