# Adding Anonymous Rewards to a Bounty

### Adding Anonymous Rewards to a Bounty <a href="#adding-anonymous-rewards-to-a-bounty" id="adding-anonymous-rewards-to-a-bounty"></a>

Lightning Bounties supports **anonymous contributions**, allowing anyone to add rewards to existing bounties without logging into Lightning Bounties or needing a GitHub account. This feature enables broader community participation and makes it easy for users to support important bounties or fixing issues with sats.

### Understanding Anonymous Contributions

Anonymous rewards allow **anyone to top-up an existing bounty** without requiring a Lightning Bounties platform account. This approach:

* **Lowers barriers to participation** for occasional contributors
* **Preserves privacy** for users who prefer not to create accounts
* **Enables quick contributions.** All you need is a Lightning Wallet that supports [Bolt 11 invoices](https://www.whatisbitcoin.com/lightning-network/bolt-11-vs-bolt-12).&#x20;
* **Supports spontaneous funding** when users discover important issues

### When to Use Anonymous Rewards

| Scenario                   | Why Choose Anonymous                                                                            |
| -------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **One-time contributions** | You don't plan to regularly use the platform                                                    |
| **Privacy concerns**       | You prefer not to link contributions to your identity                                           |
| **Quick funding**          | You want to support an issue immediately without having to Log-In with your GitHub.             |
| **No GitHub Account**      | Anyone can contribute sats to open bounties—no developer experience or GitHub account required. |

## Step-by-Step Anonymous Reward Process

### Step 1: Navigate to the Bounty

{% stepper %}
{% step %}
**Visit** [**app.lightningbounties.com**](https://app.lightningbounties.com/)&#x20;

<figure><img src="/files/I8NsnzeUDJP0TpxvGbXf" alt=""><figcaption><p>Non-logged-in state on Lightning Bounties Platform</p></figcaption></figure>
{% endstep %}

{% step %}

#### **Browse the bounty feed** to find the issue you want to support

{% hint style="info" %}
**Verify the bounty is still active** (no trophy icon indicates it's unsolved)
{% endhint %}

<div data-full-width="true"><figure><img src="/files/izmQtuXXrxy7wsYtlakS" alt="No ⛔&#x22;Trophy&#x22; icon: Bounty is open for you to solve."><figcaption><p><strong>No</strong> ⛔<strong>"Trophy" icon:</strong> Bounty is open for you to solve.</p></figcaption></figure> <figure><img src="/files/uXd7pnNgD9ugLrqozd4r" alt="&#x22;Trophy&#x22; 🏆 icon present: Bounty is solved &#x26; claimed."><figcaption><p><strong>"Trophy"</strong> 🏆 <strong>icon present: Bounty is solved &#x26; claimed.</strong></p></figcaption></figure></div>
{% endstep %}

{% step %}
**Click on the bounty card** to view full details

<figure><img src="/files/wxZovUhztyb6JzygiaQ8" alt="No Trophy Means It&#x27;s Open to Add Rewards to"><figcaption><p>No Trophy Means It's Open to Add Rewards to</p></figcaption></figure>
{% endstep %}
{% endstepper %}

### Step 2: Create Anonymous Reward

{% stepper %}
{% step %}
**Click "Add Reward To This Issue"** on the bounty detail page

* **Review the issue details** to confirm this is the bounty you want to support

<figure><img src="/files/CmzuJfYHBeLd3OrZV2vL" alt=""><figcaption><p>You'l see this on every open bounty</p></figcaption></figure>
{% endstep %}

{% step %}
**Enter the amount** in sats you want to contribute to the open Bounty

<figure><img src="/files/PBDcKkWjUvth2f2UkwkD" alt="Set the Amount of Sats you wish to add to the Open Bounty"><figcaption><p>We will use 5 sats for this demo but you'll likely commit more rewards</p></figcaption></figure>
{% endstep %}

{% step %}

#### Click on Advanced Settings

<figure><img src="/files/lI3ECRjnAnINEPCg7Imk" alt=""><figcaption><p>Critical step for posting anonymous rewards</p></figcaption></figure>
{% endstep %}

{% step %}

#### **Set lock time** for your contribution (optional)

<figure><img src="/files/abqmMpRlbUq90i4lzB7G" alt="Choose between minutes, hours, days, weeks, or months"><figcaption><p>Choose between minutes, hours, days, weeks, or months</p></figcaption></figure>
{% endstep %}

