The end of the year is when the most donations roll in, so it’s never too early to start planning a strategy. Steven Screen, creative director at the Better Fundraising Company, says that using a website “takeover”, or making temporary changes to your website’s homepage to make it easier for people to donate, should be the top end-of-year web design priority for nonprofits. During this crucial fundraising time, most donors aren’t looking for information, they’re looking to donate. Redesigning a website’s homepage to highlight a clear call for action helps streamline the donation process. This can be as simple as putting a new area at the top of your page strictly for donations, or as creative as making a whole new donation page. While there are many ways to design around this concept, Steven points out “It doesn’t really matter what it looks like as long as it’s clear.”
He and Beth discuss:
- Common web design mistakes nonprofits make that make giving more difficult
- Three web design strategies for donation information that differ in complexity
- Different metrics to determine whether your website design is working
- The difference between “fundraising” and making giving easier for donors
- The symbiotic relationship between marketing and fundraising
- The most important factors that should be considered in an end-of-year plan
Resources:
- Email Steven
- Better Fundraising Company Website
- Steven’s Podcast: Fundraising is Beautiful
- SumoMe blog post on heat map technology
- Nielsen article on getting donations on websites
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