Is it altruism, desire to change the world or maybe a personal relationship with a particular cause?
No matter why your website visitors consider a donation, it’s your role to guide them in the process, removing as much friction as possible and enhancing the donation page user experience.
HubSpot is built around this concept - providing a streamlined, user-friendly journey for every engagement. However, how you use HubSpot’s tools for donation page structure will ultimately determine how effective they are.
Below you will find a list of 14 donation page best practices that will keep your visitors focused and increase your donations.
Potential donors visiting your site perhaps already know what you do and what your mission is. But your donation page template should reiterate the main message. It should reflect what change the donor is going to make or how someone’s situation is going to improve. Your value proposition message should be short and concise, not too long to distract the giver.
Let the donor know exactly how you are going to spend their money and who will benefit from it. Here are some donation page examples:
Your gift of $50 will allow 1 family to build stronger and healthier relations with each other.
100% of your donation will be used to support our research program.
There’s no need to overwhelm your donation page with multiple images, slides or videos. Every image should serve a purpose - to inform and guide the user on their journey. To create a donation page, one big banner image that accurately reflects your company’s mission will serve to anchor the page and capture attention. Most HubSpot landing page templates come with space for a hero image over which you can place relevant text that clarifies your value proposition.
Your donation page should serve a single purpose - encourage visitors to make a donation. If you’re wondering how to create a donation page that converts - the answer is simple: eliminate the menu header, footer, sidebar and other distracting elements that may draw attention.
The logo on your donation page shouldn’t direct to the website homepage, but be linked to the donation page. In HubSpot, you can create variants of existing landing pages that remove these elements while retaining the rest of the template’s design using the Design Manager.
Every additional field on your donations page template form adds friction and decreases the conversion rate. Make sure you only ask for information you really need.
For example, in many cases, you don't need the donor’s phone number to complete a transaction. Sure it’s nice to have for future follow ups, but it can greatly reduce your campaign effectiveness. There’s a reason more than 37% of people will abandon a form unless the phone number field is optional. Sure enough, they don’t want to be called.
If you are not planning to send physical mail or rewards, don’t ask for their address either. Making sure not to repeat the questions as well is one of the tips for getting the most out of your HubSpot account and increasing your donations.
Your page and donation form should be mobile-optimized. Make sure your image, copy, and form are clearly visible on mobile devices and donors won’t have difficulty in submitting their info.
According to the latest statistics on mobile usage, 59.4% of the website traffic came from mobile devices. Using HubSpot’s COS platform for template design can help with this. Forms are automatically responsive, and most modern templates are optimized for mobile use.
Donation page best practices show that you should give donors an option to select predefined gift amounts.
You should display those amounts as big buttons, not a drop-down list or radio button selectors. Big buttons are easy to spot and perform much better on mobile devices.
One of the buttons can be a default choice. You can test different variations and see which amount performs better.
Give an option to update the amount manually as well.
Most nonprofits strongly suggest that donation page examples should allow donors to choose a donation frequency. Donors can decide whether they want to make a one-time payment or donate on a monthly, quarterly, annual basis.
Give your donors the option to donate on a monthly basis automatically. Statistics show that the monthly giving programs are preferred by 45% of donors. This can dramatically increase the donation volume and reduce the time spent by your team following up with one-time donors.
Your donors want to know their credit card and personal information are secure. Display special labels or seals to reassure donors that all data and payments are stored securely. Make sure your website is SSL compliant and your URL begins with https.
If you host your donation landing page on HubSpot, an SSL certificate is automatically installed, which trust us, is a major benefit in comparison to other hosting providers.
We are all familiar with the "I'm not a robot" mechanism. Users select images according to specific instructions that are difficult for a machine to replicate.
This adds a lot of friction, though, especially on the final payment step. There is almost no practical reason to add it either because the credit card field already serves as pretty good protection from bots.
If you want to create a secure donation page but you are concerned about fraud payments, you should know that most payment gateways already have strong algorithms to reject such transactions.
When you process a credit card payment, some portion (usually 2-3%) goes to a payment gateway. But you can ask your donors to cover that fee. Many will gladly do so. It ensures 100% of their original gift amount goes to the organization. Add 3% in donations to your cause with one minor tweak.
Some fundraising software products and payment systems redirect users to another page to confirm the payment. There are three important reasons not to do this:
“Thank You” is such a simple word and so easy to say. But sometimes nonprofits fail to thank their donors properly. Don’t forget to express your gratitude and show how much their donation matters to you and the people you help.
Using HubSpot, you can automatically redirect to a page on the same domain with a thank you message after the payment has been processed. Additionally, you can make a donation page structure that automatically sends a followup email with a well-crafted thank you message on form submission and payment completion.
Use HubSpot’s segmentation and A/B testing tools liberally to evaluate the performance of individual campaigns. Every email you send should link to a unique landing page that is designed for that audience. If you send an email to one-time donors in Florida referencing a recent event you held in the area, your landing page should reflect that.
At the same time, use the A/B testing functionality to evaluate different headlines and copy options on those landing pages. HubSpot is also in the process of adding Adaptive testing that allows you to dynamically evaluate up to five variants of the same landing page, showing the best performer automatically.
Just as businesses know the value of a properly designed landing page, nonprofits should not take the donation page structure for granted. It’s the most significant representation of their organization and the crucial page for donor conversion. As a result, investing time and resources to build a page that delivers a smooth user experience for donors is the most important decision you can make for your organization. Don’t underestimate it!
Use your online fundraising platform to create a new donation form. Customize the form name, URL, layout, campaign assignment, and general settings. If you are using Neon CRM, choose a theme for the page.
