6 Ways To Improve Your Online Giving Form

Posted on 10/22/2017

Nice work! You’ve managed to drive a prospective donor to your institution’s online giving form. While getting them there is certainly an important step, there is no guarantee that they will continue and make a gift. Even if they do, will it be a positive or a frustrating experience? What happens next has a lot to do with how well your giving form is designed.

Here are 6 ways to improve your institution’s online giving form, increase your conversion rates, and create a positive experience for your donors:

  1. Keep the layout and content simple, visually appealing, and balanced by using fonts that are easy to read and by avoiding unnecessary images, videos or links that might distract attention.
  2. Make sure it’s optimized for viewing on a mobile device.
  3. Minimize the amount of time required to complete the transaction by reducing the number of pages, fields, and required data entry.
  4. Put the gift amount and designation selections early in the process (while donors are excited!) before the more tedious tasks of providing contact and credit card information.
  5. Offer an “other” option for donors to write-in a desired designation that isn’t otherwise listed.
  6. Highlight important options like recurring gifts or split designations and encourage desired outcomes by preselecting high gift amounts.

Don’t underestimate the importance of the online giving experience and the impact it can have on the way your donors think and feel about your institution. Design matters!


7.4_HBS_Preselected Gift Amount Online