You finished designing your website. Great job! Now you are ready to share it with the world and see the donations pour in, right? Not so fast. What’s the donation experience that you’re offering? How does your donation form work? You only have one chance to make a first impression. So make sure it is the best. If donors find it difficult to donate to your organization, your nonprofit is in trouble. Here are the best donation form practices to actually boost fundraising.
As more people donate online, their expectations of the quality and convenience of donating are growing. With some key steps, you can enhance your donation form and see a significant spike in your donations right away!
- Suggest donation amounts with impact
- Encourage recurring donations
- Optimize donation form for all devices
- Make your donation form visible
- Include company matching
1. Suggest donation amounts with impact
Which one gets your attention? “Donate $100 to help ten children get an education” or “Donate $100 to help children like Juan Diego finish the school year?”
Suggested donation amounts nudge the donor to make a key decision. And, by sharing the impact of the donation amount, you are assisting in the decision making further.
Personal stories have a greater impact than any statistic, so do not get too caught up in bragging about your numbers. It is tempting to share your organization’s success, but it is essential to choose the right place.
Donors who have made it this far have already decided to give. More details will not do any good. Adding a captivating story to your donation form can draw the donors’ attention and increase your chance of getting a larger donation.
Try to create an impactful statement for each donation amount and make it easy for donors to choose where they want their gift to go.
2. Encourage recurring donations
Recurring donations should be thought of as the bread and butter for your nonprofit fundraising. With a little effort, you can turn a one-time contribution into a monthly or an annual gift. Include recurring donations in your fundraising plan at the beginning of your fiscal year and encourage other donors to jump on board.
Your recurring donation campaigns can be held annually, with additional touches sent throughout the year with other campaigns. Give your donor a reason to give frequently and thank them especially for their continued involvement in your work.
Make sure the option for recurring donations is prominently displayed. See if you can highlight your most effective or popular donation interval, within your donation form.
3. Optimize donation form for all devices
Last year, donations via mobile increased by 50%. And, the number is likely to grow in the coming years. As more millennials start giving to nonprofits, their preference for mobile giving is noticeable.
Nonprofits that are not targeting the upcoming donor base, will lose much more donations in the long run, than the costs for a technological upgrade right now. Online donation forms are extremely affordable today, make sure your donation form is mobile-responsive and easily optimized for all devices.
4. Make your donation form visible
Once you have finalized and perfected your donation form’s text, you want to make sure donors can see the whole thing on one screen. Ensure that your form is clearly visible on your website, either embedded directly on your webpage or a clear, clickable donate button that takes them to your donation page.
When donors see your form, do they see the whole thing right away, or is it cut off? Do donors need to scroll to find what they want on your form? Time is money, and the more time donors struggle to donate, the less they will give.
5. Include company matching
Company matching is an easy and guaranteed way to multiply your donations. Many companies have matching gift programs wherein they match their employee’s donations toward charities. Often employees are unaware of this perk and company matching continues to be a widely untapped area in nonprofit fundraising.
The brilliance of this benefit comes from its convenience for the donor and the increase in the donation amount. Additionally, If your organization explains the value to your nonprofit and the donor, you cannot miss with this step. Find a donation tool that offers the company matching option within your donation form. Allow your donors to check the company matching option when donating to your nonprofit, and instantly double your funds.
Get ready to reap the benefits!
An optimized and well-designed donation form is the key to increasing donations. Small improvements result in great outcomes. Make sure you are accommodating all the possible preferences of your donors in order to boost fundraising. For example, accept donations from multiple sources – cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay, and PayPal and low-fee ACH & SEPA bank transfers. Personalizing the donor experience and making your donation form easy will encourage your donors to give more.
Author Bio:
Wagisha is a strategic marketer and a writer with the knack to inspire action! Currently, at Donorbox, she is serving thousands of nonprofits from all over the world and helping them raise more funds.
