Isn’t it human nature to want to make things better in this world? Even if we find ourselves so busy we can’t help people directly in need there are always organizations out there to provide services that are needed. Thus providing an opportunity for everyone to help indirectly. Even helping “behind the scenes” or indirectly makes us feel a little better, that we somehow have made a contribution in this world with a donation.
It’s hard to find the right organization to donate to since there are so many needs out there. However people always tend to go with an organization that resonates with them and tugs at their heart.
Have you ever had a desire to donate to an organization and you get stumped?
I mean you can’t find where to donate or you get to the donate page and you can only provide a credit card but you don’t have your wallet with you. Ugh! That is so frustrating… You have it in your heart to donate and you want to help the cause but their website is just not user-friendly. This is BAD!
I’ve come across so many organizations that I’ve run into this problem however I will not reveal their names. I will provide some non-profits that are completely on target with their donation efforts. Take a look at the Slideshare below!
5 Tips:
- The donate button must be prominent on the homepage of the website. Even better is to have several buttons on the page especially above the fold. The Michael J. Fox Foundation does an awesome job in doing this.
- Make sure you describe what donations go to along with your Mission statement on the homepage. Photos related to the cause really help. People shouldn’t have to go to the About page. The fewer clicks the better.
- Once a person is on the donate page, what payment options are you giving them? Definitely credit card is an option BUT what if the person does NOT have their wallet handy? Uh-oh. Hesitancy comes into play. They can have second thoughts or they just make a mental note to go back to the website another time. These possibilities shouldn’t happen.
- Use a Paypal button or Razoo widget. To embed the button or widget is free. The transaction fee is a flat rate of 4.9% for Razoo and here’s a chart of PayPal’s 2 part breakdown.
5. Make your site mobile-user friendly by making a mobile website, responsive website, or a mobile app. Check out the details on making it mobile friendly as suggested on Forbes.
Making the donation process easy will help bring in more referrals and continual support of the cause. I’m so glad St. Jude Children’s Foundation has an excellent donation page.
If you’re just starting up a 501(c)3, please be sure to implement these tips to your website. There are so many great causes that can have impact on lives and if you’re not getting the donations you need then you’re doing those people a great disservice.
I hope these tips bring some insight on how to make it easy for donors to donate. If you have any tips that are not listed here, I’d love to hear from you. Leave a comment!
Blessings,
Lillian De Jesus
Tigerlily 
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