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Google Grant Compliance: What You Need to Know

Ann Green Communications, donor engagement, fundraising, marketing, website , , , ,

Complying with Google’s guidelines will help you maintain a healthy Ad Grant account. Here’s what any nonprofit needs to know about Google Grant compliance.

Google Grants have transformed the nonprofit marketing landscape. By meeting eligibility requirements, you can receive $10,000 every month to promote your cause through Google Ads. However, nonprofits must follow certain requirements to remain eligible.

Nonprofit fundraising professionals are likely familiar with the process of seeking grants and following compliance standards. Grantmaking organizations create standards to award money to nonprofits that will spend it in line with the program’s goals. Google Grants are no exception!

To keep your Google Grant account compliant, we’ll cover everything you need to know about the program’s rules, starting with why they were created.

Why Does Google Implement Compliance Requirements?

Every grantmaking organization, including Google, strives to fund responsible organizations and advance worthwhile missions. That’s why they require nonprofits to undergo an intricate vetting process and meet ongoing requirements.

For the Google Grants program, the primary purpose of compliance regulations is for nonprofits to create meaningful conversions, not just maximize ad spend.

When the program first launched, there weren’t many compliance rules. Instead of concentrating on connecting with likely prospects, nonprofits focused on spending as much as possible to increase search visibility. This led to nonprofits:

  • Advertising any content on their website, including pages that people wouldn’t find useful.
  • Targeting keywords that didn’t align with the searcher’s intent and brought unqualified prospects.

This decreased the program’s value and led to users encountering content they weren’t searching for. To counteract this, Google’s team created a list of compliance rules, requiring nonprofits to create meaningful ads for mission-centric topics.

A Rundown of Google’s Compliance Rules

To comply with Google’s regulations, you need to understand them. Getting Attention’s Google Grants eligibility guide explores them in-depth, but for now, here’s an overview of the program’s rules:

  • No single-word or generic keywords are permitted.
  • Keywords must have a quality score of at least three. 
  • Maintain a 5% click-through rate.
  • Have at least one conversion each month.
  • Include at least two ads per ad group and two ad groups per campaign. The official guidelines have indicated two ads per group in the past; however, Google has recently moved to RSAs and indicated that each ad group must have at least one RSA. This may replace the need for two ads in the future, but Google’s official guidelines haven’t changed.
  • Include at least two sitelink ad extensions (which link to additional landing pages within your ad).
  • Respond to the annual program survey.

Complying with these rules will also optimize your campaigns. For example, choosing high-quality keywords will display your ads to qualified prospects, while sitelink extensions will provide users with alternative ways to engage with your cause.

Tips for Complying with the Google Grant Rules

While it’s one thing to understand the program’s rules, it’s another thing to put them into practice. Let’s walk through ways to develop a healthy Google Grant account.

1. Set Meaningful Conversion Goals.

As mentioned above, Google requires nonprofits to have at least one conversion per month. A conversion is when a user completes an action that’s valuable to your nonprofit. 

While Google gives you free rein over your conversion goals, common ones include:

  • Online donations
  • Volunteer registrations
  • Event sign-ups
  • Newsletter sign-ups

The idea behind conversion goals is to ensure each ad serves a role in advancing your mission. So think about what will push your cause forward. 

For instance, an animal shelter might view adoption inquiry form submissions as meaningful. On the other hand, a community organization might track newsletter subscriptions. Also, remember different ad groups can track different conversions, so you’re not tied to one specific goal for the entire account.

2. Choose Valuable Keywords.

Another essential component of a healthy Google Grant account is keywords. Keywords should be relevant to your cause and connect you with people searching for content in line with what you’re promoting.

To comply with Google’s keyword standards, here’s what we recommend:

  • Leverage keyword research tools. As part of the program, you can access Google Keyword Planner. Brainstorm what prospects might search to find your organization. Put these terms into Keyword Planner to view estimated search traffic, how much you should bid, and keyword suggestions.
  • Check your keyword quality regularly. Google assigns a Quality Score to each keyword. A higher score means the ad and landing page are relevant to users searching that term. Regularly review your account and pause any underperforming keywords (i.e. those with a score below three).
  • Center each ad group around similar keywords. Focus each group on a specific theme and related keywords. For a wildlife sanctuary, one ad group might focus on generating volunteer registrations and include terms like “wildlife rescue volunteer opportunities” and “animal sanctuary volunteering.” Then, another ad group might focus on driving donations and target terms like “donate to wildlife rescue” and “animal sanctuary donations.”

Keyword research is critical for Google Grant compliance. Failure to choose relevant keywords can result in account suspension, so consistently revisit your performance.

3. Assign a Knowledgeable Google Grants Manager

Consider designating a specific person to manage your account, respond to performance data, and follow Google’s compliance standards. In addition to building relationships with monthly donors, that individual can reach new audiences as they refine your campaigns. 

However, many organizations don’t have the staff capacity to devote an internal team member’s time. Instead, they outsource the work to a Google Grants agency. Typically, a professional will manage the following areas related to compliance:

  • Keyword research. Backed by search engine marketing knowledge, an agency can pick keywords that meet Google’s quality standards.
  • Landing page optimization. Optimized landing pages will drive more campaign conversions. An agency will help pick and create promotable landing pages.
  • Valid conversion tracking. A professional agency will have experience with Google Analytics and can pick the right conversion goals for your nonprofit.

A professional’s expertise extends beyond basic Google Grant rules. They may also create ad copy and choose meaningful conversions.

Whether you assign someone internally or outsource the work, assigning a grant manager lays a foundation for maintaining Google Grant compliance. 

Google Grants empower nonprofits to share their stories online. Don’t waste this opportunity by not following compliance guidelines. Using the guidance we shared, you can start improving your strategies and getting more out of your grant every month.

Getting Attention contributed to the content of this post.

5 Ways to Optimize Your Web Presence for Mobile Donors

Ann Green email, fundraising, multichannel, social media, website , , , ,

Your website is the main factor in increasing your nonprofit’s online visibility. Here’s how to attract more mobile viewers by optimizing your website.

By John Killoran 

Social network user login, website mock up on computer screen, tablet and smartphone

Developing your website and ensuring your donors have the ability to notice you, learn about your story, and donate to your organization online was a great undertaking for you. You probably saw a spike in donations and donor engagement. But did you know there’s a way to make online giving even more effective?

Mobile search traffic has increased over time, and it shows no sign of stopping. The majority of nonprofit website traffic came from users on mobile devices — 54%, with 46% of traffic from users on desktop devices. So, your nonprofit should invest in optimizing your donation page to be mobile-friendly to accommodate these users. By adjusting your nonprofit website design and donation opportunities to appeal to mobile donors, you open up a new avenue for giving to your nonprofit organization.

In order to effectively appeal to and communicate with your mobile donors, your organization should:

  1. Optimize your donation page.
  2. Launch a text-to-give campaign.
  3. Maximize your social media campaign.
  4. Incorporate mobile-optimized emails.
  5. Host a pledge campaign.

Ready to learn more about mobile-friendly design? Let’s get started!

1. Optimize Your Donation Page

Your online giving form is the first place to start your mobile optimization processes. Submitting online donations is already incredibly convenient for your supporters. But making your online giving form mobile-optimized makes it easy for people to give from any device, further growing your potential donor base.

Your donation page is a crucial aspect of your website and should be mobile-responsive. A mobile-responsive site is one that automatically adjusts to fit the screen on which it is displayed. This means the online resource is visually appealing and accessible on smartphones, tablets, and desktops alike. Make sure your online donation platform provider offers the ability to adjust form elements such as:

  • Images. There’s nothing worse than having to scroll across a webpage on your phone to try to see an entire image! Make sure your images are visible, clear, and size-adjustable depending on the screen they’re viewed on.
  • Straightforward text. Eliminate unnecessary “fluff” text from your donation page. Lots of text can look bulky on a smaller screen. Limiting this text to only include essential information and calls-to-action will make it easier for donors to read or skim the page.
  • Customized (and limited) information fields. Typing lengthy information onto a form on a computer is much easier than on a cell phone. Most of us type much faster with a keyboard than on a touchscreen. Therefore, limit the amount of information you require from mobile donors on your donation page to speed up the process.
  • Page Speed. A speedy page load time is important because conversion rates drop heavily on slow sites. In fact, the probability of a bounce (when users quickly exit the page) increases by 37% from 1 second to 3 seconds of loading time. You certainly don’t want your donor to click off because the page speed is wasting their time! Increase your page speed by minifying code, reducing redirects, and compressing images.

