Almost every nonprofit that I work with has the same item at the top of their list of website goals:
We want to raise more money via our website.
And almost every nonprofit website that I see is making the
same two fundraising-mojo-blocking mistakes!
Is fundraising at the top of your list of website goals? And is your site making one of these two mistakes?
If your nonprofit website is…
Showcasing just the donate button
Then try this:
Showcase the email signup form instead.
Most first time visitors to your website won’t be ready to donate. But many first time visitors to your website will be ready to subscribe to your email updates.
Use your email signup form to engage more website visitors. After someone subscribes, you can follow up with information about our organization, and then send another message with a fundraising appeal.
You can, and should, still include a link to the donation form in your website’s main menu.
If your nonprofit website is…
Sending a (potential) donor to a naked donation form
Then try this:
Update the donation form to feature a story about a person that your organization helped and an explanation of how your (potential) donor’s gift will help that person.
You can’t just send a website visitor to a plain donation form. You need to convince a potential donor that her/his gift will make a specific, measurable difference. Finish this sentence: “Your gift will provide Jane with something she desperately needs: ______.”
You can repeat the story throughout your site, just make sure it’s also featured right above the donation form itself.
P.S. If you’d like to learn more about how to unlock your website’s fundraising mojo, check out my Smart Nonprofit Websites course. I created it specifically to help nonprofit professionals like you manage your website more effectively and more efficiently.
