Nonprofits should make online giving as simple as possible to maximize donations. Effective donation forms are crucial to the process. Online giving is a popular donation method. According to Matchpro 260, monthly nonprofit online donations account for 31% of all online fundraising revenue. 63% of donors prefer to give online.
Donors may visit your site, but it doesn’t mean they will donate. In fact, 60% of donors get to the donation page and leave before donating. A poorly designed page could be at the root of most abandonment issues.
The right nonprofit donation page tips could solve these issues helping your organization increase its profitability.
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Organizations should look for the following elements in their donation forms to reduce abandonment rates.
Your donation form should have an intuitive layout with fields for contact and payment information. This format will work well with stored information so donors can complete forms in seconds. They won’t need to worry about error messages appearing because the wrong information was filled into an unpredictable field.
The donation form should ask for essential information- nothing more and nothing less. Extraneous fields will cause confusion and frustration. Review your form to ensure it’s as concise as possible.
According to Nonprofit Source, 25% of donors complete their donations on mobile devices. Ensure your donation form formats well on mobile. Mobile-friendly donation forms should shrink down to fit into a mobile screen. They should have magnified fields making it easy for people to type in information on a phone or tablet.
People are short on time and attention. A complex donation process may increase abandonment rates. You can simplify the process by integrating the following steps.
Donors can become overwhelmed by long, complex forms. Minimize the number of fields you use ensuring you only collect the necessary information. Unnecessary fields should be eliminated.
Auto-fill automatically inserts a user’s personal information into payment forms and other web forms for added convenience. Most websites work with auto-fill.
However, donation sites can make the process even easier by giving donors an option to store their information in the organization’s database. Donors can log into the site and use the stored information to make future donations.
It’s best to limit your donation form to one page. However, if additional pages are necessary, consider adding a progress bar to let donors know how much of the donation process they have completed.
A Spindogs article explains the psychological benefits of a progress bar. According to research, certain neurotransmitters are released when completing tasks making you feel rewarded.
The progress bar plays on an individual’s need to complete the task and benefit from that positive feeling. It also provides a sense of accomplishment as they work their way to the goal.
Nonprofit organizations face an additional roadblock when dealing with online donations - a lack of trust. Some donors may want to give, but if they haven’t worked with your organization before, they may not trust you with their personal information. Here are some ways you can build trust.
Various security measures make people feel secure when entering financial information on a website form. They include:
Nonprofit credentials let donors know that your nonprofit is a legitimate organization and not a fly-by-night setup. They include:
Testimonials and success stories build trust with donors. They show donors that their funds are going to a worthwhile cause and helping your organization reach achievable goals. Post testimonials and success stories on your site in the form of videos, text, and other mediums to improve your organizational reputation.
Personalization is a powerful marketing strategy- and it goes beyond communication. People want to customize the way they donate. Nonprofits that provide options will see the highest success rates.
The following features will support customized donor experience optimization.
Give donors the option to choose a donation amount that suits their budget. Nonprofits can offer customization that makes the donation process faster and more convenient.
For example, the organization may allow donors to choose donation amounts in $25 increments (i.e. $25, $50, $75, $100). Doing so eliminates the need for donors to type in the donation amount making the process faster.
It can also ‘upsell’ the donation. For example, a donor who was prepared to donate $20 may hit the $25 button to make the process easier.
Organizations should also leave a field for donors to input a custom amount if they so choose.
The donation form should also include an option allowing donors to choose to make recurring donations on a weekly, monthly, or yearly basis. Recurring transactions benefit organizations ensuring they receive a steady stream of income. They are also convenient for donors who don’t want to bother filling out a form every time they donate.
Some donors like to give because it makes them feel like part of a community. They may want to stay in the loop with regular updates about your events. They’ll want to know how their funds helped your cause.
Other donors may be reluctant to give for fear that they will receive ‘spam’ emails from your organization forever.
Give donors an option so they can continue receiving communication if they choose. Other donors can opt-out. You can further allow them to customize how they want to receive communication- social media, emails, fundraising letters, newsletters and so on.
Make it easy for donors to give by prioritizing visibility and accessibility in your donation form layout design. Here are some tips that will help you achieve that goal.
An engaging call-to-action for donations can help generate support. CTAs are typically an add-on to an article of value. For example, you may post a blog or video that offers value and follow it up with a CTA stating what you want users to do with the information. Typical CTAs include learning more about your cause, signing up for your newsletter, or donating.
