Three Ways To Increase Online Donations

For a nonprofit, a constant challenge is finding ways to increase donations. Broadly, there are three strategies in which one can do it. The first is to increase the number of donors. The second is to increase the frequency of donations. The third is to boost the average amount per donation. Yet, none of these strategies work in isolation. In order to increase donations, there are a diverse mix of tactics you can use, and in this article, we’ll explore a few of our favorites. 

Optimize the Donation Process

If you want donors to donate more frequently and in increased amounts, you must ensure that your donation process smart, smooth, and seamless. The number of smartphone users has increased exponentially over the past few years — is your website mobile responsive? 

While a mobile responsive is absolutely necessary, there are other ways to optimize your website for donations. To begin with, the ‘Donate’ button should always be readily accessible — keeping it static in the navigation is the best way to do this. That way, regardless of what page the user is scrolling, the button is always visible and in the same spot. 

Secondly, your donate page should load quickly. Run tests to make sure your loading time is quick. If it’s loading slowly, there may be a technical glitch, or the page may have too many large images and files that slow the loading process. Make sure all content on your donation page is a reasonable size and is optimized for mobile.

Finally, make sure you’re using best practices when it comes to the user experience of your donation form. Using donation platforms like Hopsie helps take care of needing to design and implement your own donation process. Partnering with an established donation or payment platform means users will be directed to a fully optimized page and process when they click “Donate.”

Implement Strong Email Campaigns

While your online donation process must be mobile responsive, intuitive, and seamless, so too does the process of drawing users to your donation page. There are ways to build consistent momentum leading donors to the ‘Donate’ button. The two most effective ways are email and text message campaigns. 

An email campaign is comprised of several emails written to subscribers at regular intervals. These emails correspond with different stages of the fundraising process. Start with a pre-launch email where subscribers will get a preview of the cause their donations will support. Next, send an email that announces the official launch of the campaign. Once a user has donated, or once the project has started, you can keep sending weekly updates through email. Such a sustained communication channel helps increase the frequency of donations and also ensures that the donor is satisfied with the transparency of your process. Maintaining high levels of transparency is crucial if you’re seeking to increase the amount of donations over time.

Integrate Storytelling in Your Content 

To make your content more engaging and to better illustrate the impact of your campaigns, use images and videos that will captivate your audience. Including testimonials from beneficiaries, volunteers, and staff help build credibility and transparency and will showcase exactly the kind of real-life impact donations have.

Upload these stories and testimonials to your social media pages, include them on the “Impact” page of your website, and be sure to include them in any campaign emails you send out. It should be easy for potential donors to see and read about the impact your organization is making. This will reassure them that their dollars are truly going to a good cause.

To conclude, an increase in donations stems from an efficient mix of system convenience, transparency, regular communication, and high levels of engagement between the donor and the nonprofit