If you are anything like me, you are dreading the end of summer. Hearing dates in August makes me cringe knowing that, as a northeast gal, I am that much nearer to closing up the swimming pool, packing away my shorts and flip flops, and sipping my last margarita of the season. But there is one date that I don’t mind marking on my calendar: August 17th, National Nonprofit Day. Now that is a day to make note of AND one to be capitalized on by fundraising on your nonprofit website.
In the age of Snapchat, Instagram, and, yes, even dating apps like Tinder, it’s not enough for your website to have pretty pictures and a clear mission statement. It’s time to leverage technology on your nonprofit website and get those donors swiping right. Use my guidance below for help.
Make it easy for donors to find you.
There are probably many generous people who care about your cause but have never heard of your organization. Use your blog to produce content containing keywords that yield good search results so people like them find you fast. It’s great to have content surrounding the amazing things your organization does, but it’s even better letting people know that you accept charitable donations so that you can continue to do those amazing things. Next time someone is looking for a tax-deduction, it might just be your organization that comes up in their Google search.
Be mobile-responsive.
It is essential, and I mean that in the most extreme way possible, that your site is mobile responsive. It’s safe to say that most people have a smartphone these days. Your site could look amazing on desktop, but if it doesn’t respond to the size of a tablet or mobile device you may just lose that donor who donates whenever and wherever the mood strikes. Nobody wants to have to zoom in and out on the screen to find a button. If you are asking for money, the least you can do is make it easy for the donor to find out how to donate.
Don’t forget about website optimization.
A slow website never encouraged anyone to give more money. In fact, it creates frustration and early bounces from your nonprofit website. Your donor’s time should be valuable to you. Make sure they can navigate your site expediently.
Make it easy to donate online.
If you aren’t currently accepting payments on your website, you simply must start. With the Gravity Forms Stripe Add-on, you can easily set up a form to capture one-time or recurring payments. Donors never even leave your site. To sweeten the deal, the Stripe dashboard is extremely user-friendly. Your finance department won’t be able to find a reason to object!
Spread the word.
Once your donors are able to make a donation on your site, it’s time for them to shout it from the rooftops. More accurately, make sure they can share with their social media friends and followers. With AddThis, you can add buttons for your favorite social media platforms to your pages to allow your donors to do just that. This is a sure way to increase engagement, and there is nothing like a little friendly peer pressure to get those followers donating, too.
Blast off!
And a countdown to my final tip, three… two… one… a countdown widget. Creating a sense of urgency for your campaigns results in a sense of urgency for your donors to act now. A countdown widget allows you to literally tick down to your fundraising deadline. You may see your time going down, but you will surely see your donations going up.
So while the rest of us squeeze the last bit of sunshine out of Mother Nature, take this time to transform your nonprofit website into a fundraising machine. If you do, this August 17th will be a day to celebrate instead of just another dog day of summer.