Soapbox Engage Blog

Online giving grew 6.8% in 2019 and made up about 13% of the average nonprofit’s total revenue--and that number is sure to keep growing! That means your donation page is the foundation of all your online fundraising efforts and practically an industry standard at this point!

Before we get into the year-end fundraising rush, we’d like to take a moment to get “back to the basics” about donation pages. Not all donation pages are created equal (trust us… we’ve seen a lot of them).

We want to help you do a quick “donation page check-up” to make sure you’ve got all the essential features to get the most out of your fundraising efforts. Plus, having a beautiful, functional donation page is an easy way to show your donors some love.

Table of Contents

Effective Online Donation Pages

• Part art and part science

9 Donation Page Features and Best Practices for Every Nonprofit

• Easy to find donate buttons
• Include donation page on your main website
• The donation form is mobile-friendly
• Include a compelling “why”
• Offer suggested donation amounts
• Offer recurring donations as an option, not a default
• Fewer information fields
• Include your contact information
• Thank-you page

Effective Online Donation Pages: Part Art and Part Science

An online donation page shouldn’t be the only path to accepting financial gifts. Still, it’s definitely a cornerstone of a holistic and effective fundraising strategy. As we said before, online giving is growing in popularity, so it’s critical to welcome donors who want to make online gifts with open arms!

But is there a formula or template for creating the most effective donation page? Well, yes and no. There’s not a single “one donation page that will definitely out-perform all the others” (we wish it was that simple). Like many things in fundraising, donation pages are part art, part science, with a dash of experimenting to see what works best!

Dozens (or even hundreds) of studies have been conducted over the years to learn what works and why. The “science” is including the features we know from experience are most likely to help donors navigate the giving process easily.

The “art” refers to the design choices and storytelling that uniquely connects with your ideal donors and reflects your organization’s values. You can follow all the “best practice” rules, but it’s just as important to personalize the message and make the donation page tell your story to your specific audience.

9 Donation Page Features and Best Practices Every Nonprofit Should Adopt

Here are 9 essential features we believe every nonprofit should include in their fundraising pages. The great news is any Soapbox Engage Donation page can check all these boxes!

1) Easy to find donate buttons.

This one seems a little obvious, but you’d be surprised how many nonprofit websites don’t have a prominent Donate button or link! Donors shouldn’t need to search to learn where to give online.

One rule of thumb is that a new user should be able to locate a Donate button within 5 seconds of arriving at your homepage. Most people look for this button on or around the top navigation bar that appears on every page of your website.

You never know what particular content or piece of information will resonate with a person and inspire them to give right then and there! That’s why most industry leaders recommend putting it on the navigation bar throughout your website, not just on the homepage.

2) Your donation page is part of your main website.

Keeping donors on your website (instead of directing them to a third-party page) reassures them that they’re in the right place. It also reduces the number of steps they must complete to make a donation. It also increases the likelihood that they’ll continue interacting with other pages on your website after they give. Who knows… they might even respond to another call-to-action, like signing up for an event!

3) The donation form is mobile-friendly.

Really, your entire site should be mobile-friendly, but it’s especially critical for your donation page! More than 14% of online donations come from mobile devices like cell phones and iPads.

There are different ways to make your website mobile-friendly, but everyone has different sized screens these days. The most practical approach is to use a “responsive design” that resizes and reorganizes content to fit the particular screen.

The Soapbox Engage Donations app uses a mobile-friendly, responsive design so your donors can easily engage with your entire donation page, whether they’re scrolling on their smartphone or searching from their desktop!

4) Include a compelling “why” on your donation page.

Your job of telling your story and inviting people to be a part of the mission isn’t over when they click the “donate” button. Not everyone who makes it to your donation page is thoroughly convinced to give their hard-earned money to your cause. Including a short but compelling reason for why someone should make a donation can really help draw them in.

You’ll want to craft your story, so it motivates and compels your donors rather than coming across as emotional, manipulative, or self-serving. This usually requires a little exploration and experimentation to learn and understand what kind of story connects best with your donors. Still, even the process of crafting the story can be beneficial for your overall fundraising efforts.

