16 Conversion-Boosting Additions to Your Nonprofit Donation Page

Raise more when you pay attention to these subtle details.

Increasing your nonprofit donation page performance is key to maximizing your online fundraising budget. If you’ve got the fundamentals of your fundraising landing page in place, you may want to consider advanced features that can really improve your supporters’ experience on your site. 

As more donors move their charitable giving online, nonprofits are spending more on digital advertising, which was up 19% in 2021 vs. 2020, according to the 2021 M+R Benchmarks study. If your donation page doesn’t convert, your marketing budget might be wasted on clicks that aren’t turning into donations. 

16 Advanced Tips for Polishing Your Donation Page:

1. Incorporate Your Nonprofit Branding Elements:

The first thing you want to do is make sure your online donation page reflects your nonprofit branding elements. 

That’s simply because people use branding elements like color palettes and logos to instantly recognize a particular brand. 

So, from the start, make sure your nonprofit donation page matches your website and your other marketing channels. 

2. Don’t Forget Your Donation Page Copywriting:

Without the proper words to communicate your nonprofit’s needs, you can’t expect anyone to support your cause! 

That’s why donation page copywriting is so important. In fact, it might be the most important thing on this list! 

The right copy that shares your story, evokes emotion, and encourages action is one of the most powerful resources your nonprofit donation page can utilize. 

Don’t forget the words on your page! 

3. Upgrade Your Donation Button: 

Your donate button should be the most visible thing on your website. Make sure you use your brand’s colors and a clear call to action to “Donate Now.” 

There are lots of platforms including PayPal, Stripe, and Givebutter that offer free fundraising pages with a donate button add-on for your website. 

4. Remove Any Distractions or External Links

In the for-profit world, this kind of page would be known as a sales page. Although we’re asking for support for our mission, we’re asking for similar action from our readers. 

So, it makes sense to use some of the same best practices on your nonprofit donation page as a business would for their sales page! 

That’s why we suggest removing any distractions or any unnecessary external links. Encouraging your readers to leave the page means you run the risk of them not ever going back to it. And that can ultimately hurt your online fundraising efforts! 

Try to limit the number of external links or other distractions that cause them to click off the page. 

5. Add a Donation Bubble:

If you already use a donate button, great! Now you can add a donation bubble to your website so every page on your website is a fundraising page. 

Donation bubbles stay visible as visitors scroll up and down on a page and move from one page to another. You can customize its text, color, and link it to your latest fundraising campaign. 

6. Offer Multiple Payment Methods:

It’s worth it to broaden your organization’s donation methods so that you can accept donations from wherever your supporters prefer. Explore free platforms like Givebutter that can enable your organization to accept donations with Venmo, PayPal, ApplePay, GooglePay, major credit cards, debit cards, ACH transfers, and even checks.  

You can also start offering cryptocurrency payment methods! This is a growing nonprofit technology trend that more supporters are opting for. 

We suggest determining whether your ideal supporter uses cryptocurrency or not, and then adding it to your nonprofit donation page if they do! 

7. Be Transparent to Earn Their Trust:

Supporters want to know that you’re not taking their money and running. They also want to feel like they’re as much a part of the mission as those who are doing work in the field. 

So, be transparent with them to earn their trust! Tell them, throughout your donation page copywriting, exactly what your mission is. Share insights into the work you do. And let them know exactly what their money is going to be used for. 

It’s also a good idea to be transparent about how much money you need to raise for the current campaign! 

8. Give Them Donation Tier Options

Not everyone wants to donate $100. And not everyone wants to donate $5. Some want to donate more, some want to donate less. 

So offer a few, clear donation tiers they can choose from. 

The best way to do this is to offer a lower-than-average donation amount, an average donation amount, and an above-average donation amount. 

Your highest tier option shouldn’t be anything unreasonably higher than your average amount. But, it’s okay to stretch that number a pinch! 

For example, let’s say your average donation is $30. You can set your lowest donation tier to $20 or $25. And your highest donation to $75 or even $100. That allows the opportunity for larger gifts, while still keeping the average in mind. 