Ensuring your donation page is welcoming to all visitors, whether they access it from their computer or from their mobile device, is a key factor to improve higher donation rates. So, be sure to accommodate your givers who are on the go! 

2. Launch a Text-to-Give Campaign

In addition to optimizing your usual online fundraising page, a great investment to encourage mobile donations from your donors is including giving options on native texting platforms, otherwise known as text-to-give. As the name suggests, text-to-give encourages donors to text their donations to organizations.

Depending on the software you choose, you may encounter different models of the text-to-give collection process. Your provider should:

  • Offer your organization a text-to-give number. This is the number your donors can text in order to donate. The number may be a complete 10-digit phone number or simply 5 digits. Whichever you choose, your donors can text their gift amount to your organization’s number when prompted.
  • Collect your donor’s contact information. This is especially relevant for first-time donors who have not yet filled out any contact information with your organization. They may receive a link that will redirect them to a complete contact form. This information is critical for follow-up communications and increasing donor retention. 

Mobile giving with a text-to-give campaign is a great resource to combine with other unique fundraising ideas and marketing materials. For instance, if you host a fundraising event, announce your text-to-give number over a loudspeaker so your attendees can donate from the event. Or, you can post your text-to-give number on your social media platforms so your mobile viewers don’t even have to put down their devices.

3. Leverage Your Social Media Presence

One platform nonprofits often already take advantage of is social media. Social media is a huge driver of mobile phone use, so it makes sense to integrate it into your mobile fundraising strategy! 

Increasing your social media presence increases the likelihood your followers will see your organization’s latest updates when scrolling through their news feed and interact with your content. Bolstering your presence by posting is just the tip of the iceberg to using your social media to its fullest extent.  

You also have the ability to spread fundraisers through social media platforms for people to view (and donate to) from their mobile devices. Two of the online fundraisers most suitable for social media promotion are:

  • Crowdfunding. Crowdfunding enables your organization to collect small donations from a wide audience, making the vast reach of social media the perfect platform to promote such campaigns. Conduct research on the various providers to make sure you choose the website that will best suit your organization in terms of fees and platform capabilities. Then, determine what incentives you’ll offer to donors at different tiers. A popular prize that your nonprofit might already produce is branded merchandise.
  • Peer-to-peer fundraising. Peer-to-peer fundraising campaigns are similar to crowdfunding in that you are collecting small donations from a wide audience. However, these campaigns differ in how those donations are collected. With peer-to-peer fundraising, you invite your supporters to create fundraising pages and raise money on your behalf across their respective networks. This works perfectly on social media because your participants can effortlessly share their campaigns on their accounts for their followers to see and donate to.

Both of these fundraising opportunities are more frequently accessed on mobile devices as opposed to computers because of their reliance on social media. Therefore, increasing your visibility with more frequent posts and starting a mobile-minded fundraiser is a great way to entice your wide audience of donors who are checking social media on their smartphones.

4. Incorporate Mobile-Optimized Emails

One of the cornerstones of online fundraising outreach is email. Chances are, your nonprofit already uses this tried-and-true method. But, are your emails optimized for mobile viewers?

Optimizing your email content is very similar to optimizing your general website or donation pages. Take the necessary steps to ensure your emails are visually appealing on screens of all sizes. This includes properly sizing your images, limiting the amount of text you use, and resizing the font for a mobile screen. 

In addition to optimizing your emails’ visual appearance, you can do even more to increase the success of your donation emails. For instance, you can:

  • Include actionable donation buttons. Ensure the buttons you use in your emails quickly and easily lead donors to your donation page. You may also choose to include a link to your text-to-give number or your campaign information landing page. Increasing the size of these buttons for mobile viewers can make them easier to see (and click!) from a smaller screen.
  • Connect your emails to other platforms. Be sure your donors have an easy way to access the other donation platforms you have available online. For instance, including linked social media buttons will instantly connect your supporters to your profiles, and by extension, marketing for future campaigns.
  • Feature a calendar with donation opportunities. Be sure your supporters know about your nonprofit’s upcoming events by using a calendar feature. This may include volunteer opportunities for them to donate their time as well as upcoming fundraising campaigns to get involved in.

Marketing emails, such as email newsletters, are a donation opportunity that your nonprofit should leverage. Many of your supporters likely check their email from their phones, so be sure they have direct access from that device to other donation opportunities.

5. Host a Pledge Campaign.

Imagine you’re hosting a fundraising campaign that your donors are excited about. However, there are a number of your supporters who can’t give to your organization right at this moment, even though they want to.

Pledge campaigns are designed to help your organization still profit in these types of situations. You can appeal to those people who can’t give right now, but have the heart and the desire to show their support and donate in the future.

Pledges are the promises of future donations. For instance, a donor can pledge $100 now, then actually give the money to the organization next week once they cash their paycheck. Choose an online tool with the option to optimize your pledge campaign for mobile devices. Situations in which a mobile-optimized pledge campaign may come in handy include:

  • Social media fundraising pushes. In addition to your typical fundraising promotions featured on social media, give people the option to participate in your pledge campaign. This gives them a quick option to give while they’re feeling inspired by your or your supporters’ messages.
  • Busy holiday seasons. While the year-end months are an extremely charitable time, some donors might need to postpone their giving until after the holiday season due to money spent on presents, food, and travel. A pledge provides the flexibility for them to get back on their feet and still make a difference for your nonprofit once they’re able to.

Be sure to pick a pledge fundraising tool that offers mobile customization for your organization. Pledge buttons included on these screens can help boost the user’s ease of using the tool as well.

Optimizing your web presence over a variety of pages and platforms can help boost your donations by increasing the available giving opportunities. So, it’s worth putting forth your time and money towards whichever strategies work best for your nonprofit. After all, who wouldn’t love the opportunity to give to your organization without having to put down their phone?

John Killoran is an inventor, entrepreneur, and the Chairman of Clover Leaf Solutions, a national lab services company. He currently leads Clover Leaf’s investment in Snowball Fundraising, an online fundraising platform for nonprofit organizations. 

Snowball was one of John’s first public innovations. It’s a fundraising platform that offers text-to-give, online giving, events, and peer-to-peer fundraising tools for nonprofits. By making giving simple, Snowball increases the donations that these organizations can raise online. The Snowball effect is real! John founded Snowball in 2011. Now, it serves over 7,000 nonprofits and is the #1 nonprofit fundraising platform.

4 Storytelling Tips for Your Online Donation Page

Ann Green Communications, fundraising, stories, website, writing , , , ,

Every nonprofit has a story, but not every nonprofit knows how to tell their story on their fundraising page to drive online donations. Check out these tips!

By Murad Bushnaq

Humans have been telling stories for at least 30,000 years. Why? Good stories create connection and understanding between people, helping us cultivate empathy and positive change within our communities. 

What does this mean for you as a nonprofit professional? Storytelling is a critical skill for you to master. If you can tell stories that help people connect with your cause, you’ll generate more support that will help you keep your organization moving toward accomplishing your mission. 

While your nonprofit won’t be recording stories on cave walls like humans did thousands of years ago, you do have an excellent tool for sharing stories related to your cause — your organization’s website, and more specifically, your donation page. Your donation page is the last chance you have to capture a potential donor’s support. By using stories, you can inspire your donors to give to your cause. 

You might be unsure of how to begin your storytelling journey, but don’t worry. We’ve rounded up four tips for leveraging your nonprofit content management system (CMS) to help you share stories on your donation page: 

  1. Incorporate striking visuals. 
  2. Share real people’s stories. 
  3. Use words to create emotional connections.
  4. Use strategically-placed CTAs. 

As you work to enhance your donation page (and other parts of your website) with strong storytelling, think through what stories will resonate with your specific audience. After all, stories aren’t one-size-fits-all. Let’s get started! 

1.Incorporate striking visuals. 

They say a picture is worth a thousand words, and in some ways, that’s true. Though strong writing will be vital to sharing your organization’s story on your donation page (more on this to come), pictures can often communicate things that words simply can’t. 

Plus, visuals can tug at our heartstrings, getting us to feel something while our brain digests the information we’re reading. This is why having an eye for great images and knowing how to best use them on your donation page will benefit you as a storyteller. 

