How to use thanks.dev?

[VigneshVSV]

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I have an account on thanks.dev since 1.5 years. Its not clear yet how external donors can make contributions in this platform. Even for sponsors, it looks like you need to have a repository, apart from an account in the platform, before you start making contributions to other people.

I added a link to thanks.dev in my repository according to github's suggestion, it takes the visitor to a highly general homepage where there is no information about my own repository at all, not even the possibility to make a donation. Just general info about what is thanks.dev, who is on the platform and so on. Then there is information how to connect one's own repository, which is not what the sponsors are looking for (see first pic below). They are looking for a sponsor button instead (see second pic).

And again, you need a github or gitlab account, likely with a repository with dependents to start a sponsorship. If basically I am distributing money to my own dependents, where am I getting it from? (i.e. apart from my pocket)

What am I missing? Am I using it for the wrong purpose - which is to get donations for my own work, while distributing said donations automatically to my dependents ? (which is what I thought was advertised). Then why should I put it in my FUNDING.yml, I can just do it on my own right?

Maintainer of thanks.dev, please do not comment. I would like to hear a third party perspective or an explanation from github why are they asking to put this in funding.yml. Please let me know guys. Thank you in advance.

[systemadmin-lab]

GitHub’s sponsorship ecosystem can be confusing, but here is a breakdown of how it works for external donors:

Sponsors don't need a repository: Anyone with a GitHub account can sponsor you; they only need a payment method, not a project of their own.

The "Sponsor" Button: You must manually enable GitHub Sponsors in your account settings to get that specific heart icon on your profile.

Funding File: To show the button on a repository, you must create a .github/FUNDING.yml file and list your GitHub username.

External Links: You can add direct links to PayPal, Buy Me a Coffee, or Ko-fi in that same FUNDING.yml file to bypass GitHub’s platform.

Thanks.dev vs. Direct: Thanks.dev is an automated tool for companies; for individual donors, a direct GitHub Sponsors link is much more effective.

No "Pocket" Requirement: You don’t have to fund your own dependents to receive money; you can simply be a "receiver" of funds from others.

Organization vs. Individual: If you want a company to sponsor you, ensure you have "Custom Amounts" enabled in your tier settings.

GitHub Account Necessity: Currently, GitHub requires donors to have an account to prevent fraud and manage recurring billing.

Visibility: Once the FUNDING.yml is active, a "Sponsor this project" section appears on the right sidebar of your repository.

External Donors: For those without GitHub accounts, using a third-party link (like Ko-fi) in your README is the best way to accept contributions.

[VigneshVSV]

Hi, sorry offtopic answer, therefore I can refine my question. It was specifically about thanks.dev and not github sponsors which I know how it works.

[roshanthm]

hanks.dev is a platform that lets you financially support open-source maintainers automatically when you use their packages (like npm, GitHub repos, etc.).
It helps developers get rewarded for their work 💙.

🚀 How to Use thanks.dev

Step 1: Sign in
Go to 👉 https://thanks.dev/
Click Sign in with GitHub
Authorize access

Step 2: Connect your payment method

Add a credit/debit card
Or use supported payment options
Set a monthly budget (example: $5 or $10)

Step 3: Choose how to sponsor

You can:
support specific repositories
Support maintainers you depend on
Or let thanks.dev automatically distribute funds based on your dependency usage

Step 4: Automatic support

Once enabled:
It analyzes your project dependencies
Sends money to the maintainers you rely on
You don’t need to do anything manually

💡 Example

If your project uses:

React
Axios
Lodash

Thanks.dev automatically sends small donations to the developers behind them.

🔒 Is it safe?

Yes 👍
Uses GitHub authentication
Payments are secure
You control the budget

🎯 Why use thanks.dev?

Supports open-source developers
Encourages sustainability
Helps projects grow

[mecodeatlas]

Hi @VigneshVSV,

Thanks for being a part of the GitHub Community, we're glad you're here!

If you're looking for help for this specific topic, you might want to try asking for help somewhere that focuses on this project. It's possible that another GitHub user might have run into this same issue and can help, but the GitHub Community Discussions focuses primarily on topics related to GitHub itself or collaboration on project development and ideas. We want to make sure you’re getting the best support you can, but this space may not be the right place for this particular topic.

Best of luck!