Guest Post by Stephanie Pous
Adult Americans spend an average of two hours on their smartphones or desktops every day.
Is your organization maximizing its online presence?
If not, you could be missing potential donors.
Check out my 13 tips that will help double your digital fundraising donations:
1) Go Mobile
Grab your smartphone and take a look at your website and donor page.
Are they mobile-friendly?
If not, take time now to become more user-friendly with mobile-friendly preferred width and standard font.
2) Brand Your Donation Page
Your print marketing materials and website pages are branded.
But is your donation page?
It’s an important part of your organization and should include your name, logo and quality copy that all match your brand.
3) Share Your Mission
With so many organizations asking for money, it’s critical to stand out and tell donors why they need to give to you.
Connect with visitors when sharing your mission.
Will their money save pets, educate kids or build homes?
A clear mission encourages people to give.
4) Include Compelling Images
Visual images are often more powerful than printed words.
Your website and donation page must include compelling images.
They help people see what your organization does and can be a powerful motivator for donations.
5) Make Donation Buttons Stand Out
It’s not enough to get people to visit your website.
They also need to navigate to the donation page and give money.
To do that, you need to grab their attention with a large, colorful “Donate Now” button.
It should be located on each page and link to your donation page.
6) Keep the Donation Page Simple
When someone lands on your donation page, they should be able to donate quickly and effortlessly.
Don’t make visitors wade through paragraphs of copy, sidebars, search boxes or dozens of required fields before they can enter their credit card info.
Keep the page simple.
7) Utilize Suggested Giving Levels
Adding suggested giving levels to your donation page can increase the average gift, since this option takes the guesswork out of giving.
Start at $25 and include increments up to $1,000 with the option of selecting a different amount as you use giving levels to increase donations.
8) Promote Ongoing Gifts
One-time gifts are important to your fundraising efforts, but ongoing gifts raise more funds and help you plan your budget.
Encourage ongoing gifts on your donation page.
Entice more ongoing givers with rewards at certain donation levels.
Possible gifts include recognition on the webpage and branded prizes.
9) Add Social Proof
Tell your donors that money is being raised for your cause when you show social proof.
Include the fundraising goal, number of donors, and amount raised either on your donation page or somewhere on your website.
10) Be Transparent
Donors need to know the money they give to your organization is used for the intended purpose.
Include a detailed graph on your donation page or website that shows how much money funds projects versus overhead expenses.
That transparency builds trust and increases donations because it gives donors a clear picture of how their money is allocated.
11) Ensure Security
A secure donation page is another way to build confidence and trust.
Once you secure your website, include the VeriSign logo and BBB logo on the page.
These steps show donors that you prioritize security for every gift.
12) Stay in Touch
Anyone who donates money supports your cause.
Add an opt-in button on the donation page that allows donors to receive email communications from you.
Instead of accepting the gift and continuing to look for new donors, retain the donors you already have as you keep in touch with them.
13) Test the Page
Now that you have an amazing donation page, test it.
Try different suggested amounts, donation button colors or fonts, and see which changes get bigger results.
A few tweaks could mean increased donations.
In conclusion, online fundraising is essential for the sustainability of any nonprofit organization.
If you want to see your donations grow and make things easier on potential and returning donors, incorporate the suggestions above.
About the Author: Jeremy Silverstein is Vice President of Operations and Vehicle Dispatching at Goodwill Car Donations. Silverstein has handled tens of thousands of donated vehicles and has become quite an expert regarding vehicle donations during the five years he has been with Goodwill Car Donations.