Here are a few things to keep in mind as you choose visuals and use your CMS to incorporate them into your donation page: 

  • Remember that photos of real people go a long way. Visuals help drum up emotion in your audience, so why not tap into their empathetic side by choosing a picture of a real person (or an animal or a place, depending on your cause.) to illustrate the issue at hand? Being able to see a real person who is affected by the issue your organization is trying to resolve will encourage your donors to put themselves in your beneficiaries’ shoes and inspire them to give. 
  • Make sure the style of the image matches with your branding. If all of the images on your website are black and white, make sure you aren’t throwing a brightly colored image onto your donation page or vice versa. Keeping the visual brand on your donation page consistent with the rest of your website will make you appear professional and organized.
  • Use your CMS to optimize your images. The right nonprofit CMS can help ensure your images are up-to-par for a professional and conversion-driving donation page. Use your CMS to convert your images to web-friendly versions and resize them appropriately. Also, don’t forget to zoom and crop your images to get your desired focus. 
  • Consider adding in other multimedia elements. If you think your donation page would benefit from a short video overlaid with music or even an audio clip, consider adding these to your page. However, use these multimedia elements sparingly. You don’t want your donor to get bogged down in your donation page and never make it to your donation form. 

As you choose and edit visuals for your donation page, don’t forget to take inspiration from other websites. Check out Morweb’s list of the best nonprofit websites to see some great examples of sites that clearly display what the organization is all about and create an excellent user experience!

2. Share real people’s stories. 

Just as your supporters will benefit from seeing pictures or videos of real people on your donation page, you should aim to share real people’s written stories. Having a face or a name associated with an issue they care about will help your cause stand out to your donors and convey the importance of contributing to your mission. 

Here are a few ways you can share real people’s stories on your donation page: 

  • Include one longer story about a specific individual at the top of your donation page. When a potential donor navigates to your donation page, your goal is to have them fill out or click through to a donation form. Catch their eye at the top of your donation page with the story of one specific beneficiary. Keep the story to a few paragraphs at most and share the beneficiary’s background and how your organization helped them. 
  • Use your CMS to create a section of “testimonials” supporters can scroll through. Gather quotes from your beneficiaries that you can use as short testimonials. This option will let you tell multiple stories at once without slowing your donor down in their giving journey. 
  • Add a gallery of beneficiary pictures donors can click through to read specific stories. Some donors may want to read multiple stories about your beneficiaries. Offer this option by using your CMS to create a gallery of pictures that act as buttons for your donors to access specific stories. A striking visual and a call to action (CTA) like “Read Joseph’s recovery story here” or “Learn more about Whisker’s adoption journey” can draw your donor in and get them reading these stories. 

No matter how you decide to share your beneficiaries’ stories, remember to show that they are real people. Use plain language and try to capture people’s real voices, perspectives, and journeys. This will make your stories feel more authentic to your donors, which in turn will make your cause seem more legitimate and worth supporting. If confidentiality is an issue, you can change someone’s name.

3. Use words to create emotional connections. 

Every word in a story counts, and the right words can help your reader feel something. That means you need to choose your words carefully when writing a story to share on your donation page. 

Here are a few different ways to use your words to tap into your readers’ emotions: 

  • Be descriptive. Remember when your high school English teacher taught you the “show, don’t tell” rule? Well, it applies here, too. If you’re an animal shelter, don’t just tell us you recently rescued a dog. Describe the conditions the dog was living in. Then, share how the dog looks and behaves now that you’ve rescued him. Describe how much he loves his new home. Descriptions and details make stories much more interesting and emotionally captivating!
  • Include the donor in the story. To feel truly involved with and emotionally invested in your cause, your donors need to be part of the narrative. Use pronouns like “you,” “your,” “we,” and “ours” to make your donor feel included. For example, you might write a sentence like, “Because of donors like you, last summer’s peer-to-peer fundraiser was a great success, allowing us to provide 500 meals to families in need.” Language like this will show donors they have an important part to play in making a difference for your beneficiaries. 
  • Illustrate how your organization can provide solutions to problems. A story isn’t a story without both conflict and resolution: A princess is captured by a dragon (conflict) and then rescued by a prince (resolution). An alien crash lands on Earth (conflict) and meets humans that help him find his way home (resolution). Once your donors are presented with the problem your organization is focused on solving, you need to show them how, with their help, you’re going to solve it. This helps convince donors that your organization is the one they should entrust with their support because it helps you look like you’re the one who’s going to get the job done. Plus, conflict creates tension in a story, so when you can resolve that by providing a solution, your story will bring much more emotional satisfaction to your reader. 

You don’t have to be a trained writer to construct an emotionally engaging story to include on your donation page. Simply focus on providing a lot of details and showcasing solutions to a problem, and your readers will start to feel that emotional connection to your cause. 

4. Use strategically-placed CTAs. 

A call to action (CTA) is simply a statement that encourages someone to complete an action. In the context of storytelling on your donation page, you may craft calls to action asking your donors to do something after learning about a particular issue or learning about a specific beneficiary’s experience with your organization. Those CTAs could lead your donor to: 

  • Donate to your cause using your donation form 
  • Opt into your monthly giving program 
  • Explore information about matching gifts 
  • Share your donation page on social media 
  • Register for an upcoming event 
  • Sign up for a volunteering opportunity 

Though your CTA to donate to your cause will be most important on your donation page, other CTAs can help you engage your donors further, so don’t be afraid to include them in your storytelling. 

When writing a CTA, remember to keep it clear and simple, but tailor it specifically to your cause. Something like “Give now” won’t be as effective as “Give now to help stomp out cancer.” 

In addition to writing out your CTAs, you can also use your CMS to make your CTAs into buttons that link to different resources, like your donation form or your volunteer page. Including these in the body of a story can help break up the text and ensure that when your donor feels inspired to act, they can do so right away. 

According to Morweb’s guide to donation page design, 54% of donors prefer to give online, which means you should pay special attention to your donation page and the stories you’re sharing on it. Remember to tap into the human element of your organization’s story and use your CMS to enhance your story with visuals, multimedia elements, and CTAs. 

The greatest stories can motivate us to act, and once you’ve honed your storytelling skills with these tips, you’ll be able to inspire your donors to give and engage with your cause for the long haul. Good luck! 

Murad Bushnaq is the Founder and CEO of Morweb. Since its inception in 2014, Murad has acted as Creative Director and Chief Technologist to help nonprofits spread their vision online through engaging design, intuitive software, and strategic communication.

Is Your Website in Good Shape?

Ann Green Communications, donor-centered, fundraising, website, writing , , , ,

With everything that’s been going on over the last year and a half, you may not have had time to keep up with certain things. That includes making sure your website is in good shape.

You don’t want to neglect your website. The internet is still most people’s go-to place to get information. Unlike social media, you control your website. You want it to be up-to-date, easy to read/scan and navigate, welcoming, and audience-centered.

I created this checklist a few years ago and I think now is a good time to revisit it. 

Home page

Your home page is often the first place a newcomer will visit. Make it an entryway to the rest of your website.

  • Is it free of clutter and easy to navigate and read/scan? You can include links to other pages on your home page, so you’re not bombarding it with too much information.
  • Does it include an engaging photo and a small amount of text, such as a tagline or position statement?
  • Are you highlighting something current and important? Maybe it’s your response to the ever-changing pandemic. Maybe it’s a fundraising campaign or an event. Be sure it’s up-to-date and the most newsworthy item you can feature.
  • Does it include a Donate Now button that’s prominent without being tacky?
  • Does it include a newsletter sign-up box and social media icons?
  • Does it include your organization’s contact information or a link to a Contact Us page?
  • Is the navigation bar easy to use?
  • Does it include a search feature?

Donation page

Many people donate online. This needs to be a good experience for your donors. You don’t want to stress them out with a cumbersome and confusing donation page.

  • Is it easy to use?
  • Does it include a strong call to action with the same messages as all your other fundraising appeals? You want to include enough information to entice a potential new donor, but not too much to overwhelm any of your donors (new and long-time).
  • Does it show how the donation will be used and what different amounts will fund?
  • Does it include an option for monthly/recurring gifts?
  • Does it have an engaging photo?
  • After someone donates, does it take the person to an engaging thank you landing page and generate a personal thank you email?

5 Questions to Ask Yourself to Make Your Donation Page More Effective

The rest of your pages

Be sure to take a look at the rest of your web pages, too.

