July 28, 2016
“You Now Have A Shorter Attention Span Than A Goldfish” is the title of a Time Magazine online article. The article showcases how in recent years our attention span has dropped from a brag-worthy 12 seconds to a measly 8 seconds; one second below that of a goldfish.This means that your potential donors have the attention span of 8 seconds (and likely shrinking). The question is, what are you doing with these 8 precious seconds of a moment? If the answer is, asking your donors to create an account or read through paragraphs of text in order to submit their donation, then I hate to break it to you; but you are likely losing donors by the dozens. If this is you then it’s time to reconsider your process.Here are 9 donation page fails that could be costing your organization thousands.
Once your donor clicks a “Give Now” button on your website, let them give! Don’t require your donor to jump through multiple hoops prior to clicking the Submit button on their donation. Take them directly to a simple donation page and collect their funds. Provide additional details and collect additional information later.
There is a tendency to include every possible giving option and interval on a donation page. However, too many options can cause donors to question their choice and could lead them to abandon the page in order to think further about their decision.
It is important to clearly explain how a donation will directly impact your organization's goals. For example “Just $20 will provide a meal for x amount of people”. This allows a donation to have a face value, painting a perfect picture of how their donation will cause change.
Informational content belongs on other pages of your website, not on the donation page. Your donor has now selected the “Donate Now” button on your website and any information they must read through creates space for distractions. It’s your stories and information beforehand on the other pages of your website is what will actually pull them to the donation page. Now it is time to get out of their way and allow them to donate.
Remember, “a shorter attention span than a goldfish”. Don’t ask anything on the form that isn’t absolutely necessary. Capture their donation and contact information first. You can always request additional information later.
Be absolutely sure to include a genuine and specific thank you message in the confirmation email. A donor is sacrificing spending their money elsewhere in order to support your cause. The least you can do is make them feel really good about their choice.
If you don’t include a recurring donation option on your giving page, you are leaving money on the table. Think about how much time and effort it takes to attain one donation. Imagine if you could automate that donation month after month.
If someone clicks “Give Now” from your website and the branding all of a sudden changes, it might stop a potential donor in their tracks and cause them to feel uneasy about entering their credit card details. Be sure to take advantage of GivingFuel’s custom branding tools to maintain your website branding throughout the giving process.
Don’t miss out on free exposure your organization could receive by leaving social integrations off your giving page. When your donors give, empower them to shout it from the rooftops for all their networks to see.These are the common donation page fails we come across. Are there any others you’d add to the list? Or maybe any of the above you’ve been guilty of?