3 steps to more online donations
Quick and easy donations
I made a pact with myself a couple of years ago to not answer the question “How’ve you been?” with “Busy” – because it was boring and because everybody is.
Busy. Busy. Busy. These days we all seem have more to do and less time to do it in. So it shouldn’t really come as a surprise to learn that our website donation page research (which has kept life very full for the last 8 months) confirmed that the 2 most important factors in a successful donation page were a) quick and b) simple.
Step 1: Streamline your online donation process
79% of the donors we surveyed said they were more likely to exit the donation if the process took longer than a few minutes. So how do you make the process quicker? First of all you make sure that you have a donate button on your home page.
Second, make it a one step process.
Third, do you really need all those forms fields? Even if they are not mandatory, the sight of 19 boxes to fill in can be enough to make many potential donors drop off straight away. Best practice is under 9 and the average we encountered was more than double that at 19!
Step 2: Donors appreciate simplicity
Not only do form fields take extra time to complete but they also increase the complexity. 91% of our survey respondents said they were more likely to exit a donation page if was difficult to navigate. Keep the page simple, make each step in the process clear and avoid asking the donor to make too many decisions. What is more important to you? A donation or knowing what prompted them to give today?
Step 3: Easy means more donations
Just as too many form fields can create a barrier, so can payment options – or lack thereof. Credit card was the preferred option with almost two thirds of regular and non-regular givers. Which means that over 30% of donors would prefer not to use credit card. By giving the option of PayPal and direct debit you are removing another barrier for a potential new donor.
There are lots more things you can do to make your website donation process fast and easy – click above to read more.
Have you updated your donation page recently? Or are you planning one? If you have any questions or insights, please leave a comment or ask.us.