  • Are they easy to read/scan and navigate?
  • Do all your pages have a consistent look?
  • Is the content well written in a conversational style (no jargon!) and free of grammatical errors and typos?
  • Are your pages audience-centered? Remember, some visitors know you well and others don’t. A person visiting your volunteer page may not know much about your organization, so you’ll need to include a compelling description of what you do.
  • Do your pages contain a clear call to action? For example, your volunteer page should entice someone to volunteer.
  • Does each page have one or two photos related to its subject matter? Going back to your volunteer page, you could include a photo of volunteers working in the community.
  • Is all the content up-to-date?
  • Do all your links work?
  • Do all your pages include a Donate Now button, navigation bar, social media icons, a newsletter sign-up box, contact information, and a search feature, so your visitors don’t have to go back to the home page?
  • Are you using analytics to see how often people visit your pages? If you have pages that aren’t generating a lot of interest, find out why that’s happening. You may need to make the page more engaging or take it down.
  • Do you periodically survey your supporters to get feedback about your website?
  • Is your website mobile-friendly? This is crucial. Fortunately, most of them are these days, but just in case yours isn’t –  How to make website mobile friendly for your nonprofit
  • Is there other content you should include (or take out)?

After you’ve made all your changes, have someone who isn’t as familiar with your organization (maybe a friend or family member) look at your website to see if the content is clear and that it’s easy to read/scan and navigate.

Your goal is to have a website that’s welcoming and audience-centered for everyone from first-time visitors to long-time donors.

Read on for more information to help you get your website in good shape.

Your Nonprofit Website: The Importance of User Experience

Website Formatting: The Anatomy of a Well-Designed Nonprofit Web Page

15 Nonprofit Website Best Practices You Need to Know in 2021

Best Practices for a Nonprofit Website

Image via www.morecustomersmoresales.com.au

5 Tips to Use Your Nonprofit Site as A Donor Engagement Tool

Ann Green Communications, donor relations, donor-centered, fundraising, website , , , ,

By Anne Stefanyk

Your nonprofit website is a valuable tool for modern fundraising. Not only is it the first place prospects look to learn more about your organization, it’s also where current supporters go for updates on your mission and to explore upcoming opportunities. 

As the focal point of almost all of your donor engagements, without your nonprofit website, you’d have trouble both recruiting new supporters and retaining current ones.

There are a number of elements that play a critical role in how your website performs, the way visitors engage with it, and your online conversion rates. To position your site as a successful donor engagement tool, you’ll need an optimized nonprofit website. 

The best nonprofit sites are well-designed, scalable, easy to use, and effectively meet your target users’needs. If you want to leverage your own site as a donor engagement tool, make sure to follow these five tips:

  1. Review general website development best practices
  2. Integrate your site with other nonprofit solutions
  3. Advertise your upcoming campaigns and events
  4. Add consistent content to your blog roll
  5. Consider starting an online webinar series

Let’s dive in by reviewing the basics. 

1. Review general website development best practices

Taking some insight from Kanopi’s team of website user experience (UX) experts: “As the centerpiece of your digital engagements, your nonprofit website UX is extremely important if you want to not only acquire new supporters, but continue to retain current ones.”

Nonprofit website UX encompasses how users interact with your site. From how long it takes to load to how easy it is to navigate through different pages, there are a number of factors that can either encourage site visitors to continue engaging with your site or push them away. 

If you want to improve your own site UX, reviewing general nonprofit website maintenance practices is the best place to start. 

Here are the basic essentials to know:

  • Stick to simple user-based design. Your website already hosts a variety of different engagements. To minimize confusion and benefit your site UX, make sure each page and section stays simple and serves one clear purpose. Cramming too much information or site elements into one place can be overwhelming. 
  • Test your site load time. If your website doesn’t load fast enough, the chances of users giving up on it drastically increases. Regularly test your site and flag any obvious loading pain points, like large image or video files.  
  • Make sure it is mobile-optimized. With 51% of online site traffic coming from mobile phones, it’s critical that your site works on any size screen. If not, you’re missing out on over half of your supporters. 
  • Feature Call to actions (CTAs) to popular engagements. It’s likely people are visiting your site because they want to learn more, donate, sign up for an event (virtual for now), or become a volunteer. Include clear buttons and links, as well as a navigation menu that takes site visitors to these pages.

These are just some general tips for making sure your website is in good shape. With these basics down, you can start focusing on specific tools and content you’ll need to take your donor engagement to the next level. Above all, UX is a top priority. Explore these examples of top nonprofit websites to see these best practices in action.  

2. Integrate your site with other nonprofit solutions

As the center of your online engagements, your nonprofit website is doing a very important job: collecting data. This includes metrics of how prospective and current donors find your site and the specific links and pages that they frequent. Information like this can help you create targeted marketing strategies and give you a sense of the different types of supporters you have.

To make good use of this data and expand your donor engagement capabilities, we recommend integrating your other nonprofit solutions as well. Tech integrations connect separate software platforms to centralize their data. 

For nonprofits, having integrations between your online donation tools, constituent relationship management (CRM) database, email communications tool, and website is critical. This ensures that you have real-time access to accurate engagement data. 

What does this mean for your nonprofit website? Use your nonprofit and donor data to help strategize the best ways to create a meaningful and valuable experience for site visitors. This can not only help you capitalize on engagement efforts, but also deepen your donor relationships. It also leverages the best of other tools so your site and staff don’t have to do all the heavy lifting.

3. Advertise your upcoming campaigns and events

This might seem like a no-brainer, but your website should showcase all of your upcoming fundraising campaigns and events. If prospects or current supporters want to participate, they’ll go to your website to find out more. 

For one thing, we recommend dedicating entire pages to each event or campaign. This way, you have ample space to discuss details, how supporters can participate, and even embed a customized and branded online donation form. Then, using website design and layout, make sure to effectively advertise those exciting opportunities.

Here are some ways you can do this:

  • Put your event or campaign marketing content front and center on your homepage. Remember to switch out this content once the event is over or else your website risks looking outdated.
  • Link to your events calendar within your navigation menu.
  • Incorporate key calls-to-action to event sign-ups and donation pages across different web pages wherever it seems valuable. 
  • Include links back to the event or campaign page in other marketing content like email newsletters and social media posts.

Whether you want to get a head start on your year-end giving campaign or you’re announcing a brand new event, connect prospects to your nonprofit website so they have actionable and concrete next steps. 

4. Add consistent content to your blog roll

What if you don’t have any events or campaigns coming up? How can you still send users to your online site? Consider creating consistent and active blog content! You can do this right on your nonprofit website with a dedicated blog roll.

Many organizations, software companies, and services in the philanthropic space create blog posts for their websites. Not only does this paint them as an authoritative figure, but it’s a valuable digital strategy that increases website SEO (search engine optimization). The more high-quality content your website has, the better Google and other search engines will rank it.

But what kind of blog posts should you create and what kind of content is your audience interested in? Use this list to start brainstorming with your marketing team:

  • News stories relevant to your mission
  • Advice and tips for those in the community that your nonprofit serves
  • Updates on nonprofit events, campaigns, and other major accomplishments
  • Announcements for new nonprofit developments
  • Testimonials from community members you’ve helped

For instance, The American Heart Association has blog content specific to healthy living and other health-related topics. Even though these blog posts aren’t directly discussing the campaigns and accomplishments they’ve achieved, they still provide value and offer an additional engagement point for their supporters. 

5. Consider starting an online webinar series

Similar to creating blog content, starting an online webinar series is a key way to position your organization as a thought leader. Webinars are usually meetings or presentations that are hosted online, either live or pre-recorded, and led by professionals of the topic at hand.

Many nonprofit organizations and related businesses host webinars to talk about topics ranging from top fundraising strategies to new advancements in their particular field. But these aren’t just beneficial to teach your nonprofit supporters and peers best practices. They also offer an additional layer of interactivity!

Depending on the webinar and video conferencing platform you use, audience members should be able to comment, ask questions, and even talk to each other. This doesn’t just engage your supporters, but also encourages them to interact with each other and build an online community. 

Consider asking top staff members or other experts serving similar missions to lead these conversations. You might even crowdsource some good ideas from viewers that you can implement into future fundraising efforts. DonorSearch has a helpful list of nonprofit webinar series that you can explore for inspiration. 

Start small. Don’t commit to too many webinars. If you can only handle one per quarter, that’s just fine. And once the webinar is over? You can repurpose that content into a blog post, which helps address item #4 on our list.

Conclusion

Don’t let your nonprofit website fall to the wayside. As one of your most important donor engagement tools, a well-designed and valuable site can take your fundraising and important relationships to the next level. 

