8 Dos and Donts Of Giving Pages That Work

Here at UkuuPeople we’re all about Humans. Helping you organize your contacts to better manage your human relationships is our specialty. As we work with many nonprofits, we know that one of the most important places where you interact with your contacts is on your organization’s website and donation page.

You want to be sure that your nonprofit’s donation page is poised and ready for success. As the end of the year is right around the corner, your nonprofit is most likely preparing for an influx of donations in the coming weeks.

We’ve worked with a number of nonprofits to see both the good and bad of donation pages. And we want to help your organization put its best foot forward when it comes to telling your story to the humans who may want to give or get involved with the good work that you’re doing.

We’ve compiled a list of 8 Dos and Don’ts for your nonprofit to consider as you work to create the best donation page possible, and multiply the good work that you do.

One: Do make specific, targeted asks.

This is a fancy way of saying you should provide suggested donation amounts tied to the specific needs of your nonprofit. Demonstrate the results gained from specific giving amounts. Be sure to have varied ask amounts, too, so that donors at every level feel as though their contribution, no matter how great or small, can make a difference.

“On average, donations are 43 percent larger on a branded online giving page that includes suggested donation amounts.”–Fundraising123

Two: Don’t skimp on design.

Don’t miss out on the opportunity to connect with a donor for life by skimping on the design of your donation page. A poorly designed giving page will remain a lonely, static page, not an interactive tool to connect donors to your mission. Use fresh colors with a good amount of whitespace, and brand-specific typography. Keep it simple and not cluttered, or your donors will get overwhelmed.

Three: Do have your own branded donation page.

Don’t send your donors to a third-party website! Statistics show that people’s trust levels drop for an organization when they are sent to a third-party site to make their donation. When users click “donate,” they haven’t actually decided to give yet. They are still researching and discovering more about your mission or potential ways to get involved. Your donation page is your last chance to tell your story and bring your ask to a close.

Four: Do use GiveWP.

We’ve chosen to integrate Give, a phenomenal WordPress plugin, with UkuuPeople, as an add-on because it is the best donation tool for WordPress, is easy to use, and is trusted by nonprofits all over the world. Using our feed between Give and UkuuPeople, you can create that branded giving page that we were talking about, and all the contact and donation information is captured in your contacts’ history in UkuuPeople.

Five: Do re-tell the story.

Integrate parts of your beneficiaries’ stories with the donation buttons themselves. Let your donor know his or her click has meaning. With this kind of giving, you can practically see the results. This is what you want your donors to know—that their donation makes a difference, that it changes something.

Six: Don’t only ask for one-time gifts.

One-time gifts are wonderful, but we all know that donors who give on a regular basis are the lifeblood of nonprofits. Be sure that your donation page has a number of avenues for giving. We usually suggest one-time or monthly options. Donors who come to your page with the intention of giving one small gift will see the impact that their gift can have, and will often choose to give monthly.

“Donors are 31 percent more likely to initiate a recurring gift on a branded page versus unbranded page.”—Fundraising123

Seven: Do make your ask donor-centric.

Be sure to focus your asks on the donor’s impact, not that of your organization. After all, you couldn’t do the good work that you do without them, so show donors how they are making a difference! Use the word “you” instead of “your donation.” Showcase the impact that your donors (or better yet, partners in the good work) can have.

I love this donor-centric wording by World Vision about sponsoring a child. “Sponsoring a child is a personal way to show God’s love to a child in need. For $39 a month, you’ll help that child and their community to stand tall, free from poverty.”

Eight: Don’t forget to say “Thank You!”

Thanking your donors is by far one of the most important things you can do! Be sure to thank your donors after they’ve given in a personal way, and don’t wait too long to do so. Whether it’s a pop-up video of someone from your nonprofit saying thank you, a personalized note or email, or better yet a picture or video of the real-life impact of their donation, always follow up with a thank you!

Donation pages work when your potential donor walks away thinking, “That was a warm and human experience. I’d like to encounter that organization again.” Your donation page is one way you can make your donor’s experience human and warm.

Then you can use UkuuPeople as your Simple CRM for WordPress to manage these new relationships. The better you manage these human connections, the more invested and involved your donors become.