How easy is it for donors to make a gift to your organization?

It’s important to make it easy for donors to make a gift to your organization, but what does that actually mean when it comes to your online donation forms?

One approach is to follow the advice that James Clear shares in Atomic Habits, intended to reduce friction and make desired actions simpler. His four tips are: Make it obvious, make it attractive, make it easy, and make it satisfying.

When applied to your online giving forms, these tips can help you evaluate and improve your forms so that donors are encouraged to make a gift. To apply these concepts to your online donation forms and make it easy for your donors to give, ask yourself the following questions.

Questions to ask about your online donation forms that will make it easy for your donors to give:

Question #1: Is it obvious?

When a donor is motivated to make a gift, they shouldn’t have to hunt and peck to find your donation form. A Donate button linking to your donation form should be easily findable no matter what someone is viewing on your website. Include a link to your donation form in your e-newsletters, even if you’re not explicitly making an ask—or at least add a link to your website where a motivated supporter will see your Donate button. And, provide links from any of your social media accounts.

Question #2: Is it attractive?

Your donation form should be visually attractive, with branding and images that are consistent with your organization’s other communications. Keep the form from being too cluttered, which can feel overwhelming to donors, and always use a font size that’s comfortable to read.

Question #3: Is it easy?

Set up your donation form so it’s quick and easy for donors to make a gift. Resist the temptation to ask too many questions of the donor; if you do ask questions like, “What inspired you to give today?” don’t make that a required field. Offer suggested amounts as well as the ability to make a gift in a custom amount. And provide a variety of payment options so donors can select what’s most convenient for them, such as credit card, Google Checkout, Apple Pay, ACH, or PayPal. Also, set up a confirmation page and a confirmation email so donors are automatically informed that they made their gift successfully.

Importantly, the best way to assess the ease of your form is to test it yourself. It’s also a good idea to ask a colleague to test it too; they’ll bring fresh eyes to the experience.

Question #4: Is it satisfying?

Supporting your organization shouldn’t feel transactional to donors. Rather than mimicking the experience of paying a utility bill, you want it to feel meaningful for them. So when you set up your confirmation page and confirmation email, avoid language like, “Your payment has been processed.” Instead, thank the donor and include an example of the kind of impact their gift will have. Use images to tell the story more vividly.

And, bear in mind that the confirmation page and email shouldn’t mark the end of the donor’s experience with your organization. Instead, consider making thank-you calls to donors, and include them in your organization’s communications, such as newsletters, so they stay connected and informed.

Conclusion

By making it obvious, attractive, easy, and satisfying for donors to use your online donation form, they’ll be more likely to make a gift to your organization. Once they do, you have the opportunity to steward them effectively so that they’ll be more likely to continue to support your organization—a habit that will benefit your mission.