At the end of 2014, I was determined to make all my year-end charitable contributions online. In most cases, it was a fairly easy thing to do. However, in other cases, it was a difficult, confusing and time-consuming task.
Here are some of the differences between the nonprofit websites that made it easy to give, and those that made it an exercise in online gymnastics:
1. Was the “donate now” button easy to find on the home page of the website?
Some home pages were so packed full of information or overly designed, it was difficult to spot the donate button. In one case, I finally uncovered the donate button on a drop-down list under the heading “get involved.”
2. Were clear examples shown of what a contribution to the organization will provide or make possible?
On a few sites I found giving options listed by esoteric campaign names (i.e. Century Campaign, Founder’s Fund, etc) which was very confusing to someone not intimately involved in the organization’s fundraising efforts.
As a prospective donor, I want to know what my contribution will support and why my gift is needed (i.e. expand outreach to an under-served community, provide mentors to teens, etc.), but I don’t necessarily know or care about a campaign name.
I found it especially helpful when there was a link from the donate page to a web page with more information about the programs in need of support, and much more compelling when there was a story about someone who had benefited as a result of past contributions to the cause.
3. Was there obvious assurance that the organization would do everything possible to keep my personal information secure?
Even those of us who regularly make purchases online are cautious about this. Any financial information should be added on a secure (https://) page. Adding a statement that you do not sell or share your donor lists with other companies or organizations is helpful as well.
My experience made me wonder why there was such a wide discrepancy between the ease of giving from one nonprofit website to another. It occurred to me that nonprofit home pages often must balance a myriad of priorities for prime placement. If left in the hands of a web designer, online giving might get relegated to a lesser position. In addition, very few nonprofit staff members make their contributions to their own organization online, so they haven’t experienced what their online donors face.
What’s a nonprofit development team to do?
Ask a trusted friend or family member (preferably over 40 years of age) who isn’t particularly tech savvy or knowledgeable about your organization to make a charitable contribution to your organization through your website. Ask them to be candid about what was hard to understand, difficult to navigate, confusing and/or time-consuming. Their honest feedback could be very enlightening and helpful.
One final note: When an online contribution is made, most websites immediately send an automated confirmation/thank you email to the donor. Confirming the donation immediately, as well as listing the amount, lets supporters know that their online gift was received with no complications. More advanced sites allow the donor to list their name, amount of gift and honoree(s) on the website in real-time. Others can send an email or printed tribute cards on behalf of the donor. However, there is still nothing like a handwritten thank you note from the Executive Director to communicate how much a contribution is valued.
For other ideas, use the search field on the top right of our website to look up more articles on on-line giving, social media and more!
