Increase Online Donations

Accepting online donations provides major benefits for nonprofits, so we've put together these resources to help improve your online giving results!

To help you capture more donors, and
in return more donations, we have put together
this guide to improve your online giving success.

Top 10 Reasons to Promote Online Donations:

  • The majority of nonprofit websites offer online giving capabilities – it’s now expected.
  • Provide a convenient and cost-effective location to send donors from solicitations (24/7).
  • Take financial advantage of planned or unplanned media attention given to your nonprofit .
  • Cost-effectively attract new donors referred by constituents, search engines, and other sources.
  • Eliminate data entry with automatic integration of online donations to DonorPerfect.
  • Reduce postage/mailing costs .
  • Increase sign-ups, donations and web activity.
  • Generate higher average donations – according to Nielsen//NetRatings, households with Internet connections tend to be wealthier and better educated than those without Internet access.
  • The average age of Internet users who donate online is 20 years younger than direct-mail donors.
  • Access funds faster - online donations can be collected in real-time.

User Comments & Suggestions

Do you have suggestions or comments on effective ways to increase donations online? Please share them with others by submitting an email to marketing@donorperfect.com.

Add this verbiage to your automated acknowledgments to possibly increase donation amounts:

If your employer has a Matching Gifts program, please show this acknowledgement to the program administrator and ask them to match your donation and send the necessary documentation to:

Nonprofit Name
Address
City, State/Provence Postal Code

Here is an article that was suggested:
A Five Step Program to Measure the Effectiveness of Your Web Pages

According to a study from ForeSee Results, to gauge satisfaction of respondents who visited nonprofit websites:

A satisfied visitor to a nonprofit website is:

  • 65% more likely to recommend the site to others;
  • 57% more likely to have a favorable overall impression of the organization;
  • 55% more likely to return to the site;
  • 49% more likely to donate; and,
  • 38% more likely to volunteer.

The top two reasons people gave for visiting nonprofit sites are news and events (40%) and to stay informed about the organization’s cause (40%).

Highly satisfied visitors to nonprofit websites are 49% are more likely to donate money to the nonprofit and 38% more likely to volunteer when compared to dissatisfied online visitors. Satisfied web visitors are also 66% more likely to use the website instead of a costlier channel as the primary resource. By channeling visitors to the website for information and donations, nonprofits can reduce costs, build loyalty, and drive donations.

The study shows that functionality is a top priority for nonprofit website improvement followed by image and content. Nearly one-third of donors chose not to give online because the website functionality was poor. Survey respondents also reported concerns about resource allocation, security and error messages.

While the recession has led to a decline in donations overall, the study shows that 83% of those who donated online in 2008 donated as much or more than 2007. In addition, people who choose to donate online tend to donate more than those who use other channels, indicating that nonprofits would be well-served to strongly encourage and facilitate online donations.

Making sure your website makes it clear and easy to donate is so critical to your success. Have you tested that?

Here a clever strategy for testing your online donation process: www.donorperfect.com/nonprofit-technology-blog/2010/02/ask-your-mom-or-dad-to-make-an-online-donation/