Want to convert more donors, but not sure how many donation methods to offer? I’ll share why more payment methods matter, which to include, and how to add more options without crowding your donation form.
Join the fundraising movement! Join the fundraising movement!Imagine this: a potential donor lands on your donation form and is ready to give, but is met with unfamiliar payment options and a complicated checkout flow. They hesitate, abandon their cart, and you lose out on a donation.
Research reveals that nonprofits experience an 83.1% cart abandonment rate. One of the most significant reasons for this drop-off is a lack of familiar payment methods.
Below, I’ll explain why preferred payment options are essential for your fundraising strategy, how many donation methods to offer, and the top options to include on your donation page.
10% of online shoppers who partook in a 2025 study surveying 1,026 U.S. adults say they abandoned their carts due to a lack of payment methods. This is a clear indicator that more payment options can increase conversion rates.
Multiple payment methods are essential for minimizing cart abandonment among supporters with diverse giving preferences. This also helps capture the trust of potential donors, who may abandon their gift if their preferred donation method isn’t available.
By offering a variety of familiar, trusted donation methods, you’ll minimize friction, increase trust, and capture more gifts.
Ideally, offer as many payment methods as possible through a conversion-optimized donation form. However, there’s no one-size-fits-all approach to fundraising online, especially if you’re a new nonprofit just starting out.
Below, I’ll highlight the bare minimum options you should offer, based on different fundraising stages:
63% of donors prefer to give online using credit/debit cards. Plus, contactless payments are used by 83% of Millennials and 77% of Gen Z.
If you’re a small or local nonprofit, offer these fundamental payment methods:
At this stage, aim to provide payment options that appeal to the majority of your donor base to reduce donor drop-off, at the very least.
As your local and international donor base grows, include additional payment methods to minimize friction and appeal to even more supporters.
For this stage of your fundraising, you’ll need at least the following payment options:
As a mid- to large-sized or internationally focused nonprofit, your payment stack should appeal to local and global donors. This helps maximize donor conversion rates to secure more funding.
Offer all of the payment methods mentioned in the option above, along with:
Did you know? The Donorbox OmniGive™ Donation Form offers the broadest range of payment methods on the market (22+ and counting), catering to donors around the world. I’ll share more about the form in a bit.
Here’s a quick breakdown of the most preferred payment methods for donors, based on a survey conducted by Nonprofit Tech for Good. Survey results are based on feedback from 641 donors:
Now, let’s look at the most popular payment methods for nonprofits who want to increase conversion rates.
As I mentioned earlier, cards are the most widely used donation method, accounting for 63% of all online gifts.
According to Donorbox data, card payments made up 82.89% of total donations received by organizations in 2025 – further underscoring exactly how popular this payment option is among donors.
Cards are a familiar, trusted, and widely used payment method among younger and older donors, whether for one-time or recurring donations. This makes it a must-have for nonprofits big and small.
Digital wallets are becoming increasingly popular, especially among younger donors. In fact, 75% of Millennials and 71% of Gen Z use at least one digital wallet regularly.
Their appeal? Convenience.
Digital wallets like Amazon Pay allow donors to rapidly complete their gift by autopopulating form fields with the personal information they provide.
Nonprofits are quickly adapting to accommodate this shift in giving preferences. M+R Benchmarks reports that 47% of nonprofits offer Apple Pay on donation pages, followed by Google Pay (40%) and Venmo (24%).
At Donorbox, Stripe Link was the most popular wallet among donors in 2025 – making up for 63.19% of digital wallet donations to organizations using the platform. Apple Pay was next in line, contributing to 27.12%.
Donorbox OmniGive donation forms with UltraSwift™ Pay enabled provide supporters with a super-fast, one-click checkout option via digital wallets. Donors simply select a donation amount and frequency, choose an available digital wallet, and proceed to donate.
See how Honor the Earth offers donors a rapid one-click giving experience on their OmniGive donation form:
Offer Digital Wallets on Your Donation Form
Recurring donations made via electronic bank transfers are, on average, 55% higher than those made through other payment methods. And recurring supporters who give using this method tend to stay 20% longer on average.
Recurring and major donors love that bank transfers and direct debits typically carry lower fees, making them a cost-effective and appealing option.
That means more of each donation goes directly to your mission, making this a top donation method to offer as a nonprofit.
40% of BNPL users say they’re likely to abandon a purchase if buy now, pay later (BNPL) is unavailable.
Encourage donors who prefer BNPL options like Cash App Afterpay and Klarna to support your cause by offering it on your form.
Almost 40% of Gen Z and 29% of Millennials already invest in cryptocurrencies – all the more reason to tap into this donor pool by offering crypto as a donation method.
At Donorbox, the average crypto donation is close to 2,000% bigger than the average donation made with a credit card.
Leverage integrations like this one from Donorbox to give supporters the option to donate in cryptocurrency and stock via your form.
Supporting stablecoins like USDC and USDP is another great way to secure more international donors. Supporters appreciate this payment option because it’s less volatile than cryptocurrency, near-instant, and borderless.
Offering stock as a payment method lets supporters donate appreciated stock and save on capital gains tax – while still getting a full tax deduction. It also allows them to support your cause in bigger ways.
Donations of stock are growing in popularity as more young donors increase their wealth through the stock market. These supporters prefer to donate stock directly to nonprofits as opposed to cash, giving larger gifts and simultaneously securing bigger tax advantages.
Internal data from Donorbox shows that the average stock donation is almost 9,000% bigger than the average gift made using a credit card.
The Giving Block’s 2026 Annual Report on Crypto Philanthropy reveals that online stock donation volume increased by 127% in 2025.
Furthermore, December accounted for almost 67% of all stock donation volume, indicating that this form of giving peaks during tax planning and year-end appeals.
You may be wondering how you can offer all these payment options and provide your donors with the smoothest giving experience.
Donorbox’s OmniGive donation form solves the issue. This multi-step form supports 22+ payment methods, automatically displayed in an accordion layout based on your donors’ location and device type.
It also supports 53 currencies and 15 languages, helping you expand your global reach even further and offer an inclusive donation experience to international donors.
See how it works:
Offering more donation methods enables your nonprofit to increase conversion rates and collect even more funds. However, remember that a seamless checkout experience goes hand in hand with providing more payment options.
Fundraising platforms like Donorbox make it easy for your nonprofit to reach more local and global donors. Explore all our features and tools here, and get started for free today.
For more expert fundraising tips and ideas, visit the Nonprofit Blog.
Jamy-Lee has over 7 years of experience in copywriting and content marketing. With a background in volunteering, she now uses her passion for writing to help accelerate the all-important missions of nonprofits worldwide.
Join the fundraising movement! Join the fundraising movement!
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