{% step %}

#### Click on Make reward anonymous

<figure><img src="/files/z5Gk8p1RPcRX4GcgDV9z" alt=""><figcaption><p>Critical step for posting anonymous rewards</p></figcaption></figure>
{% endstep %}

{% step %}

#### Click on **Add Reward**

<figure><img src="/files/shlmRqUER9Lg17LKnK0J" alt=""><figcaption><p>This button is available on every open bounty, whether you’re logged in or not!</p></figcaption></figure>
{% endstep %}

{% step %}

#### Almost instantly you should see the "Reward added successfully" pop-up

<figure><img src="/files/7ThAVhOR1Hs2aSASDAM2" alt=""><figcaption><p>Should See pop-up appear</p></figcaption></figure>
{% endstep %}

{% step %}

#### See who contributed at the bottom

<div data-full-width="true"><figure><img src="/files/RCR3zOT2tzNmYJtcpeqN" alt=""><figcaption><p>Scroll to the Bottom of The Bounty</p></figcaption></figure></div>
{% endstep %}

{% step %}

#### Your anonymous reward is now live!

<figure><img src="/files/4RJCNCWNfsZxWGReH2o5" alt=""><figcaption><p>Should See Image Above</p></figcaption></figure>
{% endstep %}
{% endstepper %}

### Anonymous Contribution Scenarios

<table><thead><tr><th width="175" valign="middle">Scenario:</th><th width="220.16668701171875" valign="middle">Use Case:</th><th valign="top">Process:</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td valign="middle"><strong>Supporting Open Source Projects</strong> </td><td valign="middle"><strong>You discover a critical bug in a project you use daily</strong></td><td valign="top"><ul><li>Find the bounty on Lightning Bounties</li><li>Add an anonymous reward to increase incentives</li><li>Share the bounty link with other affected </li></ul></td></tr><tr><td valign="middle"><strong>Community-Driven Funding</strong> </td><td valign="middle"><strong>A developer community rallies around an important feature request</strong><br></td><td valign="top"><ul><li>Multiple anonymous contributors add rewards</li><li>Total bounty grows to attract skilled developers</li><li>Community members share progress on forums</li></ul></td></tr><tr><td valign="middle"><strong>Privacy-Focused Contributions</strong></td><td valign="middle"><strong>You want to support development but maintain privacy</strong></td><td valign="top"><ul><li>Use anonymous rewards exclusively</li><li>Verify payments via Branta</li><li>Track bounty progress without account linkage</li></ul></td></tr></tbody></table>

{% columns %}
{% column width="50%" %}

### <mark style="background-color:red;">Anonymous Rewards Limitations</mark>

***

### No Account Benefits

* **Cannot track contributions** in a personal dashboard
* **No contribution history** or statistics
* **Cannot reclaim funds** if lock time expires

### Limited Support Options

* **No direct support resolution** through platform account
* **Cannot modify contributions** after payment
* **Limited communication** with platform support

### Converting Anonymous to Account-Based Contributions

**If you find yourself regularly contributing anonymously, consider:**

1. **Login through GitHub on Lightning Bounties** for better tracking
2. **Using the** [**deposit system** ](https://docs.lightningbounties.com/docs/getting-started/posting-a-bounty/deposit-funds)for more efficient contributions
   {% endcolumn %}

{% column %}

### <mark style="background-color:green;">Anonymous Reward Best Practices</mark>

***

### Contribution Sizing

* **Start with smaller amounts** to test the process
* **Consider multiple smaller contributions** rather than one large payment
* **Factor in Lightning Network fees** for very small amounts

### Issue Selection

* **Choose well-defined bounties** with clear acceptance criteria
* **Support active projects** with responsive maintainers
* **Verify issue relevance** before contributing

### Community Coordination

* **Share bounty links** in relevant forums and chat channels
* **Encourage others** to add anonymous rewards
* **Monitor progress** through public GitHub activity
  {% endcolumn %}
  {% endcolumns %}

Anonymous rewards democratize bounty funding by removing account barriers while maintaining the security and transparency that makes Lightning Bounties effective. This feature enables broader community participation in open-source development funding


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