The first step to accepting online donations is to set up a donation page. Donorbox makes it simple and quick! Follow the easy steps in this blog and check out the inspiring examples at the end to get started right away. We also have a bonus podcast episode that offers insights into donation page must-haves.
In this day and age, if your nonprofit doesn’t have an easy, quick way to give on your website, you’re missing out – big time. Online giving is a huge source of income for nonprofits looking to make a difference.
Donorbox allows you to create and customize a donation page in minutes. Read on to learn the five easy steps to set up your donation page. We’ll also share some examples and resources to help you make the best page possible.
Donorbox has helped 80,000+ nonprofits process over $2 billion in donations. Our platform thrives on its simple and effective features including customizable donation pages.
The setup process is simple and can take as little as 15 minutes to get started.
Check out this quick video to see the steps in action!
Click here to sign up for an account. If you are a registered nonprofit, select that option and enter your EIN. If you don’t have an EIN or aren’t a registered nonprofit, select the other option and enter your information.
Once you’ve entered your information, you’ll set your password.
Next, be sure to connect your preferred payment processor. Donorbox supports Stripe and PayPal for payment processing. Learn more about this step in our getting started guide.
After you’ve signed up on Donorbox, it’s time to create a campaign. On the Donorbox dashboard, locate the Quick Start menu. Click “New Donation Page.”
You’ll then be prompted to enter your campaign name, language, and optional goal amount.
Click “Create New Page.”
On the next screen, you will see the below options to add branding with colors, logo, a background image, and a campaign description for your new donation page. Here, you can also select colors for your donation form and set the corner roundness for your buttons.
You can also enable crowdfunding, set up a donor wall, and enable social media sharing buttons.
Once done, click “Create Campaign.”
Now, you’ll have a basic donation form to share with your donors! If you want to customize your page even further, head to your donation form editor.
On your Donorbox account, find your newly created campaign and click the “Edit” icon.
Now, click the “Edit Form” dropdown next to the donation form section. You can start with any page you’d like, but we recommend clicking on the Essentials page.
From the Essentials page, you can change your campaign title, choose your primary and secondary form colors, and set up your recurring donation intervals. You can also choose to disable QuickDonate™, which allows your donors to set up their own Donorbox accounts to repeat their gift in just one click.
Pro and Premium accounts have the option of uploading a header image and trust badge image to make their form more dynamic and build donor trust.
Click “Save and Preview” to see your form choices. Then, click “Next.”
From the Amounts page, you can choose your currency, payment methods, and donation amounts. Pro and Premium users can upload images for each donation amount to further illustrate the impact.
Note: if you aren’t a Pro or Premium user, you can still test this feature to see how your form could look! Your changes will not be saved, however.
Here, you can also enable crypto and stock giving, choose to disable company matching, and add a compliance or disclaimer note.
The Payments page allows you to make changes involving UltraSwift Pay, asking donors to cover fees, and the labels on your form. The next page allows you to choose any tribute donation options you’d like to include, and the following page allows you to set which donor information you’d like to collect.
Finally, you can customize the thank-you message donors see once they complete their gift.
Once your form settings are how you want them, you’re ready to edit your donation receipt. For a closer look at all of our form customization options and how to make your form match your branding, check out this blog!
Create a Customized Donation Page
The next step involves creating and customizing the email receipt that is sent to your supporters after they donate. This is the last page of your donation form editor.
Customize it to your liking and click “Save.”
You can choose to add custom fields/additional questions to your donation form. You will find this option under the “Enhance Your Campaign” section.
Choose whether you’d like to add questions to the Amount screen or Information screen.
Some good custom questions to ask include:
You can choose the type of question and enter the necessary text right in the editor.
Once you’re happy with your questions, click “Update.”
Now that your Donorbox donation page is up and running, how can you let your supporters know about it? You can easily share the link to your donation page in your communications. Click “Preview Campaign Page” to see how your donation page looks and copy the link to share with your supporters.
If you want to embed a button that links to your donation page from your website, visit your Campaign Launchpad by clicking “Go to Launchpad” from your campaign.
Navigate to the “Donate Button” tab of your Launchpad. Here, you can adjust the size and color of your button and choose whether to display the heart icon on your button. You can also set a default recurring interval and pre-filled donation amount.
You can also create a Sticky Donate Button that anchors to the side of your website and follows users while they browse. It has a subtle animation to draw your supporters’ attention. This serves as a constant, impactful reminder to give – and can help you raise more!
Simply toggle this option on and select which side of the screen you’d like your button to anchor to.
When you’re happy with your button, simply copy and paste the code into your website’s editor. Note that you must paste the code into the header of your website for it to appear on every page.
Donorbox gives you a wholesome experience of accepting one-time or recurring donations and managing your donors effectively. Here are some benefits of choosing Donorbox for your donation pages –
In addition, Donorbox brings an array of other fundraising features like Crowdfunding, Events, Memberships, QuickDonate™, and more. With this tool, you can boost your donations and donor acquisition efforts in the most cost-effective way possible.
Take a look at these Donorbox-hosted donation pages for inspiration!
IAPF effectively uses the Donorbox feature to create and customize their donation page. As you can see, they have used their brand colors, image, and logo on the page. The form is also fully customized with donation amounts, impact descriptions, recurring intervals, and more. It’s a simple design that includes every essential for efficient fundraising.
UNITED24 partnered with Uber to help the Ministry of Health of Ukraine obtain ambulances. We love how they’ve customized the page with their brand color and a relevant image to show the goal of the campaign. The donation form is rather simple but they’ve ensured that their detailed description of the campaign will invite ample donations for the cause.
We love how Black Girls Code included a compelling fundraising video on their donation page to inspire more giving. Their donation form has an employer donation matching section so they don’t miss out on the potential to double any gifts. They also collect tribute donations, which can encourage more giving.
Bonus – We have an article comprising the 13 best donation page examples along with more insights into building a nonprofit donation page. Give it a read for inspiration!
A donation page can make it much easier for your nonprofit to demonstrate your impact and accept donations from your supporters.
An effective donation page can help donors trust your organization and feel comfortable donating. Furthermore, a mobile-friendly donation page can significantly increase your conversion rate as you won’t miss out on donors browsing on their smartphones.
Donation pages can also help you track your fundraising efforts. Your nonprofit can easily see who is donating, how much they’re donating, and how they’re finding your donation page.
On Donorbox, you can easily manage your supporters and their donation data. By adding filters as per your campaign, you can check how many donations you’ve received and how the campaign is doing. You can also send out personalized communication pieces to your donors for more support. You can also easily pull important reports on your supporter data.
Let our nonprofit experts Cara Augspurger and Bobby-Jo Rockstrom take you through the must-haves of a stellar donation page on the below podcast episode. In just about 12 minutes you’ll learn the best techniques to tweak the design, content, and technical details for creating a great donation experience for your supporters!
At Donorbox, we know how important it is to make it easy for your supporters to donate to your nonprofit. That’s why we’ve made it simple to create a donation page for your nonprofit. In just a few simple steps, you can create a beautiful donation page that builds trust and credibility with potential donors. Learn more about our fundraising features here.
Take a look at our Nonprofit Blog for more advice on how to boost your nonprofit’s fundraising efforts and maximize your donations.
Let Donorbox experts help take your fundraising to the next level – get coaching services, premium tools, an account ambassador, and priority tech support at personalized pricing. Book your demo for Donorbox Premium now!
Sally Aquire is a copywriter with a background in crafting communications and fundraising for a women's center. She writes about fundraising, nonprofit management, and wellness initiatives.
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Sally Aquire