It’s that time of the year when donors make their year-end gifts. Is your school’s website ready to handle them? To optimize your website’s donation page for easy, feel-good giving, we’ve put together our favorite tips:
Use Fundraising Software – Sure, a link to PayPal or an address for mailing a check will get the job done. However a donor-friendly website with online giving software makes everyone’s’ lives a little easier. Run reports or search through giving history with a couple clicks of the mouse. You can also send automated email thank yous to your donors and well as receipts for year-end tax purposes. Make sure to choose software that integrates with your office’s accounting software for easy import of data.
Introduce (or Remind) Donors of your Cause – Don’t lose donors because they second guess the impact of their gift. You can use a bold banner or picture at the top of your page to create a compelling, emotional appeal. Make sure to include your logo on the page – donors want to make sure they are on the right website before donating! Your giving page should explain where the funds are going. This may include scholarships for students in need, new buildings or programs, etc. This is also a great place to post your mission statement or a summary of your school’s mission.
Simplify your Donation Form – Long forms with lots of fields, dropdown menus, and text boxes are discouraging. A clean, simple form with the required information is all that is really necessary and makes your website donor friendly. Eliminate any repetitive information (i.e. give potential donors the option to check a box if the billing address is the same as their mailing address, rather then re-typing everything out.) Keep required fields to minimum, and place optional fields (such as ‘where did you hear about us?’ or ‘do you want to sign up for our newsletter?’) at the end so donors can skip over them if they wish.
Make sure your site is Mobile Friendly – Most websites and giving software are automatically optimized to be mobile-friendly. However, double check on your phone that website text is large enough to read, and donors can easily fill out web forms.
Allow Donors to Create an Account (But only if they Wish!) – Not everyone is comfortable saving their information online. But many donors may wish to create an account and save their information for recurring. This is the perfect time to ask donors “How often do you with to make this donation?” Offer options of One-Time, Monthly, and Twice a Year, etc.
