5 Tips to Maximize Your Website for Fundraising
To make your website truly fundraising-ready, the donor experience needs to be at the heart of every design, content, and technical decision. It might seem overwhelming—but don’t worry. We’ve distilled it into five essential tips to help you boost your website’s impact and create a seamless, donor-centered experience.
1. Simplify the path to donate
This means placing a prominent “Donate” button in the global header and footer, so that no matter the page or device, it is always visible. It is also suggested that the contextual donation call-to-actions (CTAs) are available/promoted throughout the site. When it comes to global elements, the more real estate the button occupies, the more clicks it tends to receive.
Donation forms should be mobile-optimized, visually clean, and quick to complete — ideally with minimal required fields and the option for recurring giving pre-selected or clearly offered.
Ensure a “Ways to Give” section or page is easy to find on the site and that it is clearly labeled and offer multiple options beyond one-time donations — such as monthly giving, donor-advised funds, IRA, gifts of stock, and legacy giving.
Overall, navigation should be intuitive and donor-focused above all else.
2. Center your site around storytelling.
Stories create emotional connection — and emotion drives giving. Donors want to understand the real-world impact of their support. Use real voices, first-person quotes, and narratives that show transformation: before and after, problem and solution, need and response.
Incorporate storytelling elements across your homepage, impact pages, donation pages, and even in the thank-you flow. Each story should reflect your mission and clearly show how donors are part of the story.
Don’t forget about photos — visual hierarchy also matters! Use emotive photography and strategic layout choices to guide the user’s eye toward donation opportunities.
3. Mobile responsiveness is non-negotiable.
We live in a mobile world, so don’t forget about the smartphones! A fundraising-friendly website must load quickly and display flawlessly on all devices, especially smartphones. Buttons should be touch-friendly, text must be legible, and CTAs should stand out.
4. Personalization adds another layer of effectiveness.
Don’t let your donors feel like another cog in the machine, make them feel special! Use tracking parameters and dynamic content to tailor the experience based on where a visitor is coming from or whether they’ve donated before.
Additionally, your website should be well-integrated with other marketing channels, using consistent branding and messaging across email, social, and paid ads to reinforce messaging seen elsewhere upon visiting the site.
If you want donors to connect with you, you have to connect with them — so make sure you have the follow-through on your site!
5. Build for flexibility and content updates.
Nothing good can last forever. Campaigns change. Impact stories evolve. Choose a theme and templates that allows your team to update content without relying on a developer, so your site stays fresh and relevant.
And don’t forget about testing! Everything can be iterated on and optimized: from donation form layouts to CTA language and locations, and suggested gift amounts. Use site analytics and heatmaps to identify friction points and constantly iterate to improve conversion. A truly fundraising responsive site is never static — it evolves based on real user behavior and performance data.
Of course, every organization has different specifications for their website to really represent them. If you’re looking for a strategic partner to help guide your fundraising initiatives, connect with us here!