Is your donation page easy to use by everyone and anyone? Ensuring a positive giving experience for all of your donors, no matter their age, status, or ability, is critical to bringing in more donations and growing your nonprofit. Read on to learn more about the importance of donation page accessibility and how you can make sure your own giving page is accessible to all.
Did you know that only 3% of the internet is considered fully accessible? This means that individuals with disabilities – an estimated 1.3 billion people around the world – are often barred from accessing important information and resources found on these websites.
Nonprofit organizations are among those that can benefit most from making their websites accessible to all. Not only does this ensure that anyone can use your website to learn about and access the critical services or resources you provide, but it also helps bring in donations.
That’s right – a fully accessible website and donation page can make a huge difference in your fundraising efforts.
In this article, we’ll talk about what goes into building an accessible donation page. Plus, we’ll share how Donorbox is taking strides to ensure our donation forms and pages are accessible and easy to use by all!
As more resources, tasks, and information move online, it is more important than ever that all websites become as accessible as possible.
When accessibility barriers exist on your site, you are keeping a significant population of people from utilizing a portion of your online presence. Today, having these accessibility barriers is akin to only having stairs at the entrance to a physical building or not offering braille on important signage.
Plus, following accessibility guidelines improves your website’s user experience for everyone – not just people with disabilities. They make content easier to read and understand, improve usability by mobile users, assist the elderly or those with restrictive injuries, and aid those with slower or limited internet access.
In short, website accessibility is important because it provides equal access to all of the critical information on your website, from your mission to your programs to your donation page. And, in turn, having an accessible and easy-to-navigate website further increases your chances of conversions.
But what do we mean by barriers to accessibility? They are the ways a webpage may impede full access to information for those with auditory, cognitive, physical, speech, and/or visual disabilities. Let’s take a look at a few examples of these accessibility barriers.
This occurs when there is not enough contrast – or difference – between the color of the text and the color of the background, making it difficult for those with visual impairments to read.
Be careful of placing text over images. In some cases, such as with a blurred background or if the image has a lot of blank space, it can work. But, most of the time, adding text to an image makes it difficult to read as well as hard to understand what is going on in the picture.
When you use small text on your website, it can be difficult for anyone to read. But it especially affects the elderly and those with visual impairments. Make sure your text is large enough for all – we recommend 18 pt. text or larger – as well as written with a legible font.
Adding alternative text (alt text) to your images enables screen reader tools to audibly read what is happening in the photo, graphic, or chart. That makes it possible for those with visual impairments to understand the image without seeing it.
For those with hearing impairments, it is often difficult to gather information from videos on websites. This can be easily remedied by adding captions to your videos as well as detailing what is featured in each video within the body of the text.
Make sure that all forms offer clear instructions as well as labels for each form field. This not only makes it easier for screen readers to read but also for everyone to understand, regardless of ability.
Using a multi-step donation form on your page, in place of a long, single-page form, can also improve accessibility. Breaking your form up into smaller, more manageable pieces increases conversion rates because it avoids cognitive overload and makes walking through each required field a bit less overwhelming.
Create Accessible Donation Forms on Donorbox!
Not everyone has the physical ability to use a mouse or trackpad. So, be sure that your website is navigable with just a keyboard.
One of the most important web pages for your organization is your fundraising page. So make sure it is as easy to navigate as possible and that you are eliminating all barriers to accessibility!
Here’s how you can make that happen.
With the right fundraising tool, you won’t have to worry about whether or not your donation form itself meets accessibility standards.
Donorbox is an all-in-one fundraising platform offering multi-step donation forms that are easy to use for both organizations and their supporters.
In fact, Donorbox forms are officially AA-level-compliant with the accessibility standards laid out in Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1! This means that our forms follow strict guidelines to ensure that people of all abilities are guaranteed access, with features such as color contrast, easy-to-understand labels, a multi-step giving experience, and keyboard navigation.
Inclusivity is important here at Donorbox. And this is just one way to ensure that everyone has access to the information and resources they need to give to causes close to their hearts. Here’s an example of an accessible Donorbox donation form embedded on Word on Fire’s website.
Make Your Donation Form Accessible to All
Bonus: Want more examples of our accessible forms to see the Donorbox form in action? Check out these 10 best donation form examples.
Accessibility can’t stop with your donation form. Perform an audit of your donation page and website using the list of barriers to accessibility above. Then, make adjustments where you can.
We also encourage you to check out additional resources, such as ADA.gov, to find more information about accessibility.
And, if you have the budget, a professional website developer or agency can help re-design your website to ensure it follows all guidelines while maintaining your brand and design style.
You may also watch the webinar recording below, featuring Donorbox’s own Jena and website expert Colin from Few & Far, to learn more about how to get your website in tip-top shape, including additional accessibility tips.
Bonus: We have curated a list of the 13 best donation pages which will help you tweak your donation page for accessibility and effectiveness. Click here to check them out!
Want to take accessibility on your website and donation page one step further? Add a widget specifically designed to eliminate barriers to accessibility.
One of the most popular widgets, UserWay, has a free option that enables users to quickly and easily change font sizes, adjust color contrast, and so much more with just the click of an icon.
While the addition of a widget shouldn’t keep you from making all of the changes suggested above, it can certainly make navigating your website even easier for those with disabilities and impairments.
As our world becomes more reliant on technology and the world wide web to distribute information and complete daily tasks, it becomes increasingly vital that all websites are accessible to people of all ages, abilities, and backgrounds.
When barriers to accessibility exist on a website, entire communities of people are excluded from using that site to its fullest extent.
That’s why it is critical that you ensure full accessibility of your nonprofit website as well as your donation page. When you remove accessibility barriers, you make it easier for all people to donate to your cause, which benefits your organization, the donor, and those you serve.
Donorbox makes it easy to follow accessibility guidelines because our donation forms are fully compliant with WCAG 2.1. It’s completely free to get started with Donorbox, so you can try it out for yourself today!
Thank you for striving to make the world a better and more inclusive place. If you need more tips and best practices on fundraising, donation forms and pages, donor management, and more, go to our Nonprofit Blog. Subscribe to our newsletter to receive a curated list of Donorbox’s best resources in your inbox every month.
Kara has several years of experience in communications and marketing for nonprofit organizations. Her love for serving others began while fundraising for and attending mission trips. She then worked with multiple local nonprofits through various marketing agencies and volunteer opportunities before becoming a communications manager at Variety the Children's Charity of St. Louis for more than four years. Kara now specializes in writing and enjoys sharing her experiences and knowledge with others on this platform.
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Kara Schmid