{"id":21790,"date":"2019-11-05T19:32:19","date_gmt":"2019-11-05T19:32:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/virtuous.org\/raise\/2019\/11\/05\/7-donation-page-lessons-from-an-analysis-of-203-organizations\/"},"modified":"2019-11-05T19:32:19","modified_gmt":"2019-11-05T19:32:19","slug":"7-donation-page-lessons-from-an-analysis-of-203-organizations","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/virtuous.org\/raise\/7-donation-page-lessons-from-an-analysis-of-203-organizations\/","title":{"rendered":"7 Donation Page Lessons From an Analysis of 203 Organizations"},"content":{"rendered":"
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A simple search for \u201cDonation page best practices\u201d brings up article after article of ideas to implement on your page. And honestly, most of them are based on gut feelings or \u201cfundraising instinct\u201d as opposed to real data and research.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a result, every fundraiser seems to have their own ideal donation page layout or design \u2013 yet few are really based on proven strategies.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

So we set out with RaiseDonors to truly take the pulse of what nonprofits are doing on their donation pages in order to try and win over donors.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

And by comparing the donation pages of 203 organizations to strategies tested and proven through over 2,000 online fundraising experiments, we found some pretty fascinating insights that you\u2019ll want to consider in your own online giving experience.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#1. Everyone Has Room to Improve Their Donation Page<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Out of 203 donation pages, the median score was just 57%.<\/i><\/b> Yes, that is out of 100. And if you remember from your school days…that\u2019s a solid F. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The best scoring vertical was Human Services organizations. They had an average score of 63%. And interestingly enough, larger organizations didn\u2019t really perform any better than smaller organizations.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

We often say fundraisers are from Mars and donors are from Venus. We as fundraisers and marketers often look at giving from very different perspectives than our donors. We look at donation pages as a way to collect donations or to get more money. We tend to see it as just a processing tool, not a relational tool.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

But donors give as a way to <\/span>live out their values<\/b> and <\/span>make an impact<\/b>. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

And the challenge is that, intentionally or not, you carry your different views into the development and use of your donation pages. When you view a donation page as a transaction, it comes through in your design. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s why we need to see things through the donor\u2019s perspective. The focus of our donation page should be on the difference donors can make.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Your donation page, just like your fundraising, is for them. Not for you. <\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#2. Nonprofits Aren\u2019t Giving Donors a Great Reason to Give<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Only 1 out of 3 organizations have a strong value proposition. <\/i><\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n

And 61% of organizations use less than 4 sentences of copy on their donation page. But our research and experience suggests that far more is needed to adequately communicate why a donor should give. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Organizations are relying too much<\/b> on the donor\u2019s internal motivation and their knowledge of the organization. And <\/span>they\u2019re assuming donors already know <\/b>the impact their donation will have before they arrive on the website\/donation page. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

But chances are pretty slim that donors are 100% motivated to donate when they land on your page.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

To make sure you\u2019re giving your donors enough reasons to give, you should consider these four things: <\/span>appeal, exclusivity, clarity, and credibility\/believability<\/b>. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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  1. Appeal: <\/b>How appealing is your mission to your donor? How appealing is the impact a donor will have through making a donation? <\/span><\/i><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. Exclusivity: <\/b>Are there other organizations doing this type of work? What makes yours unique? If you have an offer, can they get it anywhere else? <\/span><\/i>(i.e. you can get a newsletter anywhere\u2026)<\/span><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. Clarity: <\/b>Do they understand what you do, and what their donation will do? <\/span><\/i><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  4. Credibility\/Believability: <\/b>Just because you say you\u2019re doing good work doesn\u2019t necessarily make someone believe you. Third-party testimonials, trustmarkers, and statistics build credibility so donors feel good giving you money.<\/span><\/i> <\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    Tell donors why they should give. Make sure you\u2019re clearly communicating the value of your organization\u2019s work and the value a donor can have by partnering with you. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Here\u2019s a good example from Defenders of Wildlife:<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

    On this page, a donor can clearly see who they\u2019re helping when they give.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    It\u2019s written for the donor and includes urgency. The headline reinforces who the donation will help. In the copy, it taps into a hero\u2019s journey style where there\u2019s an obstacle to overcome. It mentions how essential the organization\u2019s work is, and how the donor specifically can help save endangered species with a donation.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The organization\u2019s work is somewhat unique, and they also have some trustmarks on the donation page. This is a great example of how to have a strong value proposition on your pages. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    #3. There is Too Much Friction in The Giving Process<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    We can improve the likelihood of a donation by removing friction. There are seven types of donation page friction. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n