Live streaming: using stream overlays to maximize donations
Live streaming, donations, overlays… that’s a lot of concepts in one title! But don’t worry, because in reality, it’s pretty simple. 👇
📌 Why use overlays during a live stream?
📌 The different stream overlays on Fundky LIVE
- Donation Alerts
- The Goal Thermometer
- Incentive Alerts
- The Clan Fight Widget (vote)
- The Crowd Control Widget
What is a stream overlay?
Live streaming overlays are simply elements that appear on screen over your live broadcast. These elements can be entire scenes, such as frames to decorate the screen, or single elements placed in different locations on the screen.
Source: BastienArt on Twitch
And for a charity stream?
When a live broadcast is performed as part of a fundraising event, several elements related to donations may be relevant to display on screen. For example, you can show the amount raised in real time through a donation thermometer, or trigger an alert on screen each time a donation is made.
Why use overlays during a live stream?
On top of being very quick to set up, overlays have many other benefits for your fundraising. Here are 5 reasons why you should consider using them for your charity stream:
1. They keep your audience INFORMED of your progress (no matter where they are watching from)
Whether your viewers are watching your broadcast from Twitch, YouTube or your Fundky LIVE page, overlays allow you to display information about your fundraiser right on the screen. For example, you can show the total amount raised at any time, so if someone is watching your YouTube broadcast, they’ll know how much has been raised without having to move to another web page.
2. They keep your audience ENGAGED during your stream
Overlays that are dynamic and spontaneous, like Donation Alerts and Incentive Alerts are a great way to keep your live stream interesting and surprising. You never know when a big donation will be made and appear on screen! (With Star Donation alerts, you can even differentiate large donations from regular donations using a different alert style).
These timely alerts are really easy to set up and keep your audience on their toes during your live stream.
3. They ENCOURAGE DONATIONS
When a donation alert appears, the ball starts rolling! You’ll be amazed at how a donation alert can trigger a flood of other donations. It just goes to show that people can be easily influenced… 😉
Joking aside, overlays are a great way to get donations rolling during your live event, as they create spontaneity and interaction that really engages your audience during your event.
4. They bring an element of SURPRISE and SPONTANEITY to your stream
What we love about a live broadcast is that it’s surprising, it’s unpredictable. You’re really in the moment! By adding overlays that update in real time to your stream, you will create many reactive elements. This will liven up your broadcast and make it much more dynamic!
Source: HyperRPG on Giphy
5. They’re simply FUN!
Adding overlays to your live stream really sets the table to some fun reactions! For example, when a donation alert goes off for a Star Donation (a large donation), the reactions are often quite funny and sometimes even heartwarming. This type of overlay makes room for kind thanks, honest smiles and some pretty amusing moments!
The different stream overlays on Fundky LIVE
Fundky LIVE offers a gallery of overlays that you can access directly from your account. It’s totally free! Simply choose your favorite overlays, customize them and add them to your stream using your favorite streaming software, like Streamlabs OBS or OBS Studio.
By logging into your Fundky Connect account from fundky.live, simply navigate to the Streamer Overlays section of your administration to access the gallery. You can then configure the overlays of your choice and add them to your stream!
For each overlay, you’ll need to configure the settings (such as color, font, element layout, etc.) and paste the widget URL into your OBS to link the Fundky LIVE overlay to your stream.
Donation Alerts
This overlay displays a custom alert on screen each time a donation is made to your campaign. The alert shows the amount of the donation, the name of the donor and their message.
Source: The Fluffle Squad Brickfest charity stream on Fundky LIVE
📖 [FAQ] Configure the Donation Alerts overlay
The Goal Thermometer
With this overlay, you can display the amount raised on your stream in real time through a personalized donation thermometer. The thermometer displays your overall goal and the total amount of money raised.
Source: ON LANCE UN DÉFI À @Gurky 😱 (LAN JDL 2021) – Charity stream on Fundky LIVE during the 2021 Lan JDL Stream-o-thon
📖 [FAQ] Configure the Goal Thermometer overlay
Incentive Alerts
Display custom alerts that will be triggered each time a new incentive is reached. For example, if you have a $250 and $500 incentive (milestone), an alert will be triggered each time one of these amounts is reached in donations. The alert shows the incentive amount and its description.
Source: Fundky LIVE
📖 [FAQ] Configure the Incentive Alerts overlay
The Clan Fight Widget (vote)
With this overlay, you can display the results of the Clan Fight vote. At the specified interval, the full voting result is displayed so you can see which option is winning in real time.
Source: Fundky LIVE
📖 [FAQ] Configure the Clan Fight Widget overlay
The Crowd Control Widget
If you are not familiar with Crowd Control yet, we suggest you take a look at this article from our blog that quickly explains the concept!
The Crowd Control Widget allows you to display a custom alert every time a Crowd Control action or challenge is sent to your live stream. Be sure to enable Crowd Control on your stream for the alerts to work properly!
Source: Fundky LIVE / Note: this example shows text in Lorem ipsum, which is default text. On your stream, these values will be replaced by the donor’s name and the name of the action. For example: Steven [donor name] sends you a flower [action name].
📖 [FAQ] Configure the Crowd Control Widget overlay
To sum it all up: if you’re planning a charity stream, we strongly encourage you to use overlays! Not only are they free and easy to set up, they will definitely add a WOW effect to your broadcast.
Happy streaming session! 😄🎥
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