I’m pretty sure it’s safe to say we all understand the importance of donations to a nonprofit organization. For some, it is still a hard thing to ask for… even if we are talking about asking for the donation online. When it comes to asking for donations directly on your website, we can just put the form up and people will know what to do. Not only will they know what to do, but they will feel motivated by the form to fill it out… right?
Unfortunately, most people that visit your website want their hand held through the different pages. What exactly does that mean? What it means is they want you to guide them through the different pages and show them what to do each step of the way.
Your donation page is the same way. Before you can get someone to make an investment into your organization, you will need to engage them, ask for the donation and make it a simple process. Let’s take a deeper look into what that really means for you and your organization.
Engage Visitors
People typically don’t randomly pick a nonprofit that they know nothing about to invest in. Instead, they like to know as much as possible about the cause and feel a connection to the type of work being done… so, engaging with your visitors is important.
I know what you’re probably thinking… “I’ve already been engaging my visitors throughout my entire website; from the homepage to the about page to the blog. Isn’t that enough?”
The thing is, we don’t know what pages they will go to before seeing the donation page. For some, they will want to look at all the different pages before considering donating. But…there will also be people that will go directly to the donation page (like when you share a link to it on social media). Whether they have seen several pages on your website, or not, you want to talk to all of them in a way that grabs their attention and motivates action.
Put yourself in the shoes of the potential donor. You are on the search for a nonprofit to help, but you haven’t chosen one. After looking at the homepage and “about us” pages of several local organizations, you have narrowed it down to two. With it down to the top two choices, you’ve decided to look at the donation page to see how easy it will be to donate.
The first organization just has a seemingly simple donation form to fill out… no message, pictures or video before the form. The second organization has a sweet picture of a little girl, along with a story about the girl and how your donation can help other girls like her get the help they need. Which gives you more reason to donate? Do either of them motivate you to possibly donate more than you originally were planning? Having a powerful message, that engages the reader, makes a significant different to potential donors.
Ask for Donation
It seems like a simple thing, but it’s important to be clear when you ask people to donate. Remember, people want to be guided through a page… that include the donation page. Once they are engaged the story about your mission and how it’s making a real difference, now is the time to tell them how they can make a difference.
You read correctly… it’s not just about asking for them to invest in your organization. You continue to paint a picture for them about the mission but at this point you are painting them into the picture. It is their donation that will make it possible to continue this work. With the help of their donation it will be possible to help even more children. Whichever approach you take, keep in mind this is helping them see how they are going to make a real difference.
Once they see the difference their donation makes you then ask for the donation. The call to donate doesn’t have to be long, it just needs to help conclude the story by showing this is the only logical next step.
Make it Simple
Now that you have engaged the reader with a story about those you serve and asking for a donation all that’s left is making it easy for them to donate. The length of the form and what you ask on the form matters to the potential donor. Asking too many questions or asking questions that seem irrelevant to the donation process will discourage people from completing the donation form.
Research shows that having less than ten fields helps to increase the amount of people willing to complete the donation process. One way to keep the amount of information down is by keeping it to basic information:
- Name: This helps process the credit card and who to thank in an email after the donation is done. That said, it is best to also offer the option of staying anonymous; some donors don’t want to people to know they have given money to a specific organization.
- Email: An email address will allow for you to send the donor a thank you message, as well as a receipt for the donation given. With permission from the donor, you can also use the email to add them to a newsletter group.
- Credit card information: Most people use a credit card to give a donation online.
- In honor/memory of: There are a lot of people that feel empowered to donate because of a loved one. This is a way for them to make it known the donation is done on that person’s behalf.
- Donation frequency: There are some people that are only interested in doing a one-time donation. There are others, like millennials, appreciate the option of doing a monthly donation. Having the option for both allows for the different type of people to invest in the way they feel most comfortable.
By engaging people with a story, asking for the donation and making it simple to donate, you are encouraging more people to act. The whole process doesn’t have to be long, but it does need to be long enough to deliver the right message.