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Nonprofit organizations consider recurring donors one of their most valuable supporters. They commit to regularly making ongoing donations and are more likely to stay committed to their donations over time than those who donate only once.
Various tactics can be used to build a base of recurring donors, but the first crucial step is to enable the recurring donations feature on the donation form.
Craft a clear introduction that informs newcomers about your initiatives while reassuring committed supporters of their contributions' meaningful impact.
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When adding images to your fundraising campaign, it's best to choose one or two that align with your message and evoke positive emotions in potential donors. The selected photographs should show their contribution's impact on the community.
Choose images featuring a single subject or a small group, especially those making eye contact. These tend to have a more significant impact and foster a stronger connection between the visitors and the community they support.
Your online fundraising platform comes with necessary fields for processing donations, such as donor details and payment information. However, be thoughtful before adding extra fields to collect more donor information.
Adding too many fields can lower conversion rates. Instead, consider adding just one additional field, such as asking for donation inspiration or email opt-ins, and save further questions for a follow-up survey.
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Offering suggested donation amounts simplifies donors' giving process, helping them determine their contribution. By providing descriptions for each suggested amount, you offer donors visibility into the impact of their gift.
Encouraging positive emotions in donors after their donation is crucial for fostering strong relationships. One of the best ways to do this is by customizing the confirmation page with a personal touch.
Instead of using generic messaging, express gratitude to the donor. Explain how their donation will make a positive impact, and offer a follow-up action, such as a survey or a thank-you video.
Donating to a meaningful cause is a fulfilling experience, and enhancing the donation confirmation page can help sustain this satisfaction and increase the likelihood of future engagement.
After creating your donation page, conduct thorough testing to ensure its seamless functionality. Walk through the process, checking for typos, unnecessary form fields, or potential confusion points that may discourage donors.
Test your donation page on multiple devices, including desktop computers and mobile devices. Aim to test on different operating systems, such as Android and iOS, to ensure compatibility across platforms.
If you want to know what a donation page structure looks like, keep reading.
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When creating donation forms, keep the number of fields as low as possible. If the form is too long and requires donors to fill out too many fields, it can discourage them from donating. They may leave the page without finishing.
Donors can consistently support your organization by making automatic monthly contributions. This makes it easier for them to contribute and ensures more stable funding for your cause.
When donating, donors may not be sure about the appropriate amount to give. Include suggested amounts and provide them with a reference point. This will streamline the payment process and encourage more people to donate.
This section may be your opportunity to tell donors why to donate. Try to add as many details as possible so that they know where their money goes.
Make sure your donors find their favorite payment methods on your list. Otherwise, they may give up and not donate. In addition to credit cards, you can add payment gateway options like Venmo or PayPal. Offer them well-known third-party service providers, and you’ll more likely gain their trust.
Show your nonprofit's fundraising goal and empower potential donors to determine their contribution amount more effectively. This can ultimately foster transparency and trust. The level of openness can help donors feel more engaged with your cause and more committed to supporting you in reaching your target.
Today, many people prefer to use their mobile phones to browse the internet and make payments. Therefore, ensuring that your donation page has a mobile-friendly design is crucial. This makes it convenient for people to donate on the go. Statistics show that mobile-friendly donation pages yield 34% more donations.
Your donors may want to know how your fundraising is progressing. Share your progress with them and demonstrate the support you've received so far.
Also, if contributions have slowed, sharing your page's progress can motivate donors to give. It can also encourage them to share your page. You can also use charts to provide a visual representation of your progress.
To make your donation page work well:
Consider the perspective of site visitors who may need to become more familiar with your organization's work. Create a compelling reason for every viewer to contribute as soon as they reach the donation page.
Donors are motivated to make a real difference in people's lives. A captivating hero image helps potential contributors visualize the impact of their donation, while well-crafted copy reinforces this message. Providing information about your community work also helps prospective donors better understand how their contribution will be used.
Your donation page should strive to:
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Mobile applications can be a great tool to increase visibility and support for your nonprofit and its cause. With the ability to accept donations from anywhere, donors can easily make contributions at their convenience.
Attention to detail is key to creating an effective donation app. You can create an app tailored to your nonprofit's mission using customizable templates and a user-friendly App Builder. Integration with various payment processors ensures that donations can be collected seamlessly without additional fees.
You can customize every aspect of the app to match your brand identity. Remember to prioritize usability, keep the app concise, offer diverse payment options, and encourage recurring donations.
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To make donating more accessible for your donors, provide them with various options that align with their preferences. For example, you can offer billing options for monthly, quarterly, or annual recurring donations and enable multiple payment methods such as eCheck or PayPal.
Allow donors to allocate their donations towards specific campaigns or programs and give them the option to dedicate their gifts to loved ones. The key is to prioritize convenience and simplicity while designing your donation page.
Although one-time donations usually have a higher value than monthly contributions, it is still crucial to encourage recurring gifts.
One way to do this is to create separate suggested amounts for recurring donations and craft powerful statements emphasizing their ongoing support's positive impact. This personalized approach enhances the appeal of recurring options for donors.
When creating a donation page for your website, ensure it is accessible to all visitors. Your page should be easy to access, fill out, and submit for everyone, regardless of their needs and circumstances.
To achieve this, you can take several steps, such as:
Take these steps and ensure everyone can support your cause and donate to your organization.
As you add options for donors to choose from, it is crucial to avoid going overboard. While a handful of thoughtfully chosen options can enhance the donating experience, too many options can be daunting.
Reduce the number of decisions your donors have to make to simplify the process. Also, it's recommended that you periodically review your donation form to determine which fields and choices can be eliminated.
Discover the hidden automation potential in your payment, billing and invoicing workflows. Talk to our experts for a free assessment!
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