Online Donation Platforms

After seeing thousands of campaigns on Pledge , I’ve noticed a clear pattern. Most failures come down to three things: 1. Unclear mission. People don’t give to confusion. They give to clarity. If someone can’t explain your cause in one sentence, you’ve already lost them. 2. Bad UX. I’ve seen donation pages that feel like filing taxes. Five clicks too many. Too much text. Too little emotion. Every extra step costs you conversions. 3. No story. Data informs. But stories? They inspire, move wallets, and touch hearts. The most successful campaigns we’ve seen lead with humanity, not statistics. When these three align, fundraising becomes effortless. At Pledge, we’ve seen this formula raise millions in hours. It’s not magic. It’s psychology. Meet donors where they already are. Make it simple. Make it human. If you’re running a campaign right now, ask yourself: “Would I personally take out my card for this experience?” If the answer is anything less than “yes,” you’ve found your fix.

Ever noticed how so many gift arrays on donation pages go from high to low? The idea is to encourage people to give more by showing higher amounts first. But is that really effective? The question often overlooked with this tactic is: How does re-ordering the gift array impact overall revenue (a combination of conversions and average gift size)? We decided to test this... 🧪 One of our clients featured a gift array that started with $50 on the left and ended with $250 on the right. For the treatment version, we switched the $50 and $250 options, so people would see the HIGHER option FIRST. The result? The high-to-low approach resulted in a 15.7% DECREASE in donations and an 11.3% DECREASE in average gift size, leading to a 𝐭𝐨𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝟐𝟓.𝟐% 𝐃𝐄𝐂𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐒𝐄 𝐢𝐧 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐮𝐞. Starting with higher amounts made many visitors LESS likely to donate. It also led to donors giving LESS on average. Two potential learnings: 1️⃣ A high-to-low gift array has the potential to "price out" donors who intend to give a smaller gift. The large options up front might communicate that a smaller gift is not wanted or valuable. 2️⃣ A low-to-high gift array has the potential to lift average gift by creating initial agreement and leading donors to upgrade to a larger option. Don’t lose donors over something as simple as gift array order. And as always, test this for yourself to see what impact it has on your donors. #NonProfit #Optimization #OnlineFundraising #NextAfter

I’ve been sitting on this for months, trying to put it into words. After reviewing 1,000+ donation pages, one thing is painfully clear: Nonprofits are losing out on millions in digital fundraising. The gap is massive. Everyone’s struggling—but no one is naming it. Most nonprofits convert just 1 out of every 5 visitors on their donation pages. And somehow… that’s considered good enough. They have a >>> conversion gap <<< the hidden falloff between people who land on your donation page… and the ones who actually give. Think about it: You’re putting in the work—emails, ads, Giving Days—driving traffic. But when people finally reach your donation page, four out of five don’t give. That’s a massive missed opportunity. Imagine if that changed. >> With an average $120 gift and a 13% conversion rate, you bring in $1,560 per 100 visitors. >> But what if you converted 30% instead? $3,600—same traffic, more impact. No new donors. No new tools. Just fixing the gap. And yet, instead of fixing the root problem, we keep reaching for band-aid solutions: > Driving more traffic to leaky donation pages > Adding more tools to patch the issue > Running surface-level A/B tests that don’t move the needle But the CVR Gap is the problem behind the problem: > It’s not just about traffic. > It’s not just about A/B testing (swapping a headline isn’t optimization). > It’s not about button colors (let’s be real). It’s about fixing how donation pages engage donors - and understanding what actually moves people to give. If you don’t fix your CVR Gap, everything else is just a workaround. If this resonates - if you’ve felt this but didn’t have the words for it - now you do. Bottom line 👇 If you’re not actively fixing the CVR Gap, you’re leaving donation $$$—and impact—on the table. You don’t need more traffic. You don’t need another tool. You need to stop the silent drop-off happening on your donation page. This isn’t about small tweaks. It’s about unlocking real growth. And from here on out, I’ll be breaking down exactly how to do it. Stay tuned.

