Our system allows the general public to make payments to contribute to the hosting costs of sites hosted on our service. They can use any of the supported payment methods to do so. However, to limit abuse, restrictions apply and there is an approval process for this feature. Contributions can be enabled on a per-site basis. When enabling contributions, you may elect whether or not to set a contribution code that potential contributors will be required to enter. (Use of this code is recommended when the pool of potential contributors is limited to a small, closed community.)
We do impose some strict limitations on you in conjunction with contributions, the largest of which is that you cannot provide anything of measurable value in exchange for contributions. (In other words, you cannot use it as a substitute for eCommerce.) Also, we will not under any circumstances refund to you as cash (or equivalent) any payments made by third parties. Finally, we are very unlikely to accept donations on behalf of members who have not yet funded an account themselves.
It is also possible to use the contribution system if you are a web professional maintaining sites on behalf of a third party who does not have the desire or ability to maintain their own membership on our system. Using the contribution system, they can make payments for the hosting services you are managing for them without having to give you their payment information and without you having to pay us and then seek reimbursement from them.
For complete information about the contribution system, or to request approval, see the relevant assistance request.