Many nonprofit organizations rely on their websites to encourage visitors to donate, but they often fail to do so for several reasons.

First and foremost, these organizations need to make a series of changes to their webpages to convert their supporters into as many donors as possible.

Below is a list of 6 strategies that nonprofits can follow to improve donation rates on their websites:

  1. Create custom donation pages for major donors:

Some nonprofit organizations make a common mistake by directing different supporter segments to a single donation page, overlooking that a unified page design may not be effective in attracting all segments. Therefore, the organization should create customized donation pages for each segment of its supporters to maximize the reach of its message to as many donors as possible.

In this context, some minor changes to the webpages can make a significant difference. The organization should consider several factors, including how familiar each segment is with the organization, and whether any segment has donated to it before.

The nonprofit organization can categorize its supporters as follows:

  • First-time donors.
  • Frequent donors.
  • High-value donors.
  • Donors who have stopped donating.
  • Previous attendees of any of the organization’s events.
  1. Avoid repeating the main message and use it to rephrase another message:

Another mistake that organizations may make when designing donation pages is using a main message that the supporter has seen previously on another page or in a past email. It is best for the organization to provide different information that captures supporters' attention, encourages them to donate, or even prompts them to increase their contribution.

The organization can also use some details across multiple pages to further highlight its main mission, or the impact that the donor can make, and better introduce itself to enhance the donation experience. In this regard, the organization can rely on statistics, quotes, or various impactful images.

  1. Simplify the donation page for ease of use:

The organization should avoid excessive complexity in designing the donation page; what it considers a valuable addition may create a frustrating barrier for the supporter in completing the donation task. Instead, it should adopt a concise and pleasant main message and ensure that the page is simplified for the reader by using short paragraphs and various features such as bold and italic font to draw the supporter’s attention to the most important information.

The organization should also include high-resolution images that align with the message it wants to convey and minimize anything that could distract the donor from completing the donation process — including links — to other pages.

  1. Gather important information:

To avoid hindering the donation process, the nonprofit organization should only collect the most important information it needs from donors, although that does not prevent it from requesting some additional information if needed. For example, it might ask the donor for their date of birth if it needs to organize a birthday campaign or categorize donors based on their ages. The longer the donation form, the more difficult it is to fill out, which may reduce the chances of the donor completing the donation process.

  1. FAQs should be useful:

FAQs are important as they provide additional information that hesitant supporters need to feel confident about donating. Some organizations may fall into the trap of listing questions that are not unusual and do not add value to the donation process, which instead increases supporters' doubts.

  1. Position the donation page where visitors can find it:

When a page designer creates a donation page for a nonprofit organization, they should view it from a new visitor's perspective in order to identify the key details and clarify how long the donation process will take. After that, they might consult colleagues or a trusted supporter, and pose some questions such as: Will supporters fill out the donation form? What unnecessary content is slowing down the donation? What missing details might increase their doubts? What can be shortened or completely removed to facilitate a more effective donation process?

It's crucial to think carefully about these questions and review the donation page based on the previous evaluation to ensure that a better version of the page can collect a greater number of potential donors. It is very important for nonprofit organizations to strive to overcome the challenge of converting supporters into as many donors as possible.

If organizations undergo continuous experimentation that shows the success or failure of their actions and clarifies the reasons behind that, it will provide a better experience for donors and help them receive more donations to support their work.

Source: Classy

Author: Justin Breaux