Your CTA should suggest the desired user activity leaving no room for doubt.
Place your donation form in a location that makes it easy to find. For example, you may include a link to your donation form on the header and footer of your page making it hard to miss. Add donation buttons around your page to ensure people know where to go when they want to donate.
Accessible donation forms ensure people with disabilities can give. In addition to opening donations to a wider audience, this also helps your organization’s reputation. Consumers often frown on businesses that don’t offer accessible online features.
Here are some features that make your website more accessible:
Social media is a powerful tool for nonprofit organizations. According to the Empower Agency, 55% of people who engage with nonprofits on social media take action. 59% donate money, 53% volunteer, and 52% donate clothing, food and other personal items.
Your organization can increase its reach with the right social media integration for donations. You may:
People will access your website and donation form across various browsers and devices. Ensure they are compatible with each platform. They should function and format well, regardless of how they are viewed.
Compatibility must be prioritized in your website design. Ensure your designer is aware of its importance.
Emails are an effective fundraising strategy. According to a Big Sea report, 26% of nonprofit donors say emails are the best communication medium to inspire giving. A Neon One article says large nonprofits raise an average of 88 cents per email contact, while small nonprofits raise closer to $6.15 per email contact.
Your organization can make its campaign more powerful by promoting your donation form through email. Send out emails to share your success stories and update donors on what you are working on. Include a CTA to direct people to your donation form to encourage giving.
Vanco offers email templates and subject lines to engage potential donors making your marketing more effective.
Analytics and feedback provide insight into your donor form performance. Here’s how to gather analytics and why it’s important.
Organizations should be aware of how well their form performs. High-performing forms are conducive to donations. If forms don’t perform well, donors are more likely to abandon them before completing the process.
Google Analytics can collect data from your donation forms and generate reports that provide insight into conversion rates for donor forms. It can tell you which forms are most popular, how much revenue the form brought in, the keywords that led them to your form, and how long they spent on your form.
Organizations should use A/B testing to determine which form features work, and which to improve. Send out different versions of your form changing one element. This strategy will allow you to determine how your changes impact donor response. Use Google Analytics to measure the performance of each version.
Google Analytics is not the only method of donor feedback collection. You can also ask for donor feedback. Send out surveys to find out if they encountered any issues filling out the donation form. Pay attention to social media to learn if you are getting unsolicited feedback through those channels.
Vanco makes it easy to create donation forms and pages. Our solution is:
Contact us to learn more about our donation forms and the many ways we simplify online giving for churches.
We’ve put together 100+ pro tools and templates that are guaranteed to boost your nonprofit’s fundraising—no guesswork, no fluff. Here’s what’s inside:
The only question left: Are you ready to turn the chaos into success?
The best way to make a donation form more effective is to eliminate fields. Avoid making your form too long or overly complex. Simplify the process as much as possible.
Keep the information you include in your donation form to a minimum. Ask for what you need to complete the transaction (name, address, credit card number or payment app information, due date and security code). You may also place a summary of your cause somewhere on the page to remind people why they are giving.
Predefined donation amounts are beneficial because they simplify donation forms. People can choose an amount rather than type it in. It can also motivate people to give more than they originally planned to give.
Mobile optimization is extremely important for donation forms. Statistics show around 25% of people give to nonprofits via a mobile device. If your form isn’t optimized, you may be missing out.
Make your form more secure by getting SSL certified. The technology will encrypt sensitive information to keep it safe. It will make people feel more comfortable giving.
Nonprofits risk making several mistakes when designing donation forms. They may design forms that are overly long and complex. They may fail to include accessible features. Creating forms that aren’t formatted for various browsers and devices is another common mistake. Follow donation form best practices to avoid these pitfalls.
Automated follow-ups benefit donor retention by making donors feel like part of the community. They let donors know how their funds were used so they feel confident supporting the cause. Follow-ups also keep donors in the loop about projects and events so they can get involved.
Yes, technology can increase donation rates. It ensures you reach users across various browsers and devices expanding your audience. You can also use technology to promote your cause on social media and other channels.
Online management software helps with donor optimization by centralizing donor information, supporting digital communication, automating follow-up emails, identifying trends, and providing valuable insights.
Imagine setting up your next fundraising event in just five minutes. That’s what Vanco does for you—no learning curve, just a quick setup and an easy, intuitive system. You can try it risk-free and discover what thousands of nonprofits already know: event management doesn’t have to be a chore.