Make sure to review basic site best practices for a solid foundation and then brainstorm creative content to keep visitors engaged. Soon, your website will become the go-to for supporters and donors who want to learn more—not just about what your nonprofit is doing, but about the major updates regarding your mission in general. Good luck!

As Founder and CEO of Kanopi Studios, Anne Stefanyk helps create clarity around project needs and turns client conversations into actionable outcomes. She enjoys helping clients identify their problems, and then empowering the Kanopi team to execute great solutions.

Anne is an advocate for open source and co-organizes the Bay Area Drupal Camp. When she’s not contributing to the community or running her thoughtful web agency, she enjoys yoga, meditation, treehouses, dharma, cycling, paddle boarding, kayaking, and hanging with her nephew.

Twitter – @Anne_Kanopi

https://www.drupal.org/u/annabella

https://www.linkedin.com/in/annestefanyk/

Your Nonprofit Website: The Importance of User Experience

Ann Green Communications, donor-centered, fundraising, website , , ,

User experience is one of the core components of a long-lasting and valuable nonprofit website. Learn more about its importance to help your organization.

By Anne Stefanyk

Life is naturally full of both good and bad experiences. And, if something was especially bad, people don’t hesitate to hop on Yelp and write a scathing review. That’s why restaurants and other attractions take the time to set up an ambiance and cultivate an engaging experience. Why shouldn’t your nonprofit website take the same approach?

If your website doesn’t take into account its user experience (UX), you’re taking a risk that visitors will never come back again. No matter how deeply they connect to your cause, a website that takes too long to load, is difficult to navigate, or seems unsafe will drive away supporters and give your organization a bad online rep.

Prioritizing website user experience is one of the best ways to set up your site for long-term health and keep it in good shape. Specifically, a dedicated and comprehensive nonprofit website user experience strategy can:

  1. Help increase fundraising for your organization
  2. Expand your nonprofit audience
  3. Improve relationships with donors

This guide will dive deep into the above reasons to help you not only get to know your supporters better, but also provide some key tips to optimize your online presence. 

Get into the mind of your supporters and start incorporating website design elements based on user experience. Ready to learn more? Let’s begin.

1. Help increase fundraising for your organization

Imagine your website as an extension of your nonprofit’s office — donors should be able to ask questions, find out about current campaigns, and most importantly make a donation. But instead of having to deal with the hassle of driving (no one likes traffic!) and taking a large chunk out of their day, supporters can simply check out your website! And during the pandemic, it may not be easy to visit your nonprofit.

Just like your nonprofit’s office, your website should be inviting and informational. This can be done with the right design elements and user experience strategy. 

For instance, consider the natural flow of how a visitor might find your website and make an online gift. This could include checking out your Mission Statement page, reviewing past accomplishments, and exploring current and upcoming events. Who knows, maybe one of these pages will spark inspiration to give! A clear navigation menu pointing to these popular landing pages is a great way to meet your user’s needs in an accessible and convenient way.

To take it a step further, carefully place calls-to-action (CTA) throughout those pages that take users to your donation form. Let’s say a supporter is inspired to give after reading about a successful past campaign. A CTA leverages this moment of inspiration and offers convenient access to making that gift. Eye-catching, bright buttons and high-quality graphics linked to your donation page are great ways to funnel supporters to contributing in an engaging and seamless way!

Your donation page is where your online fundraising happens. There are a couple of on-page site elements that can further streamline user experience and increase fundraising, so let’s review some key donation page best practices:

  • Customized donation forms. Don’t make the mistake of depending on lengthy donation form templates. Customized forms ensure you only ask the necessary questions and don’t take too much of your donor’s time.
  • Quick page loading speed. Some say a website’s user attention span lasts around 8 seconds! Don’t lose visitors before they even get a chance to explore.
  • Branded, embedded donation forms. Make sure your form is branded to your organization, embedded within your donation page, and doesn’t send donors to a third-party site. This keeps the user experience streamlined, while also building the relationship between the donor and your brand.
  • Recurring donation options within the donation form. This enables users to easily turn their gift into a more consistent and long-term form of support.
  • Suggested giving amounts. This can make it a little easier for the supporters who don’t know exactly how much to give, and can even entice them to give a little more if their original gift is slightly under a suggested amount. Consider also providing the impact along with each suggested amount!
  • Embed a matching gift database. According to Double the Donation, an estimated $4-$7 billion in matching gift funds goes unclaimed each year. This is largely due to donors simply not knowing they’re eligible! With a searchable matching gift database right within your donation page, donors can easily look up their employer and find out the steps to increase their original gift — all without interrupting the user experience.
  • Include a social sharing option. After a supporter completes their donation, it’s a great idea to provide a CTA encouraging them to share their recent gift on social media. This is an easy way to also reach new prospective donors and even increase fundraising!

From leading users to your online donation page to optimizing the page itself, your nonprofit website’s user experience is key to planning out design elements that can help you increase your fundraising. 

2. Expand your audience

Your website’s user experience can not only help you engage current supporters, but can even expand your organization’s audience. This is because a key component of website user experience involves web accessibility. 

According to the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), “The Web is fundamentally designed to work for all people, whatever their hardware, software, language, location, or ability. When the Web meets this goal, it is accessible to people with a diverse range of hearing, movement, sight, and cognitive ability.” If you want to prioritize user experience, you have to consider it for all users. 

To ensure that you’re meeting accessibility standards and reaching as wide of an audience as possible, it’s important to review the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines WCAG’s core principles of accessible design. This includes:

  • Perceivable information and intuitive user interface (UI)
  • Operable UI and navigation
  • Understandable information and UI
  • Robust content and reliable interpretation

Using these principles, here are a couple of steps you can take right now to ensure your website is accessible and that you prioritize user experience:

  • Make sure all non-text content (image, video, audio) also has a text alternative for those with visual impairments.
  • Stay away from too many sensory characteristics such as sound and appearance to convey important information. 
  • Avoid flashy elements and bright lights to protect those who might experience seizures.
  • Provide clear page titles and make sure entry fields always include labels or instructions.
  • Make sure your website and all of its pages are accessible on mobile devices.
  • Offer translation tools so users from all over the world can visit your website.

Web accessibility is all about making sure your website is usable by all. With a dedicated user experience strategy for your website, you not only improve accessibility standards but also can expand your audience. After all, one of the best parts of the internet is the ability to meet different types of people that you might not meet if you were confined to in-person interactions. For all you know, some of your biggest supporters could be across the globe!

3. Improve relationships with supporters  

In the end, your nonprofit website user experience is all about your supporters. The better your website engages supporters and provides them with the resources they seek, the stronger and more reliable your relationship with them will be. 

If you want to improve relationships with supporters, you have to dive deeper into the types of visitors who engage with your website. Using the insights from Kanopi’s article, consider how outlining user stories can help you identify your supporters’ goals and align them with your own nonprofit website strategy.

User stories are all about creating clarity and prioritizing user needs. Put simply, it’s a way for your marketing team to improve user experience and ensure your website is meeting your supporters’ demands. Your own user stories should look something like this: “As a [end user], I want [some goal] so that [some reason].”

  • End user. Who is the person visiting your site? Are they a past donor or a new supporter? 
  • Their goal. What does the user need to be able to do? Are they looking to make a donation? Are they browsing local events to get involved in or seeking purely online ways to support your organization?
  • The reason. Why does the user need to be able to perform this action? How can marketing leaders use this context to better design their website? 

Once you have your user stories, it’s now time for the fun part! How can you brainstorm actionable ways for your website to complete your user stories? 

For instance, let’s say one of your user stories states “As a recurring volunteer, I want a simple way to learn about events so I can sign up quickly.” To complete this story, you might incorporate an event calendar right within your homepage. On top of that, embed a form where users can opt-in to event alerts through email or text! This way, your website meets your users’ needs and sets the stage for future engagement.

Long-lasting relationships are the best foundation for growing nonprofit organizations, and your website can be a key instrument in this strategy! Your website’s user experience can either build a positive relationship, encouraging the donor to continue visiting the site, or it can be the very obstacle leading to decreasing donor retention rates. With some thought and effort, you can keep supporters on the right path.

Your nonprofit website’s user experience should take both your supporters’ needs and your organization’s goals into account. Consider how key design elements can lead site visitors to your online donation page as well as increase overall web accessibility. 

Hopefully, this guide has given you insight into not only why user experience is important, but how you can improve your own website. By improving user experience, you can increase fundraising, expand your audience, and improve supporter relationships!

