At any time, on any day, countless nonprofit organizations are vying for attention and support from donors. When it comes to making changes in the world, your donation form stands as a gateway to realizing your impact. In this post, we delve into the essential pieces of an optimized donation form, plus how a Donorbox Donation Form can help you take your fundraising to the next level.
Your donation form is more than just a tool for capturing donations – it’s a catalyst for connection, a conduit for generosity, and a canvas for telling the stories that make your mission unique. Donorbox’s donation forms help you do all of this and more!
Creating donation forms optimized for your needs will transform your encounters with potential donors, taking them from mundane to meaningful. Optimizing your form by adding your brand, voice, stories, and impact helps donors see your mission clearly and invites them on a journey of impact.
Every click has the potential to impact your organization; but how do you make the most of your donation form? In this article, we highlight must-have features for any charity donation form, share statistics that back this up, and explain how Donorbox can help!
Your online donation form connects supporters to your cause and gives you a platform to clearly highlight the impact of each donation received. To maximize your fundraising efforts, your donation form should include customized features that streamline your giving process, inspire trust, and tell your nonprofit’s unique story. We all know that security and accessibility features are critically important, but what else should you be considering?
Let’s dive into the eleven must-have features your optimized donation form should have, plus how to create a donation form that brings in more donations by using Donorbox.
The strategic placement of a sticky donate button can significantly impact donor engagement and increase conversions on your donation page. This feature serves as a gentle nudge and places giving at the forefront of your donors’ minds, capitalizing on spontaneous decisions to contribute.
Studies show that a strong call to action on a sticky donate button can result in more donations than a generic donate button. Plus, the addition of a sticky button to your website can boost donor conversion by 33.2%!
Multi-step donation forms allow you to create a seamless and user-friendly donation experience. By breaking down the donation process into manageable steps and integrating the form on your website as an embedded or pop-up form, your organization can remove barriers to giving, increase conversion rates, and, ultimately, raise more funds to advance your mission and impact.
Did you know? According to this recent study by Blackbaud, multi-step donation forms saw 33% more overall conversions, a 75% higher conversion rate per visit, 90% more overall donations, and donation amounts that were 54% higher than the average!
Plus, integrating the form with your website – enabling donors to give without leaving your site – boosts donor trust, further increasing conversion rates.
Bonus: Enable a Giving Reminder for your pop-up form that appears on the bottom right of the screen for anyone who interacts with your form but navigates away. This is a great way to recover donations – think of it as an abandoned cart feature for nonprofits!
Learn more about Donorbox Donation Forms
When your nonprofit tailors its giving experience to meet the unique preferences and needs of its donors, you can raise six times more money.
From personalized messaging and branding to flexible donation options and suggested giving amounts, customizations empower you to create a donation experience that resonates with donors, fosters trust, and increases engagement – ultimately leading to increased giving.
Did you know? Brand-aligned online donation forms receive up to 38% larger gifts than generic donation forms.
Goal meters – sometimes called donation meters or thermometers – are powerful visual aids on nonprofit donation forms. They offer transparency and motivate donors while amplifying the impact of fundraising campaigns. Additionally, goal meters create a sense of accountability and trust. They demonstrate that donor contributions are part of a larger effort, underscoring their role as valued participants in achieving your mission.
Insider tip: Studies have shown that donors give more when they know how close you are to reaching your target!
A strong call to action (CTA) message serves as a powerful prompt that compels donors to take action and support your cause. Inspire donors to make a contribution with a compelling message that clearly articulates the urgency and importance of giving.
Ensure that your call to action message is clear and not competing for space on your donation page. Use the message to tell donors exactly what you want them to do, such as making a recurring donation to have a bigger impact.
Pro tip: Reduce the clutter! Research proves that CTAs surrounded by less information and more white space can increase conversion rates by 232%.
Highlighting areas of impact gives donors a tangible understanding of the difference their contributions will make and the direct effect of their generosity. When you clearly and transparently articulate the impact of their support, you also instill confidence in your donors. You also demonstrate the efficacy and importance of your nonprofit.
Did you know? 74% of donors are more likely to increase their donation amount and/or give outside of their regular cadence if there’s a compelling reason.
Recurring donations offer donors an opportunity to make a sustainable impact on your mission while providing ongoing support to their chosen cause. Moreover, they empower donors to maximize their contributions over time, amplifying the overall effect of their generosity.
Studies show 94% of donors prefer giving monthly over other recurring donation intervals, so be sure to take advantage by making it easy for them to do so!
Tribute gifts offer a heartfelt way to celebrate special occasions, commemorate loved ones, or recognize significant milestones. In fact, statistics show that 33% of donors worldwide give tribute gifts to friends and family! Offering an easy way to make tribute gifts online gives donors the chance to honor loved ones with a meaningful gift to your organization.
Donation designations enable donors to align their contributions with their values and interests, ensuring that their generosity has a direct and lasting impact on the programs they care about most.
And it really works! One study showed that when donors were allowed to determine the target of their donation, fundraising revenue increased by 42%.
Nearly nine in ten Americans are using some form of digital payment, with platforms like PayPal, Venmo, Apple Pay, and Google Pay gaining widespread adoption. And donors are increasingly making online donations via mobile devices, accounting for 28% of transactions in 2021! Therefore, enabling faster checkouts and using online wallets are vital for modern nonprofit donation forms.
These features streamline your giving process and help remove unnecessary barriers to giving. With a faster checkout, your organization can empower donors to contribute quickly and securely, reducing donor drop-off. This improves the donor experience while enhancing your organization’s ability to capitalize on donor intent and maximize fundraising opportunities.
Personalized receipts allow your organization to express gratitude and foster stronger connections with its donors while also providing important tax and accounting information. With customized receipts that include donor names, donation details, and heartfelt messages of thanks, you can convey sincerity and recognition. Plus, it deepens donor loyalty and engagement.
Pro tip: Personalizing your messages also improves open rates. Studies show that adding your donor’s name to direct mail can increase responses by 135%. Trends are also moving this way for emails.
Looking for more tips to ensure your donation form is bringing in the most funds possible? Watch this webinar for an interactive donation form assessment. Plus, use our free Donation Form Mastery Quiz to guide you!
The world of online fundraising is more competitive than ever. With so many worthy causes competing for donor attention, nonprofits must use all the tools in their fundraising arsenal to stand out. Your donation form is one such tool. Make it as attractive, professional, and efficient as possible!
Donorbox helps organizations like yours create responsive, dynamic, and highly customized giving forms and pages that convert donors while also communicating your unique mission. Plus, we understand the critical role security plays for nonprofits like yours. By emphasizing full compliance with the Payment Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) as well as top-notch encryption and fraud detection, we ensure the protection of your donors’ sensitive information, fostering trust and credibility for your organization.
It takes just a few minutes to sign up for Donorbox so you can start building the perfect donation journey for your donors, from recurring donation forms to the Donorbox Live™ Kiosk app and everything in between.
Visit the rest of our Nonprofit Blog for more nonprofit tips and resources!
Nicole’s professional background is rooted in the nonprofit sector, where she’s honed her skills in communications, marketing, and fundraising. She has extensive experience in various fields, such as social media, content strategy, public relations, and more. Nicole has a deep passion for writing, editing, and gaining knowledge about the many causes that tirelessly advocate for essential societal change.
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Nicole Human