Donations are essential to keep your nonprofit running, but organizations are always wondering about the best ways to obtain contributions from their constituents. With new technology constantly on the move, the internet is becoming a better way to solicit donations. Asking for a donation on your website is easy, but knowing the best practices for how to actually get people to follow through and donate can take a little more research.
Make It Easy
First, make sure the structure of your website is easy to navigate so visitors know where to go if they’d like to make a gift. The actual donation page should be found at a simple URL, like http://www.yourwebsite.com/Donate. A link like that is easy to remember, easy to write out, and easy to share. Some nonprofits hide their donation pages deep within their websites, making them difficult to find, and not friendly for search engine optimization.
On your donation page, don’t hide the donate button under a wall of text. Keep it simple with a nice, big button at the top of the page, along with a bold call to action. If people want to know more about your organization or what it does, they will visit other pages on your website. Users come to the donate page simply to donate, so the primary goal of the page is to allow people to donate easily, not to inform donors of your mission.
Social Proof Works
When one person takes an action, it’s more likely that others will take the same action, and that’s social proof at work. As an organization, you can use this to your advantage. After people make their gift, they can be taken to a landing page where you can encourage them to share their donation on social media. Many people like to show off their charitable giving, and in turn, that gives you free publicity, so it’s a win-win situation.
Profile donors in your newsletter or on social media. This not only puts your biggest donors in the spotlight, it can show others how great it can be to give.
Rachel Horvath 