As Founder and CEO of Kanopi Studios, Anne Stefanyk helps create clarity around project needs, and turns client conversations into actionable outcomes. She enjoys helping clients identify their problems, and then empowering the Kanopi team to execute great solutions.

Anne is an advocate for open source and co-organizes the Bay Area Drupal Camp. When she’s not contributing to the community or running her thoughtful web agency, she enjoys yoga, meditation, treehouses, dharma, cycling, paddle boarding, kayaking, and hanging with her nephew.

Twitter – @Anne_Kanopi

https://www.drupal.org/u/annabella

https://www.linkedin.com/in/annestefanyk/

Crafting the Perfect Donation Form: 6 Key Features

Ann Green donor-centered, fundraising, monthly donors, website , , ,

Snowball_Ann Green Nonprofit_Crafting the Perfect Donation Form 6 Key Features_feature

By John Killoran

In the wake of COVID-19, nonprofits everywhere are rapidly adopting virtual fundraising strategies if they hadn’t already shifted to an online platform. In addition to mastering the most effective online fundraising practices, organizations should turn their focus to optimizing their donation forms to break through the clutter.

Here at Snowball Fundraising, we know the best campaigns start with a solid foundation of fundraising software. And of that software foundation, your donation form is the cornerstone. 

That’s why it’s the perfect time to make sure your donation form has everything you need for effective virtual fundraising! You want your donation forms to be engaging and relevant, whether it’s for a brand-new donor interacting with your organization for the first time or for a long-time, dedicated supporter.

If your nonprofit is looking to create or update a high-quality donation form to boost your fundraising efforts, be sure to include these 6 key features:

  1. Organization background
  2. Donor contact information
  3. Fundraising thermometer
  4. Suggested gift amount
  5. Payment information
  6. Recurring gift option

Snowball_Ann-Green-Nonprofit_Crafting-the-Perfect-Donation-Form-6-Key-Features_donation-form

As we walk through each characteristic of a perfect donation form, we’ll explain the significance of each and its purpose in the donation process. Ready to jump in? Let’s get started!

Snowball_Ann Green Nonprofit_Crafting the Perfect Donation Form 6 Key Features_header1

1. Organization background

Be sure to include basic information about your organization on every donation form. Not only does this remind your donors where their money is going, but it can help boost your donor engagement levels as well. After all, engagement is all about communicating with donors and demonstrating your relevance!

Here are three background elements that should be featured in every donation page:

  • The name of the campaign: First and foremost, it’s important to include the name of your organization as well as a specific campaign title so donors know what their donation is funding. This should be big, clear, and easy to see.
  • Your nonprofit branding: Elements like your logo, color scheme, type font, and slogan can really help to bring your donation page together and make it feel like an integrated part of your website (rather than a third-party vendor).
  • A brief summary of your mission: Remind your donors what you stand for and how your organization is making a difference. By making a contribution to your cause, they’re becoming an integral partner in your mission, so it’s important to be clear about the purpose behind your nonprofit.

When donors can easily see the impact they’re making and the type of work your organization is doing, your donation page can continue to boost engagement while preventing donation form abandonment.

Snowball_Ann Green Nonprofit_Crafting the Perfect Donation Form 6 Key Features_header2

2. Donor information

One of the first sections of your donation form should ask your donor for basic information about themselves. After a supporter gives, this information should be stored and organized in a nonprofit CRM (constituent relationship management) system to look back on and build donor relationships. 

Be sure to include these four basic fields, plus whichever details are most relevant to your organization:

  • Name: You’ll likely need your donor’s full name for legal purposes, but it’s also important to include an optional field so donors can specify a preferred name by which they’d like to be addressed. That way you can personalize your relationship going forward.
  • Birthdate: This is great information to have as you continue building donor relationships. Be sure to send out a “happy birthday” message whenever it’s a donor’s special day! This shouldn’t be a required field in case donors would prefer not to provide that information.
  • Address: By obtaining a donor’s physical address, you now have the ability to keep in touch via direct mail. Consider sending a handwritten thank-you note, personalized event invitations, and even some branded swag.
  • Contact: Try to collect multiple methods to contact each donor, such as a cell phone number and an email address. For best practice, ask donors to specify with which method they’d prefer to be contacted and then honor it.

It’s important to find the perfect balance between gathering significant information and overwhelming your donor. On the one hand, the more information you collect, the better you can segment your audience for marketing and communications purposes. On the other hand, too many required fields often leads to donation form abandonment and a missed opportunity for funding.

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3. Fundraising thermometer

Fundraising thermometers are a tried-and-true fundraising tool that are used to encourage donors and boost revenue. Traditional fundraising thermometers may have been hand-crafted and displayed in a prominent physical location. However, digital fundraising tools can be quickly and easily embedded in your donation form for better results.

Snowball’s guide to fundraising thermometers explains that this fundraising tool can boost any campaign by providing:

  • Instant gratification: While donating to a good cause does have a positive effect on the world, sometimes it can take some time to get results. When a donor submits their gift and sees the thermometer’s “temperature” rise, the individual gets the benefit of instant gratification, even if just a little!
  • Social proof: One big motivating factor in any charitable giving is social proof. When a donor sees that others have already given to your fundraiser, they’re more likely to contribute themselves. And thanks to your fundraising thermometer, prospective donors can easily visualize the number of donors who have already taken part.
  • Goal and progress tracking: Setting an aspirational, yet achievable, goal is an important prerequisite for fundraising. Then, throughout the campaign, a fundraising thermometer is a concrete illustration of your progress. When an individual sees that you’re so close to your goal, they might be more inclined to help out.

Not only do fundraising thermometers motivate your donors, but they can have similar effects on your fundraising team too. Whether that’s nonprofit staff, volunteers, or a combination of both, the dedicated leaders behind your fundraising efforts should feel motivated by the progress shown on a thermometer. Seeing how close you are to your goal and how far you’ve come as a team is a great encouragement for all involved.

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4. Suggested gift amount

Including suggested donation amounts allows donors to simply select a preset donation value and move forward in the donation process. It takes a lot of the stress off your donor by giving them one less item to worry about.

Consider these best practices when it comes to setting suggested gifts:

  • Adjust based on your target audience. This is where knowing your audience really comes in handy. If you tend to reach an affluent donor base, you can consider increasing your suggested asks, while more typical suggestions may be between $15 and $500.
  • Include several choices. Only offering one or two options can seem limiting, which is not what you want. Including a range of 4-6 suggested amounts can give your donor a nice baseline for an average donation, but still provide the freedom to choose.
  • Allow for “other” amounts too. And for those donors who don’t want to make a preselected donation, it’s important to leave an option for a write-in too. This way, donors can go smaller or larger than your suggestions, or choose a number in between.

Studies show that preset donation buttons can actually lead to an increase in the average gift size. If it’s easier on your donor and leads to boosted revenue, it’s a must-have for your donation page!

Snowball_Ann Green Nonprofit_Crafting the Perfect Donation Form 6 Key Features_header5

5. Payment information

One of the biggest perks of online donations is the flexibility with which donors can pay. No longer do they have to make a cash withdrawal or sign and mail a check! Instead, you can accept online payments in a variety of ways.

Listed below are the two most common types of online payments. It’s a good idea to ask first for a preferred method of payment, and then follow up with the required fields based on the user’s response.

Here are the details you’ll need for each type of payment:

  • Credit/debit cards: For payments made by a debit or credit card, your donor will need to input their credit card number, CVV or security code, and expiration date.
  • ACH payments: For ACH payments, or Automated Clearing House, you’ll need your donor to input the type of bank account the money will be withdrawn from as well as the routing and account numbers.

The best donation tools work with a dedicated payment processor that then uses the information submitted to transfer funds from your donor’s bank account to your organization’s bank account. Learn more about nonprofit payment processing here.

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6. Recurring gift option

Recurring gifts are a nonprofit’s best friend. That’s what happens when a donor chooses to give to your organization on a regular, automatic schedule. 

Fundraising professionals know that it’s much more cost-effective to retain a donor than to be constantly securing new ones. Even better is when the donation is automatically transferred to your bank account every so often without any extra effort on your part or theirs.

Recurring gifts are a win-win because:

  • They’re convenient for your donor. Although you’re working to create an easy-to-use, streamlined donation form that donors will love, the act of filling out a form takes time. If a donor wants to continue supporting your nonprofit without having to enter their financial information again (until their credit cards expire), recurring gifts are the way to go.
  • They bring consistent funding to your organization. Charities often see a rise in giving around the holidays, with lower overall revenue at other times. But with recurring gifts, your organization can count on a steady stream of revenue throughout the year.

