7 Donation Page Best Practices for Nonprofits
Donation form solutions are common, and it can be hard to distinguish a great form from a poor one. However, your donation page will have a significant impact on donor dropoff, the amount that donors contribute, and their perception of your organization. Here are 7 best practices to follow to make sure your nonprofit donation page converts.
It has great security.
Online donation security is increasingly important for nonprofits, as data security breaches are becoming more and more common. Make sure that your solution prioritizes security and contains ways to protect your donors’ information above just the basics. For a more in-depth analysis of the importance of donation security and how to ensure your solution is secure, check out our recent posts [hyperlink to security articles previously written].
It keeps things short.
One of the biggest dangers in nonprofit work is an attitude of “it can’t hurt.” Adding more and more fields and options to your form will not only frustrate your donors, it will cost you money. Many donations are given over mobile phone (around 17% in 2018), and long donation forms can be overwhelming on a phone screen. Ask only what you need, and make sure it can be completed quickly and efficiently.
It captures emails.
Generally, you want to avoid requiring additional information from your donors. The more fields they have to fill out, the more likely they will just give up in the middle of the process. However, donors will give an email in order to get a receipt for their donation—make sure there is an option to sign up for your newsletter list as part of this. The more emails you collect, the more your email list grows, and the more ways you can connect with your donors!
It allows tipping or covering of fees.
Did you know that nonprofits have reported up to 65% of donors opted to cover the online processing fees for their donations? That translates into hundreds or thousands of dollars in fees that your nonprofit no longer has to pay, allowing gifts to go even further for your cause. If your online donation form does not already offer this option, get it as soon as possible. Don’t lose out on more money for your cause!
It’s simple.
Avoid distracting your donors. Minimal elements on a page take advantage of white space and direct your users eyes to what’s important. Include one large hero image, a short piece of copy, and a short form. The rest will just distract your donors from contributing!
It’s embedded in your site.
Making your donors navigate away from your domain to contribute causes a couple problems. First of all, many donors start to worry if they are on the correct site and whether this is actually going to your organization. Secondly, the more clicks it takes a donor to get to donating, the higher your rate of dropoff will be. Avoid these issues by embedding the form on a page on your site.
It has multiple payment methods.
Donors want to give to your organization using the method they feel comfortable with. Some donors swear by Paypal, others will only give by credit card, and others want to give through ACH transactions to cut down on fees even further. On top of those basic options, there’s Apple Pay and others, which help donors to complete forms quickly without having to enter a credit card by hand. Find a solution that makes giving easy for your donors and allows them to give in multiple ways. For CharityGiving, we developed a unique solution called OneClick Donation® that allows donors to authorize a donation simply by using their phone—streamlining the process and increasing the security of their information.
These best practices will help you to choose the right donation solution and get the most money for your cause. Have more specific questions about donor dropoff? Read our recent article [link to Donor Dropoff article].