🚨 Hot take: DIGITAL INFRASTRUCTURE IS NOT OPTIONAL, IT'S CRITICAL! 🚨 This morning at 5 AM, I'm doom-scrolling Facebook (we've all been there), and I spot a donation opportunity for a well known, national organization I'm passionate about supporting. They urgently need funds. I'm in! But then... ❌ Default to 1x donation option (psst... you could have had me at monthly) ❌ Manual entry for ALL my details (at 5 AM? Really?) ❌ Credit card as the sole payment method ❌ No digital wallet option ❌ No recapture or offer to remind me to come back later to finish my donation. Now, maybe I'm the odd one here, but I don't keep a credit card by my bed, but my digital wallet? Always ready! Nonprofits, listen up! 🔊 The stats don't lie: 📊 Digital wallets can boost conversion rates by up to 35% (PYMNTS) 📊 18% of online shoppers abandon carts due to complicated checkouts (Baymard Institute) 📊 Offering multiple payment options can increase conversions by up to 50% for nonprofits (NextAfter) Your supporters WANT to help. But in 2024, if you're not optimizing: ✅ Recurring donation options ✅ Streamlined form filling ✅ Multiple payment methods (Stripe, PayPal, Apple Pay, etc.)✅ Or recapturing opportunities You're leaving money on the table. 💸 The tech is out there (I can give you some suggestions). The solutions exist. It's time to prioritize your digital infrastructure. Because when donating is as easy as a couple of taps, everyone wins. Your cause gets funded, and supporters like me can act on that 5 AM generosity/rage impulse! Who else has faced similar frustrations? Please reach out if you have questions, need referrals, or want to share your thoughts on donation conversions and what is holding us back. This should be one of the easier problems to solve. #NonprofitTech #DigitalTransformation #FundraisingTips #UXMatters

Small details surrounding your donation experience can have a huge impact on donor conversion. According to NPEngage, 50–70% of supporters abandon an online donation form when redirected to another website to donate. Meaning: If your visitors access your donation form on a URL different than your org's (such as your CRM's built-in donation page), then you might be losing almost 3 out of 4 would-be donors. Here's why: Unexpectedly changing to a new URL when navigating around a website feels confusing. It creates a break in the experience. Few expect to go to a new website when they click your "Donate Now" button. And it feels jarring. The issue is only compounded by the limited design options offered by most external donation forms. One minute, you're browsing around the familiar website of an org in which you're invested. But the next, you're on an off-brand lookalike version that doesn't instill the same level of trust. Throw asking for money into the mix, and it's easy to see why many potential supporters would decide to reconsider. Luckily, the solution is fairly simple: Always try to keep your donation form on your org's own website. Make sure you're using the same branding, design, and URL as other areas of your site. Many donation platforms have embeddable forms you can copy and paste directly into the appropriate areas as a quick fix. And with the form now directly on your org's site, you'll be well on your way to a stronger, more seamless, and trustworthy donation experience. #nonprofit #nonprofits #webdesign #branding #storytelling 👾

70% of donors who start filling out a form... don’t finish. Here’s why (and how to fix it). 🚩 Problem: Disjointed experience between email/ad/social media/blog/qr code and donation form. Vague or generic messaging. Loss of emotional momentum at the final step. ✅ Opportunity: Match your donation form to the emotional journey started in the inbox (or ad or QR code). Use storytelling through to the very last click. Tie every donation level to a specific outcome. Example: $25 → Seeds for one garden bed. $50 → Tools for two youth. $100 → Soil for an entire garden. Specificity matters. Emotion matters. Consistency matters. Your story doesn’t end at the “Donate” button — it ends at impact.

"Why are people not giving to your organization? Because we've made it too hard." - Vance Roush We Are For Good Trend #8 - Make Generosity Frictionless I'm no tech whiz. And I'd venture to say that most people working in nonprofit + social impact wouldn't consider themselves an expert either. But we simply MUST get more comfortable with flexing new tech and upskilling in the age of A.I. - because there's too much on the line that we're missing. Namely - donations, connection and story (maybe even your sanity??). On today's episode, the brilliant Vance Roush is breaking down how to make generosity frictionless within your org. And thankfully, he's taken the Michael Scott approach and explained it to us like we're 5 (thanks Vance 🥸) Some quick ideas to get you started👇 📲 Mobile Accessibility is paramount for GenZ + Millennials.  Nonprofits should optimize their websites, donation platforms, and content for mobile accessibility to ensure seamless engagement. ☝️ Aim for one-click giving 💰 Explore a diversified way to accept a variety of giving options - Apple Pay, Google Pay, Venmo, Paypal, DAF, stocks, crypto 🤝 Provides a user-friendly experience 🔁 Encourage repeat giving 🛒 Reduces abandonment rates 😎 Adapt to different generations' giving habits Are you aware the more fields you add to a donation form, the conversion rate of that gift drops with each field added? I didn't. These are the kinds of quick tips that can change the game for online conversion. PRO Tips ✅ Practice giving to your own organization (on desktop + digitally) ✅ Utilize online donation platforms that offer one-click donation options. (🙌Psst: We love platforms like Overflow, Givebutter, Pledge, Fundraise Up) ✅ Optimize your website and donation pages for mobile ✅Provide recurring donation options ✅ Include direct donation links in email campaigns. (Bonus points if leads to a pre-filled donation form🎊) ✅ Explore Text-to-Give services ✅ Use social media platforms’ giving option  ✅ Optimize donation forms ✅ Simplify donation forms by reducing the number of required fields What simple tech changes has your nonprofit or client made that's made generosity more frictionless at your org? Spill the tea below and let's all learn + celebrate together in community! So who's doing it well? Shoutouts to National Audubon Society Roc Solid Foundation charity: water Golden State Warriors Community Foundation - 👈 check out their awesome donation pages! (and tune into this episode to hear how one church was able to increase their donation conversions by 50.9x by flexing QR codes with Apple Pay 🤯) #impactuprising #generosity #simpletech #nonprofit #socialimpact

