1.
Small Changes for Big Results:
How to Optimize Your Online
Donations
NetSquared Vancouver
October 7, 2014

2.
Tonight!
• Warm-up
• The problems with online
donation forms
• Why they matter
• The solutions
• Group challenge!

3.
Question
• How is your
organization
driving traffic to
your website
and online
donation form?

4.
Sources
Email
Print
advertising
Events
Social
Media
Search
marketing TV?
Direct
Mail
Transit / out
of home
Face
to
face

5.
Why it matters…
• 85% of US adults are online on a
daily basis
• 73% are on some type of social
media
• Online giving was up 13.5% in 2013
– Accounted for 6.4% of all giving in 2013
• A total of $8.3 billion in Canadian
donations in 2012
Sources: Pew Research Center, Blackbaud 2013 Charitable Giving Report, Statistics Canada

6.
Online donors…
• Dominant channel for
new donors (64 or
younger) = online
• Online-acquired
donors have a much
higher cumulative
value
• Online donors tend to
give larger gifts
Source: 2011 donorCentrics Internet and Multichannel Giving Benchmarking Report

7.
Question #2
• Do you know the
conversion rate of site
visitors to online
donations?
• Do you know the
abandonment rate of
your online donation
form?
• Please share your data –
no judgment!

8.
Problem
Source: NPEngage.com, Alissa Ruehl, 2013

9.
Solutions
• Avoid third party
redirects
– Up to 70% of donors
abandon when they’re
redirected to another site
– Keep donors on your
site
– Focus on continuity of
look and feel – even the
URL (if possible)

10.
• Offer a compelling
call to action
– Tell them why they
need to donate
TODAY
– Incite them to take
action!
– Make the appeal feel
personal
Solutions

11.
• Eliminate
unnecessary fields
on the donation
form
• What data do you
really need – and
use?
• Less is more!
Solutions

12.
Question
• Do you know how
many fields are on
your organization’s
online donation form?
• How many clicks does
it take to find your
form and make a
donation?

13.
Problem

14.
Why it matters…
• If site visitors can’t find it instantly,
what’s the point?
• Assume they’ve never been to your site
or heard of your organization before
• Simple math:
– Convert more site visitors to donors!
– 1,000 visits @ 1% conversion = 10 donors
– 1,000 visits @ 3% conversion = 30 donors!

15.
• Make your donation
CTA front and centre!
• Use obvious
language
• Refine and test
navigation
• Offer multiple access
points in the
navigation
Solutions

16.
Problem
Source: NPEngage.com, Alissa Ruehl, 2013

17.
Why it matters…
• 30% of traffic to nonprofit and
charity websites is now from mobile
• 15% of donations are coming from
mobile web browsers
– This number is growing!
• Don’t lose them because the process
is cumbersome!
Source: Artez Interactive, “Mobile Matters”

18.
• Invest in
responsive design
– For the donation
form landing page
at LEAST
• TEST the donation
process from a
mobile device
Solutions

19.
Problem

20.
Why it matters…
• Huge increase to lifetime value of
donor
• Reduce costs for handling donations
• Reduces ‘donor inertia’
– Donors have to make an effort to cancel
the gift
• Keep it straightforward and easy
when they’re inspired!

21.
• Ask them for a
recurring gift!
• Don’t separate
one-time gift form
and recurring gift
form
• Make the process
easy and
intuitive
Solutions

22.
Considerations
• Payment processing integration
– Monthly gifts automatically processed or
manually processed
– How to handle credit card data
• ACH (direct debit) as a payment
method ideal for recurring
– Less rejected transactions than credit
cards and lower processing costs
– Churches love ACH for tithing

23.
Final Thoughts
• Visual representation of security
– https:// vs http
– Other icons to reassure donor their data
is safe
• Credit card fraud prevention
– Payment processor tools
– Fraud targeted to charities
– Avoid the refund scam!

24.
Group Challenge
• Grab your phones,
phablets or tablets!
• Grab a partner (or
partners)
• Go to their org’s form
• Try to make an online
donation!

25.
Discuss…
• Is the call to action compelling?
• Where is the form on the site’s
navigation?
• What does it look like on your
device?
– Can you enter your details?
• Can you set up a recurring gift?

26.
Conclusions

27.
Thank you!