Maximizing Donations: Fine-Tuning Your Year-End Giving Page

As the year draws to a close, the anticipation surrounding year-end fundraising is noticeable. This is your nonprofit’s final push to meet your revenue goals, so every effort counts! The key to motivating your supporters to contribute is an effective giving page.

Your giving page drives donations to your cause, so it’s essential that your mission shines through. Check out the top tips and best practices for refining your year-end giving page and maximizing your impact.

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Create a Compelling Giving Page Design

Your giving page should reflect your nonprofit’s brand while staying visually appealing, easy to understand, and featuring strong calls to action that encourage visitors to contribute.

“Simple is better,” Matt Bitzegaio, Co-Founder and CEO of DonorDock, shares on a OneCause webinar. “Cluttered giving pages can often lead to donor confusion. It makes it hard for them to know where they should focus their attention.”

When designing your page, think from a donor’s perspective. You’d be surprised by how many donations you can drive simply by ensuring your giving experience is streamlined. Follow these best practices to craft a sleek yet engaging page that converts:

  • Optimize your giving page for mobile devices. Your supporters may not be sitting at their computer when they have the urge to give. Fifty-one percent of people who view a nonprofit’s website do so on a mobile device. Mobile-optimized pages will help you capture donations anytime, anywhere.
  • Use engaging call-to-actions (CTAs) throughout the page. Make sure your donation button stands out so your page visitors know where they can give. Use action-orientated language such as “donate now,” or “make an impact” to encourage urgency.
  • Embed your giving page into your website. When a visitor is interested in your cause, don’t send them to a different area of your site before capturing a donation.
  • Create impact with high-quality images and videos. You don’t need to be a graphic designer to catch a visitor’s attention. Utilize your brand’s colors, fonts, and logos to create something truly unique. Include images or videos of beneficiaries, volunteers, or guests at past fundraisers. Remember, emotional imagery can inspire generosity!
  • Limit the number of fields in your donation form. The more data and fields you ask for a donor to fill in, the more it opens the donation process to friction. Only take necessary information when asking donors to complete a form.
  • Offer multiple payment methods. Accommodate donor giving preferences by offering multiple payment options, such as credit card, PayPal, ACH, etc. Use fundraising software that offers a digital wallet on your giving page to make donations even smoother!

By following these best practices, you’ll create a giving page that catches your supporters’ attention and amplifies your campaign’s efforts.

Engage in Emotional Storytelling

While the primary goal of your giving page is to capture donations, the secondary goal should be getting visitors emotionally invested in your work.

“People are more likely to donate when they feel more emotionally connected to a cause,” Matt says. “It’s storytelling and showing the real-life impact of the donation that creates that connection.”

Use the following best practices to showcase emotional storytelling on your giving page:

  • Define your mission and goals. Clearly communicate the problem you’re trying to solve and why it matters. Personalize this message with how your supporters can make a real, tangible difference.
  • Focus on impact. Don’t just tell what you do, show how it makes a difference. Utilize any relevant metrics to get the point across, such as “$50 provides meals for four children for a week.”
  • Use real-life stories and testimonials. Share testimonials from people directly impacted by your nonprofit. Consider using multiple formats, such as a quick video or quote to highlight the results of giving.

Back up any stories with additional research and statistics from your latest campaigns. However, they shouldn’t be the only thing you rely on when focusing on donor engagement. “Metrics and statistics are valuable to support your story, but they are not a replacement for authentic testimonials that can connect on an emotional level,” Matt explains. “Numbers don’t always connect with people—stories do.”

Utilize Matching Gifts to Maximize Giving Page Impact

Seeing campaign revenue double is a dream come true for most nonprofits. And that dream is achievable with the power of matching gifts! Matching gift programs allow your donors to amplify their impact while helping you reach your year-end revenue goals.

“Both end-of-year fundraising and matching gifts are each essential components of a successful nonprofit funding strategy,” Adam Weinger, President of Double the Donation, shares. “The two complement each other in a way that produces more unmistakable revenue potential for the organizations that promote them in tandem with one another.”

To encourage donors to participate, have information about matching gifts clearly outlined on your giving page. Donors tend to give more when they know their impact can be doubled; average gift sizes increase by 51% when matching gifts are mentioned in appeals!

Express your gratitude to those who matched their gifts in a personalized thank you letter or share the impact of their donation through a special testimonial or message. By effectively promoting matching gifts and showing genuine appreciation to your donors, you can turn the dream of doubled revenue into reality and maximize your year-end impact.

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Leverage Analytics to Optimize Your Giving Page Strategy

You can leverage your donor data to supplement all aspects of your fundraising—even your giving page. Your data can tell you a lot about your donors and how they interact with your page’s content, helping you make more informed decisions to capture more conversions.

When looking at your giving page’s data, key metrics to follow include:

  • Conversion rate: The percentage of visitors who complete a donation. If it’s low, you know your giving page needs some fine-tuning.
  • Average donation size: How much your donors are giving on average. Knowing this can help you target different donation amounts on your page and adjust for what best fits your supporters.
  • Bounce rate: How many visitors exit your page without giving. High bounce rates may indicate issues with page load time, unclear messaging, or poor user experience.
  • Mobile optimization: Analytics can show how many users are accessing your page from mobile devices. If those numbers are dropping off, it may be time to improve your mobile usability.

These key metrics can help you understand what’s working and what isn’t. You should always look to continuously improve your giving page to capture more donations.

For example, consider conducting an A/B test. Try offering two different versions of your giving page and compare the data to see which resonates more with your donors. “You may find that using different stories or design layouts can impact your conversion rate,” Matt notes.

There are plenty of tools out there to use for gathering the data you need. Here are a few to try:

  • Google Analytics: Showcases traffic patterns on your page.
  • Hotjar: Records user behavior and how they engage with your content on screen.
  • Crazyegg: Tracks user behavior and assists in A/B testing.

You can turn to your fundraising software for additional analytic tools to assist in fundraising effectively. The right software will keep you organized while encouraging seamless giving.

Find Your Year-End Giving Success

Your giving page is designed to entice potential donors and encourage them to give. Implement these tips to your year-end strategy and see how small tweaks can create a significant impact on your revenue. You can enhance your fundraising efforts not just during peak times, but consistently throughout the year.

“While you’re focused on Giving Tuesday and year-end giving, take these strategies to heart,” Matt emphasizes. “They can help you raise more throughout the whole year.”

Explore other year-end resources:

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