How to Create Top-Notch Online Experiences for Donors

People are spending more and more time online. DataReportal reveals that the average internet user spends over 46 hours using the internet each week, which equals roughly 40% of their waking life. Given these numbers, it’s likely that most of your nonprofit’s interactions with donors now take place online.

There are many ways to make an impression on the internet, from your website to your social media pages. But to truly connect with your audience and build a strong, loyal donor base for your nonprofit, you must ensure that every online experience donors have with your organization is as rewarding and meaningful as possible.

Let’s explore some highly effective strategies and examples for creating top-notch online experiences for your donors.

1. Follow web design best practices.

Your nonprofit’s website is your own little corner of the internet—a place where people can go to learn about your mission, programs, giving opportunities, and impact. Since it houses important resources such as your donation page, blog, and event calendar, you should make navigating your website as simple and streamlined as possible.

A high-quality website is:

• Easy to use. Design a simple, intuitive navigation bar that donors can use to find the information they seek in just a few clicks. Incorporate clear calls to action (CTAs) that describe the next step you’re asking users to take, and leave enough white space for them to focus on each separate element on the page.
• Accessible. Refer to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) to ensure anyone can explore and understand your website content. For example, choose high-contrast colors that are easily distinguishable on the page and add alt text to images to accommodate people using screen readers.
• Mobile-friendly. Getting Attention points out that nonprofits have an average of 12,708 website visitors a month, with 52% of that traffic coming from mobile devices. Many website builders have mobile-responsive themes that automatically resize page elements to fit various screen sizes. Use large buttons that are easy for donors to tap with their fingers, and ensure any pop-ups you use won’t cover their entire screen.
• Quick to load. Today, it only takes a few seconds to send an email or place an online order from a store across the world. When donors arrive on your nonprofit’s website, they expect to see your content immediately rather than wait several long seconds for something to appear. Use Google PageSpeed Insights to check your website speed and make improvements accordingly, such as compressing the images you use.

A top nonprofit example: Habitat for Humanity’s website provides a clear and engaging experience for its users, bolding “Volunteer,” “Advocate,” and “Support” in its top navigation bar so people can immediately find information relevant to their needs and goals. Plus, the website passes Google’s Core Web Vitals assessments for page speed and includes descriptive alt text for all images.

2. Provide flexible giving options.

Your nonprofit likely incorporates a variety of fundraising ideas into its strategy to excite donors and keep them invested in your cause. After all, not every donor wants to support your organization in the same way.

Provide donors with more control over their online giving experience through flexible options such as:

• Recurring gifts. Allow donors to opt into monthly, quarterly, or annual gifts to your nonprofit. Through recurring giving, they can become consistent contributors to your mission without having to manually complete your donation process every time.
• Donor-advised funds (DAFs). DAFs are charitable investment accounts donors can use to set aside funding that they can later allocate to nonprofits like yours. Some fundraising solutions include a DAF donation tool that enables donors to contribute directly from their DAF.
• Stock donations. Gifts of stock provide donors with tax benefits such as avoiding capital gains tax due upon selling the stock. Your nonprofit can accept stock donation transfers electronically or through the mail.
• In-kind gifts. Donors can contribute items or services, including office equipment and graphic design, to support your nonprofit. Add a gift acceptance policy to your website that outlines the types of goods and services you will accept and in what condition.

A top nonprofit example: The American Red Cross has a detailed “Ways to Donate” page that lists all the giving options available to donors, from monthly gifts to airline miles donations. Each option has its own page, which goes into more detail explaining the associated benefits and donation process. While your nonprofit doesn’t have to start providing all these options at once, accepting more non-traditional donations can boost your financial growth.

3. Create a sense of online community.

When donors contribute to your nonprofit, they are looking to find a sense of belonging and help make a difference in the world. While it may seem challenging to build a tight-knit community of donors online, there are plenty of strategies you can use to bring them together.

For instance, let’s say you’re launching a virtual peer-to-peer fundraising event for Giving Tuesday.  Beyond providing participants with the messaging and resources they need to raise funds on your behalf, you could invite them to a dedicated social media group where they can share tips and encouragement. To boost engagement even further, Fundly’s Giving Tuesday guide recommends creating a campaign-related hashtag and asking participants to post their own content related to your mission.

A top nonprofit example: To Write Love on Her Arms (TWLOHA) engages in various activities to develop a passionate, united community around its mission. The nonprofit’s event page includes marathons, Facebook challenges, and virtual mental health first aid training. Plus, TWLOHA invites people to share their stories on its blog and collaborates with live streamers to advocate for mental health online.

4. Focus on building trust and transparency.

A lot occurs behind the scenes on the internet, from data encryption to website user tracking. For the average user, these mysterious processes can seem confusing or even concerning. Before donors give on your nonprofit’s donation page, assure them that they are making a wise and safe decision with their dollars. Build their trust by:

• Posting testimonials and case studies about actual beneficiaries on your website and social media.
• Sharing your financial statements and Form 990 on your website and in your annual reports.
• Maintaining consistent branding across all content and communications so donors can feel confident that they are coming directly from your organization.
• Specifying the impact of suggested donation amounts, such as “a gift of $100 will provide vaccinations and a microchip to one shelter animal.”
• Outlining a donor privacy policy that explains the information you collect, how your nonprofit will manage this data, and how donors can opt out.

A top nonprofit example: Feeding America’s website includes a “Donor Privacy Policy” page, a tab on “Annual Reports and Financials,” and success stories featuring both beneficiaries who have overcome hunger and passionate individuals who have helped provide food security to their communities.

Whether you’re crowdfunding, promoting matching gifts, or trying to expand your recurring giving program, approach it from the donor’s perspective. What will inspire them to take action? What can you do to help them feel more comfortable and confident in giving to your nonprofit? 

Don’t be afraid to send surveys to donors and collect their direct input. Their feedback can point toward specific improvements you can take to create online giving experiences that secure lasting support for your mission.

Authors Note

Missy Singh

Missy Singh is the Director of Operations, Client Services & Sales at Fundly. She has been working there since 2011 when she started as a Customer Experience and Implementation Manager. As an integrated platform for social impact, Fundly serves as an industry leader in crowdfunding and peer-to-peer fundraising. In 2015 Fundly combined with NonProfitEasy to offer enterprise-level technology that addresses nonprofit needs with features such as a CRM, volunteer management, membership management, and event registration.