Be sure to offer various payment schedules, including a weekly, monthly, or yearly basis. If you make the option readily available and super simple, you might be surprised how many donors choose to enable a recurring gift schedule.

Because your donation page is the foundation of all your online fundraising efforts, it’s important to invest the time and effort into making it perfect. By incorporating each of these six features into your online donation form, you’ll be off to a great start.

For more inspiration, check out Morweb’s list of top donation pages to see some of these best practices in action. Learn from other successful organizations and campaigns to find out how you can improve your own! 

John Killoran

John Killoran is an inventor, entrepreneur, and the Chairman of Clover Leaf Solutions, a national lab services company. He currently leads Clover Leaf’s investment in Snowball Fundraising, an online fundraising platform for nonprofit organizations. 

Snowball was one of John’s first public innovations; it’s a fundraising platform that offers text-to-give, online giving, events, and peer-to-peer fundraising tools for nonprofits. By making giving simple, Snowball increases the donations that these organizations can raise online. The Snowball effect is real! John founded Snowball in 2011. Now, it serves over 7,000 nonprofits and is the #1 nonprofit fundraising platform.

How to Make Your Online Thanks Yous More Personal

Ann Green Communications, donor relations, donor-centered, email, thank you letters, website , , , ,

4102985881_0c855d40d7_nMany people donate online now. There’s a good reason for this. It’s usually fast and easy, or at least it should be.

One problem with online donations is the poor thank yous that come after your donor has given you a gift. Even though your thank you landing page and thank you email are automatically generated, it doesn’t mean they need to sound like they were written by a robot.

There’s a human being on the other end and they just did something nice by donating to your organization. Don’t they deserve to be lavished with gratitude?

It’s not hard to make your online thank yous more personal. Here’s what you need to do.

Use words that convey gratitude

First, make a list of words you associate with gratitude. Did you come up with words such as transaction and processed? Because those are words I often see after I make an online gift. I want to tear my hair out every time I see transaction complete or your gift was successfully processed.

Words matter and some words of gratitude include appreciate, grateful, and of course, thank you. 

Think of the donations you receive as the start or continuation of a relationship and not a transaction. 

Make a good first impression with your thank you landing page

Your landing page is your first chance to say thank you and it’s usually about as engaging as an Amazon receipt. In fact, I’ve received online shopping receipts that are more personal than some nonprofit “thank you” landing pages.

Remember to use words that convey gratitude. You could open with Thank you, David! or You’re amazing!  Include an engaging photo or video and a short, easy to understand description of how the donation will help the people you serve.

Invite donors to connect with you in other ways such as signing up to receive your newsletter, following you on social media, and volunteering.

If you use a third-party giving site, you might be able to customize the landing page. If you can’t, follow up with a personal thank you email message within 48 hours.

Don’t let your donors think they only made a transaction.

How to Create Post Donation Thank You Pages That Delight Donors

Six Tips for a Stronger Post-Donation Thank You Landing Page

Write a thank you email that will impress your donors

Start off by thinking of a good subject line. At the very least say Thank You! and not Donation Received. Stay away from the dreaded words processed and transaction. You want your thank you email to stand out in your donor’s overflowing inbox.

Open your message with Thank You or You just did something incredible, and not the usual On Behalf of X organization. Then let your donors know how they’re helping you make a difference for the people/community you serve.

Basically, you want to follow the rules of writing a good thank you letter, the key word here being good. I covered this in my last post The Purpose of a Thank You Letter is to Thank Your Donors. It amazes me how many thank you letters/emails don’t do a good job of saying thank you.

You won’t be able to segment much, but you should be able to distinguish between single gifts and monthly donations.

Speaking of monthly donations, many organizations send their monthly donors an email acknowledgment each month. There’s nothing wrong with that, but what’s wrong is many of these are dreadfully boring and usually include the same message each month.

Your monthly donors have made a long-term commitment to you, you can show the same commitment to them by writing a better thank you email and mixing up the content by sharing updates.

You can include a donation summary or receipt with your thank you email, but that should be at the end – AFTER – you pour on the gratitude. I prefer the term donation summary because it doesn’t sound as transactional.

Again, don’t make your message sound like it was written by a robot. Write something warm and personal.

Thanking a Donor by Email: Best Practices and Examples

7 Best Practices for Donor Thank You Emails

Give your donors a good thank you experience 

Since your thank you landing page and email are automatically generated, you can’t make them as personal as a handwritten note, phone call, or letter. That’s why you need to do at least one of those for your online donors. An online thank you is not enough.

You want to give your donors a thank you experience. Your thank you landing page and email acknowledgment are just the beginning. Make them engaging and personal and keep up that theme as you continue to show gratitude to your donors throughout the year.

 

The Importance of Keeping Things Simple

Ann Green Communications, email, fundraising, website, writing , , , ,

Keep it -simpleOver the years I’ve come to find the value of keeping things simple. Whether it’s preparing a dish with just a few ingredients or not cramming my schedule with one thing after another.

But keeping it simple doesn’t have to mean a bare bones existence. There’s a Swedish term called lagom (there are also several books about it) meaning everything in moderation or not too much, not too little. It’s definitely a concept I agree with and it’s much needed in our society of too much, too much.

Keeping things simple is also important for your nonprofit communication. Donors are busy and are receiving an abundance of messages from a variety of sources.

You don’t want to get bogged down with a bunch of complex content. Here are a few ways to simplify your communication.

Keep it simple by sticking to one call to action

Your communication needs to be clear. Before you send an email message or letter, ask what is your intention? Is it to ask for a donation, say thank you, invite someone to an event, or recruit volunteers?

Stick to one call to action. If you ask for a donation, try to recruit volunteers, and invite someone to an event all in the same message, it’s likely your donors won’t respond to any of your requests.

In your fundraising appeals, don’t bury your ask. Start with a story, followed by a clear, polite ask. Recognize your reader. Thank previous donors and invite potential donors to be a part of your family of donors.

Your thank you letter should thank the donor. Simple, right? Make them feel good about giving to your organization. Welcome new donors and welcome back returning donors. You don’t need a lot of wordy text explaining what your organization does.

Keep your messages simple, yet sincere, and include a clear call to action.

5 Nonprofit Email Call-to-Actions That Inspire Action

Keep it simple with shorter, easy to read messages

If your communication is too long, most people won’t read it. Limit print communication, such as newsletters and annual reports, to four pages or less. Your email messages should be just a few paragraphs. On the other hand, you don’t want to be terse or say too little.

“I didn’t have time to write a short letter, so I wrote a long one instead.” Mark Twain

Be sure your communication is easy to read and scan. Use short paragraphs, especially for electronic communication, and include lots of white space. Don’t clutter up the page.

Keep it simple by using conversational language

There’s nothing worse than reading an appeal letter or newsletter article that sounds like a Ph.D. thesis. Write at a sixth to eighth-grade level. That’s what most major newspapers do. This is not dumbing down. You’re being smart by ensuring your donors will understand you.

Keep out the jargon and other confusing language. Use the active voice and there’s no need to get fancy by using a lot of SAT vocabulary words. Again, you want your donors to understand you.

You May Love Your Jargon, But Your Donor’s Don’t

Keep it simple by creating a clutter-free website

Your website is still a place where people will go to get information. Make sure it’s clear and clutter-free, as well as easy to read and navigate. Don’t forget about short paragraphs and lots of white space.

How to Get Your Website in Good Shape

One of the most important parts of your website is your donation page. It needs to be easy to use and collect enough information without overwhelming your donors. If it’s too cumbersome, they may give up and leave.

If it’s a branded page (e.g. not a third-party site like PayPal), make sure it’s consistent with your messaging and look. Don’t go too minimalistic, though. Include a short description of how a donor’s gift will help you make a difference, as well as an engaging photo.

It’s not always easy to keep things simple, but your donors will appreciate it if you do. Read on for more about the importance of keeping things simple.

Is Your Fundraising Appeal Cluttered? That Won’t Do

Your Donor Communications Should Be Simple & Direct

The Complexity of Simplicity

5 Ways to Optimize Your Web Presence for Mobile Donors

Ann Green email, fundraising, social media, website , , , ,

 

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By John Killoran 

Developing your website and ensuring your donors have the ability to donate to your organization online was a great undertaking for you. You probably saw a spike in donations and donor engagement. But did you know there’s a way to make online giving even more effective?

