Are You Turning Off Online Donors?

Just like direct mail, there are three simple ways, or key performance indicators (KPIs), to grow online donations:

1. Website traffic — who sees your message.
2. Donation conversion rate — what percentage of site visitors respond.
3. Average gift size — how much they give.

But not everyone is achieving the results envisioned. Of these three KPIs, a below industry average conversion rate (No. 2) is the most frequent cause of disappointing online revenue. This article describes the causes of donor abandonment and how to reduce it. Included is a 20-question, self-scored survey to help nonprofits identify and locate problems in their donation processes. Based on the results, simple donation page design changes can be implemented in order to achieve the ultimate goal — increased donor acquisition and retention.