5) Offer suggested donation amounts.

Most major nonprofits (of all shapes and sizes) use a donation form that includes 3 to 5 suggested donation amounts (or tiers), along with an option to enter a custom amount. Offering suggested donation amounts on your page encourages people to give more, even if they don’t choose a specific amount you indicate.

Again, this might take some experimentation to find the right suggested giving levels to offer, but it’s worth the effort because it has the potential to increase the gift size across many of your online donors!

6) Offer recurring donations as an option, not a default.

Did you know that about 6 out of 10 donors only make one donation to a particular organization? That means only 4 out of 10 donors stick around and give again! One of the easiest ways to improve donor retention is to offer a recurring donation option on your fundraising page!

Many people don’t have $300 lying around to give in one lump sum. They’re far more likely to be able to commit to donating $25 per month (which adds up to $300 per year). Offering recurring donation options can increase donor retention and boost overall giving. Adding this option to your donation page extends the invitation of a longer-term relationship to any and all donors!

However, don’t make the recurring donation option a default! This can make donors feel like you’re just after their money or cause them to go back in the donation process to see if they missed other default settings.

7) Fewer information fields are usually better for fundraising pages.

After all our harping that collecting donor contact information is critical, we’re going to make an exception for your donation page. Many donation pages feel more like complicated registration forms than invitations to partner with a cause. It’s essential to find the right balance of collecting critical information without making your donors feel like they’re buying a house.

Some of the common field options that are probably best left out include:

• Email confirmation: don’t make them type their email a second time.
• Middle initial: most online payment processing tools don’t require this type of information. It’s just a small field that you can ditch without sacrificing any valuable information.
• Current employer: if they make a large donation or you’d like to follow up about potential employer matching opportunities, it’s better to do that with an email or phone call. Don’t ask upfront.
• A second phone number: most people rely solely on a cell phone these days. Supporters will rarely have a second phone number to offer, let alone be willing to provide it! Instead, ask for a telephone OR mobile number… but not both!

8) Include your phone number and mailing address.

Surprisingly, some donors still prefer to give the old fashioned way--offline! They may visit your organization’s website and click the “Donate” button because they’re looking for instructions on how to give by mail or over the phone. Be sure to include a brief note to help these faithful supporters give offline.

9) Don’t forget a compelling thank-you page!

The “thank-you” landing page is likely the last thing your donors will see after their donation has been processed. It’s one of the few times you have their undivided attention as they wait for their payment confirmation. Yet, it’s one of the most overlooked pages on too many nonprofit’s websites.

This thank-you page lets you express your gratitude for their donation AND welcome your donor further into your community! Invite them to follow you on social media or inspire them to get involved in other non-financial ways! Remember, you’re building a connection with your donors. This is an excellent place to extend an invitation to continue deepening that relationship.

Whew! That might feel like a lot, but we’re confident that taking the time to spruce up your nonprofit’s donation page is well worth the time and energy. We recommend taking a hard look at your fundraising page at least once a year to ensure everything is working correctly and following all the latest best practices.

Are you looking for other ways to boost your online fundraising efforts? Here are three more resources to help you.

• 9 Steps to Plan and Host A Virtual Fundraiser: Though 2020 is the year of virtual everything, we’re pretty sure that virtual fundraising is here to stay! This blog has some great insights, tips, and tricks to help you plan an effective virtual fundraiser--whether it’s a year-end gala or a virtual donor’s retreat!
• Donate Button | Overview & Best Practices for Nonprofits: Now that you’ve spruced up your donation page, it’s time to turn your attention to the donate button on your website! This blog covers everything from how to choose the right donate button to best practices and top-performing buttons!
• Everything Your Nonprofit Should Know About Donation Receipts: Now that your donation page is bringing in loads of new gifts, it’s time to take your donation receipts to the next level! Nobody likes paperwork, but donation receipts are actually one of those necessary evils that can’t be ignored. Nonprofits must have a method of sending personalized donation receipts to each donor. This blog has loads of great information about why and how to do that!