Small Changes for Big Results: How to Optimize Your Online

DonationsNetSquared Vancouver

October 7, 2014

Tonight!

• Warm-up• The problems with online

donation forms• Why they matter• The solutions• Group challenge!

Question

• How is your organization driving traffic to your website and online donation form?

?

Sources

Email Print advertisingEvents

Social Medi

aSearch

marketing TV?

Direct Mail

Transit / out of home

Face to

face

Why it matters…• 85% of US adults are online on a

daily basis• 73% are on some type of social

media• Online giving was up 13.5% in 2013– Accounted for 6.4% of all giving in 2013

• A total of $8.3 billion in Canadian donations in 2012

Sources: Pew Research Center, Blackbaud 2013 Charitable Giving Report, Statistics Canada

Online donors…• Dominant channel for

new donors (64 or younger) = online

• Online-acquired donors have a much higher cumulative value

• Online donors tend to give larger gifts

Source: 2011 donorCentrics Internet and Multichannel Giving Benchmarking Report

Question #2• Do you know the

conversion rate of site visitors to online donations?

• Do you know the abandonment rate of your online donation form?

• Please share your data – no judgment!

Problem

50 – 70% donation form abandonment

rate!Source: NPEngage.com, Alissa Ruehl, 2013

Solutions• Avoid third party

redirects– Up to 70% of donors

abandon when they’re redirected to another site

– Keep donors on your site

– Focus on continuity of look and feel – even the URL (if possible)

• Offer a compelling call to action– Tell them why they

need to donate TODAY

– Incite them to take action!

–Make the appeal feel personal

Solutions

• Eliminate unnecessary fields on the donation form

• What data do you really need – and use?

• Less is more!

Solutions

Question

• Do you know how many fields are on your organization’s online donation form?

• How many clicks does it take to find your form and make a donation?

?

Problem

Donation form is

buried on your site

Why it matters…• If site visitors can’t find it instantly,

what’s the point?• Assume they’ve never been to your site

or heard of your organization before• Simple math:– Convert more site visitors to donors!– 1,000 visits @ 1% conversion = 10 donors– 1,000 visits @ 3% conversion = 30 donors!

• Make your donation CTA front and centre!

• Use obvious language

• Refine and test navigation

• Offer multiple access points in the navigation

Solutions

Source: NPEngage.com, Alissa Ruehl, 2013

Only 20% of donation forms are mobile-friendly!

Problem

Why it matters…

• 30% of traffic to nonprofit and charity websites is now from mobile

• 15% of donations are coming from mobile web browsers– This number is growing!

• Don’t lose them because the process is cumbersome!

Source: Artez Interactive, “Mobile Matters”

• Invest in responsive design– For the donation

form landing page at LEAST

• TEST the donation process from a mobile device

Solutions

Problem

How to encourage recurring

gifts?

Why it matters…• Huge increase to lifetime value of

donor• Reduce costs for handling donations• Reduces ‘donor inertia’ – Donors have to make an effort to cancel

the gift• Keep it straightforward and easy

when they’re inspired!

• Ask them for a recurring gift!

• Don’t separate one-time gift form and recurring gift form

• Make the process easy and intuitive

Solutions

Considerations• Payment processing integration–Monthly gifts automatically processed or

manually processed– How to handle credit card data

• ACH (direct debit) as a payment method ideal for recurring– Less rejected transactions than credit

cards and lower processing costs– Churches love ACH for tithing

Final Thoughts• Visual representation of security– https:// vs http– Other icons to reassure donor their data

is safe• Credit card fraud prevention– Payment processor tools– Fraud targeted to charities– Avoid the refund scam!

Group Challenge• Grab your phones,

phablets or tablets!• Grab a partner (or

partners)• Go to their org’s form• Try to make an online

donation!

Discuss…

• Is the call to action compelling?• Where is the form on the site’s

navigation?• What does it look like on your

device?– Can you enter your details?

• Can you set up a recurring gift?

Conclusions

Make it obvious!Call to action,

Simple form,

no redirect!

Device responsive Recurring gifts

and security!

Thank you!