By adjusting your website design and donation opportunities to appeal to mobile donors, you open up a new avenue for giving to your nonprofit organization.

In order to effectively appeal to your mobile donors, your organization should:

  1. Optimize your donation page.
  2. Launch a text-to-give campaign.
  3. Maximize your social media campaign.
  4. Incorporate mobile-optimized emails.
  5. Host a pledge campaign.

Ready to learn more about mobile responsiveness? Let’s get started:

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1. Optimize Your Donation Page

Your online giving form is a great place to start your mobile optimization processes. Submitting online donations is already incredibly convenient for your supporters. But making your online giving form mobile responsive makes it easy for people to give from any device, further growing your potential base of donors.

Make sure your donation page is mobile responsive. Mobile responsiveness is when a website or other online resource automatically adjusts to fit the screen on which it is displayed. This means the online resource is visually appealing on smartphones, tablets, and desktops alike.

It should be easy to read your online giving form from any screen. Make sure your online donation platform provider offers the ability to adjust form elements such as

  • Images. Make sure your images are visible, clear, and size-adjustable depending on the screen they are viewed on. There’s nothing worse than having to scroll across a webpage on your phone to try to see an entire image.
  • Straight-forward text. Eliminate unnecessary or “fluff” text from your donation page. Lots of text can look bulky on a smaller screen. Limiting this text to only include essential information will make it easier for donors to read or skim the page.
  • Customized (and limited) information fields. Typing lengthy information onto a form on a computer is much easier than on a cell phone. Most of us type much faster with a keyboard than on a touchscreen. Therefore, limit the amount of information you require from mobile donors on your donation page to speed up the process.
  • Page Speed. Page speed is an even more important element for mobile users than desktop users because many people are more willing to wait for a page to load from their computer than from their phone. Increase your page speed by minifying code, reducing redirects, and compressing images.

Ensuring your donation page is welcoming to all visitors, whether they access it from their computer or from their cell phone, is a key factor in higher donation rates. If more people can access the page more often, you don’t turn off the donors who would have otherwise given while on-the-go.

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2. Launch a Text-to-Give Campaign

In addition to optimizing your usual online fundraising page, a great way to encourage mobile donations from your donors is by including a text-to-give option. As the name suggests, text-to-give encourages donors to text their donations to organizations.

Depending on the software you choose, you may encounter different models of the text-to-give collection process. Your provider should:

  • Offer your organization a text-to-give number. This is the number your donors can text in order to donate. The number may be a whole phone number or simply 5 digits for simplicity. Your donors can text the amount of the gift they wish to give to your organization when prompted.
  • Direct the donor to necessary giving information. This is especially relevant for first-time donors who have not yet filled out any information with your organization. They may be directed to a pre-written email that when sent will complete the donation after they fill out the necessary fields on the donation form or the gift could be added to their cell phone bill at the end of the month.

A text-to-give option is an easy method of giving no matter which of the submission options is offered by the provider. Be sure to consider your donors when deciding between these methods to ensure it will be the easiest for your particular donor audience.

Mobile giving with a text-to-give campaign is a great resource to combine with other unique fundraising ideas. For instance, if you host a fundraising event, announce the donation opportunity over a loudspeaker so that your attendees can donate from the event.

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3. Maximize Your Social Media Campaigns

One platform nonprofits often already take advantage of is social media. Social media was built to be viewed from mobile devices using sites like Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat. Therefore, that is where the majority of people are viewing their social media feeds.

Be sure to use social media as an integral part of your optimization strategies to appeal to mobile donors.

Increasing your social media presence increases the likelihood your followers will see your organization’s latest updates when scrolling through their news feed. Increasing this presence by posting more frequently is just the tip of the iceberg to use your social media to its fullest extent.  

You also have the ability to spread fundraisers through social media platforms for people to view (and donate to) from their mobile devices. Two of the online fundraisers most suitable for social media promotion include:

  • Crowdfunding. Crowdfunding enables your organization to collect small donations from a wide audience, making the wide reach of social media the perfect platform to promote such campaigns. Conduct research on the various providers to make sure you choose the website that will best suit your organization in terms of fees and platform capabilities.
  • Peer-to-peer fundraising. Peer-to-peer fundraising campaigns are similar to crowdfunding in that you are collecting small donations from a wide audience. However, these campaigns differ in how those donations are collected. With peer-to-peer fundraising, you invite your supporters to create fundraising pages and raise money on your behalf across their respective networks.

Both of these fundraising opportunities are more frequently found from a person’s mobile device as opposed to their home computer because of their reliance on social media. Therefore, increasing your visibility with more frequent posts and starting a mobile-minded fundraiser is a great way to entice your wide audience of donors who prefer to work from their smartphones.

If peer-to-peer fundraising campaigns or crowdfunding sound like opportunities from which your organization could benefit, launch into further research with Double the Donation’s nonprofit guide.

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4. Incorporate Mobile-Optimized Emails

When you are considering the optimization of your web presence, you probably think of your website or online donation pages. Don’t forget that your emails are another online resource frequently accessed from mobile devices.

Optimizing your email content is very similar to optimizing your general website or donation pages. Take the necessary steps to ensure your images are properly sized and adjust with the size of the screen. Limit the amount of text you use in your emails and be sure the font size is appropriate for a mobile viewer. Be sure the email is visually appealing on screens of all sizes.

However, in addition to these general tips, there is more you can do to increase the success of mobile donations from your emails. For instance, you can:

  • Include actionable donation buttons. Optimize the buttons you use in your emails in order to quickly and easily lead donors to donation options. Increasing the size of these buttons for mobile viewers can make them easier to see (and click!) from a small screen such as a smartphone.
  • Connect your emails to other platforms. Be sure your donors have an easy way to access the other donation platforms you have available online. For instance, including social media buttons will instantly connect your supporters to future crowdfunding campaigns. You may also choose to include a link to your donation page and the number for your text-to-give campaign to regular emails.
  • Feature a calendar with donation opportunities. Be sure your supporters know about upcoming opportunities for more donations with a comprehensive calendar feature. This may include volunteer opportunities for them to donate their time as well as upcoming fundraising campaigns to get involved in.

Regular emails, such as email newsletters, are a donation opportunity that should be taken advantage of more often in the nonprofit world. Many of your supporters likely check their email from their phones, so be sure they have direct access from that device to other donation opportunities.

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5. Host a Pledge Campaign.

Just imagine you’re holding a fundraising event. You’ve set up a text-to-give number and the success is overwhelming. However, there are a number of people at the event who can’t give to your organization right at this moment. Even if they want to, they just can’t for some reason or another.

Pledge campaigns are designed to help your organization in these types of situations. You can appeal to those people who can’t give right at this moment, but have the heart and the desire to show their support and give in the future.

Pledges are the promises of future donations. Someone can pledge $100 now, then actually give the money to the organization next week. Choose an online tool with the option to optimize your pledge campaign to mobile. This will make it especially effective for the situation above. Other situations in which a mobile-optimized pledge campaign may come handy include:

  • Social media fundraising pushes. In addition to your typical fundraising promotions featured on social media, including your other fundraising campaigns or advocating for your organization’s cause, give people the option to participate in your pledge campaign. This gives people the opportunity to pledge money, then go to your website and see more information about the organization before they give.
  • When there is a lot going on in the world. For instance, if your organization is tied to a world event that went on recently, let’s just say clean up from the devastation of a hurricane, the event will be in the news for a couple days. At that point, many people will forget their drive to give, even if they still care about the cause. The pledge to give money helps keep your cause in the forefront of your donor’s mind.

Many times people will hear about and see news events, social media fundraising efforts, and other donation opportunities from their phones. Even if they don’t have time to give right away, they’ll pledge to make a donation in the future.

Be sure to pick a pledge fundraising tool that offers mobile customization for your organization. Pledge buttons included on these screens can help boost the user’s ease of using the tool as well.

Before starting your pledge campaign, be sure to check out resources like Snowball’s guide to collecting pledges so that every stage of the pledge campaign is executed to the best of your ability.

Optimizing your web presence over a variety of pages, platforms, etc. can help boost your donation amounts by increasing the available opportunities to give. These 5 tips can help you optimize your overall online presence to benefit both your donors and your organization.

John Killoran

John Killoran is CEO of Snowball, an exciting new fundraising technology that makes it easy for people to donate in two clicks from text, email, web and social media sites.  John pioneered SMTP payments and has been a major innovator in the mobile payments space for the past 5 years.  When he is not running a company, he is cooking food for his family and telling his dogs to stop barking.