9. Make Your Nonprofit Donation Page Secure

There are a lot of scams on the internet. And everyone is leery of them! So put your supporters at ease by creating a nonprofit donation page that is completely secure. 

Many online donation platforms help with creating secure donation pages and payment processing methods. 

But you may also want to invest in cybersecurity measures for your nonprofit! This adds another layer of protection for your supporters’ information. And it puts them at ease so they’ll feel comfortable donating to your cause!  

10. Make It Easy to Give Monthly:

Did you know that recurring donors give, on average, 42% more than one-time donors? 

Don’t leave funds on the table! Add an option for recurring payments, and turn a one-time donor into a long-term supporter. 

Many nonprofit online donation platforms, like Givebutter, offer this option. Or you may consider creating a monthly donation program for supporters to opt into!

11. Make It Mobile-Friendly:

According to nonprofit online fundraising statistics, more and more people are using their phones to support missions. 

But they have a hard time doing so if the online donation pages aren’t fit for multiple kinds of devices! 

Using fundraising tools can guarantee that your fundraising page will be mobile-friendly. Take it one step further by checking your page yourself on your phone: Look for opportunities to declutter, shorten copy, and streamline your narrative. Utilize browser or app notifications to reach your customers after they close the site. 

12. Tell Your Story with Video:

In the era of YouTube, Instagram Reels, and TikTok, videos are becoming more and more popular for marketing campaigns. 

And for good reason! People want to see videos. They enjoy watching and engaging with something, rather than simply reading text on a screen. 

Your supporters want to engage with your organization and feel emotionally connected to your cause. 

So don’t be afraid to try out nonprofit video storytelling to share your cause! In your video, clearly explain the problem, how your campaign will help, and the impact it will have. Give previous examples, if you have them, to validate your impact. 

13. Communicate With Your Donors:

Use tech that sends automatic thank you messages to donors. There are also platforms that offer text-to-donate services, like Givebutter and Give Lively. 

You can also integrate your nonprofit donation page into other nonprofit software like your accounting software or your email marketing platform. 

With your accounting software, it can populate transactions and create receipts for your supporters. 

And with your email marketing software, it can automatically send out those receipts or invoices to your supporters. You don’t have to do anything manually, and they’ll appreciate how swiftly your nonprofit acts! 

14.  Offer Custom Donation Amounts and Explain Where It Goes: 

List suggested donation amounts and empower donors with the knowledge of what their donation is going towards. For example, “$50 for 10 school lunches.” 

You can also leave an open-ended donation amount so they can put their preferred dollar amount in. 

If someone wants to donate more, allow them that opportunity to do so! 

15. Tell Them What Happens Next

Don’t leave them hanging! If they’ve just donated, then they care about your cause and want to be a part of your mission. So, you’d be missing out on an opportunity for donor stewardship if you didn’t keep in touch with them. 

Allow them to opt into your email list so you can keep them updated on what’s happening in your nonprofit. Or ask them to follow you on social media! 

Either way, let them know what’s going to happen next in your relationship! 

16. Show Your Gratitude

Similar to our last example, you don’t want to have their donation be the end of it. And that’s for multiple reasons. 

The first is that they want to know they’re more than just a checkbook or a dollar sign. They want to know they’re as much a part of your mission as you are. 

The second is that, by not cultivating donor relationships, you may lose out on the potential for recurring donations.

So after they donate, be sure to thank them! Send a personalized thank you text or email. You don’t have to type it out every single time. But having a pre-templated text message or email that you type their name into goes a long way!

There are tons of advanced services out there, from paid to free, that can help you create a beautiful fundraising page, communicate in more ways with your donors, or link a donation button to your website. The rest is up to you to tell your story and inspire your supporters to join your movement! 

Happy optimizing! 

– Your friends at NonprofitLibrary

PS. Check out our FREE upcoming sponsored webinar by Givebutter-learn about the #1 CRM for nonprofit and the power Givebutter: The #1 FREE Fundraising Platform in America! Plus they have donation pages.

{Register here space is limited}

FREE access to a library of product and service demonstrations for nonprofits without the sales and marketing pressure.