Whether you work at a nonprofit art school or a soup kitchen for the community, donations play a big role in sustaining your organization. One easy way to collect donations is to use a form that’s easily accessible. Supporters can make a contribution while they’re exploring your website for more information about ways to help.
Watch out for these common mistakes when putting together your donation form to make sure you’re making the most of the opportunity.
Don’t make the form hard to find
For someone to be able to make donation, they need to know where to go. You also want to avoid making them search through multiple pages on your website because they might just get fed up and leave. Create a prominent button or link on your homepage and in your main navigation bar that takes them to the donation form quickly and easily.
Don’t forget to consider donations made from mobile devices
Most people are visiting websites through their mobile phones and devices nowadays. Optimize your nonprofit forms for mobile viewing so that your donor’s experience is the best it can be. You don’t want to lose a donation by having a form that’s displayed incorrectly and they can’t even find the button to click.
Don’t leave out information about where proceeds will go
As much as you’re aware of the in’s and out’s of your organization, not everyone else will be as informed. People also have a general desire to know how their donation money will be used. So, whenever possible, include specific information directly on the donation form about how each dollar will be spent meaningfully.
Don’t stop people from writing in their own donation amounts
It’s always helpful to provide predetermined amounts on your donation form so people can simply select the one they want. However, you also want to give people an opportunity to write in their own amount, whether it’s much less or much more, because every dollar counts.
Don’t forget to encourage people to make recurring donations
If you don’t ask for recurring donations, people are going to default to giving one lump sum. Don’t miss out on the opportunity to collect more money by offering a donation subscription opportunity. It’s incredibly easy to set one up on your Jotform donation form.
Don’t forget to keep them involved
If someone has taken the time to make a donation to your nonprofit organization, chances are that they’ll be interested in your goings-on. Keep them informed by asking if they’d like be added to your mailing list, and have them enter their email address. Connect your donation form to your email marketing provider and export them directly into your list.
Don’t use a generic ‘Thank You’ page
When someone gives you a gift, it’s only polite to thank them. Instead of using a generic ‘Thank You’ page, customize yours to remind people how their contribution will have a part in helping. You can also take this opportunity to include any follow-up information for people who want to get involved in other ways.
As a nonprofit organization, your time is precious and you might feel like every minute should be spent directly helping others. With a donation form that’s been put together thoughtfully, you can save yourself a lot of time so that you can get back to the main task at hand — making this world a better place.
Create your first donation form today with one of our helpful donation form templates.
What about you? What mistakes do you think people should avoid when creating a donation form?
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