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Creating an Effective Website to Accept Donations

For many nonprofit organizations, the most important factor in getting and processing donations is having a good website. In addition, a landing page for accepting donations is especially valuable when it is set up as professionally as possible. The elements that constitute a great landing page include mobile-friendliness, ease-of-use, security, and more. As you work with your team in launching your nonprofit website, consider the following tips to create a strong, successful donation landing page as well.

Have the Page Follow Design Consistency

An effective nonprofit website maintains the same level of design consistency throughout each page. The donation page is no different as users want to feel like they haven't left the website once they take the action to submit a donation. A good transition from one page to the next also means reduced loading times and no issues with screen responsiveness. By making each page consistent with your overall design, there is less distraction for visitors as they follow your donation process.

Use a Flexible Template

While there are website builders that offer templates and frameworks to host your nonprofit information, not all of them can allow you to make important changes instantly. This is why it is important to lean more towards a flexible template with many features that can be adjusted at any moment as necessary. In addition, a good template can also help you further improve the consistency and branding between your website pages.

Have Styled Donation Buttons

The donation button is the direct interactive element that users see to start the actual process. Use bright colors to make the button stand out and be easy to find for browsing users. You can use a variation of your organization's brand colors except with more brightness so users can easily find it. Instead of a simple "Submit" text for your button, opt for something more relevant such as a "Donate Today" or "Help Now" message.

Secure the Page

A secure page has many factors and layers of security. One of them is the SSL certificate, which stands for Secure Sockets Layer. This certificate helps authenticate the visitor's connection and allows browsers to achieve a secure connection with the website's server. A site with a properly set-up SSL has the lock icon located next to the website's address bar. When potential donators feel secure on the website, they are more ready to enter any payment information.

Create a Mobile-Friendly Donation Page

A large portion of donors are completing their transactions on mobile, and these numbers are increasing with time. A good donation page is one that is responsive and easy to use on mobile devices. There are many platforms and website builders that have default settings to automatically make websites fit into mobile screen sizes. Check with your platform to confirm that your website automatically resizes and adjusts the resolution to fit on mobile devices. In addition, if you have visual elements that are interactive and important for your donation page, then add a mobile-friendly version of those elements to make them usable. The main donation button on your page should be displayed easily and visible at all times on mobile screens. Make sure your buttons are not hidden or displayed under any tabs that users may not see.

Add Multiple Donation Options

An obstructive aspect of donation pages is having limited payment and transaction options. Some visitors will simply prefer to go through alternative payment options than just their banks and cards. You can add additional features and options to allow visitors to send their donations via Paypal, Square, and other third-party options. It can be valuable to plan ahead for cryptocurrency payments as well.

A fundraising website can be one of the most valuable ways to promote a cause and bring awareness to it. Whether it is a community support program or a relief drive, it is important to have a functional website with effective and consistent donation options. By incorporating these steps, you can make your donation button and features as interactive as possible to help donors contribute to your goal. Before you launch your donation page and promote it, be sure to have these steps and tips integrated as well.