A medium-sized nonprofit booked a strategy session because their monthly revenue had dropped by 40%. They upgraded their database system and launched a newly branded website and had expected donations to increase. The new website was beautiful with a clean design and professional photos. It was also mobile responsive. It cost them “a small fortune.” But when I clicked the donate button, I realized the problem. It had a lengthy form asking a ton of questions and each one either had a long dropdown menu (12 options for “How did you hear about us?”) or a mandatory text field. Fourteen clicks and three minutes later, I could finally donate. Their old website? It was basic and definitely not pretty. But the donate button went straight to a simple form. Two clicks. Done in 30 seconds. They were losing revenue not because people stopped caring, but because the new process was so painful that people just...gave up. Here some operational mistakes I see hurting nonprofits: Optimizing for aesthetics over function. A gorgeous website that doesn't convert donations is just an expensive brochure. Your donate button should be visible on every page and take people directly to giving, not through a maze of clicks. Making donors jump through hoops. Every required field is a chance for someone to pause and change their mind. Every extra click loses donors. "But we need that information for our database!" Getting the donation matters more than filling in all the fields in your database. Forgetting about mobile. About half of online donations happen on phones. If your donation form doesn't work perfectly on mobile, you're losing so many gifts. Test it yourself before launch. Breaking what already works. That clunky old system processed donations just fine. Before you replace it with something "better," make sure it actually works better for donors, not just looks better to you. Technology for technology's sake. A CRM system won't fix your donor retention if you're not calling donors. An email platform won't increase giving if you're not sending compelling content. Tools only work if you have strategy behind them. No one owning the donor experience. Your website team doesn't talk to your development team. Your database person doesn't coordinate with whoever writes acknowledgment letters. Donors experience gaps and inconsistencies that you don't even see. The organizations that grow sustainably? They obsess over the donor experience. They test every form. They time every process. They ask: "Would I actually complete this?" Your operations should make giving easier, not harder. If your systems are costing you donors, it doesn't matter how efficient they are. #NonprofitsOperations #FundraisingSystems #Fundraising

It’s incredible to think that Tap to Donate was born from a challenge my mom faced as a volunteer at one of Italy’s leading charities,Fondazione ANT Italia ONLUS. Now, just weeks after its launch, that very charity and its amazing team are using it. For years, my mom has raised funds the same way: cash only. I remember her frustration—handling money, writing down donor names, manually keeping track of everything. Then, more and more people at fundraising events started saying: ❌ “I don’t have cash, sorry…” ❌ “Can I donate by card?” ❌ “I only have a couple of euros, is that okay?” And even when donations were made by card, there was still so much manual work left to do: - Collecting donor details by hand - Writing down tax receipts - Manually entering everything into the database - Eventually, following up with marketing Even with POS terminals or digital wallets, the process was still fragmented and inefficient. Because cash, POS, and payment apps were never designed for fundraising. 🚀 Tap to Donate was born for this. ✔️ One tap to donate ✔️ One tap to collect donor details ✔️ One tap to automate receipts, CRM and donor care No paperwork, no manual reconciliations, no lost donors—just seamless, smart fundraising. This is why Fondazione ANT is adopting it across 11 regions, empowering thousands of volunteer to collect donations with a simple tap—anytime, anywhere. And this is just the beginning. We’re mapping the entire fundraising journey, collaborating closely with nonprofit leaders like Silvia Ciresa and Domenico Santacroce to identify challenges and streamline every step—from donation collection to maximizing donor lifetime value. Because nonprofits should focus on impact, not admin work.