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Donation Page
Best Practices
Presented by:
Amanda Gorman
Twitter: @amandagormn
amanda@givewp.com

2.
Amanda
Gorman
@amandagormn
Bachelor Degree in Marketing from SUNY Brockport
10+ years of experience in WordPress
Yoga Teacher and Owner at Flower City Yoga in
Irondequoit
Customer Success Manager at Impress.org
Expertise:
● WordPress
● Online Donations
● Search Engine Optimization
● Social Media
● Content Marketing
● NGOs

3.
● Preparing for success
● The top 10 donation page best practices
● Donation landing page examples
● A quick look at GiveWP
● Q&A
OVERVIEW

4.
Preparing Your
Campaign for
Success

5.
Preparing
for Your
Campaign’s
Success
“A goal without a plan is just a wish.”
― Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, writer and pioneering aviator
● Take the time necessary to understand your donors as
deeply as you can.
○ Keyword research
○ Competitor analysis
○ Map out donor demographics & qualities
● Goal Setting
○ Be clear and specific
○ Set dates to review success and make
improvements
● Measure Your Data
○ Set clear metrics you can track & improve upon

6.
Top 10 Donation
Page Best
Practices

7.
#1:
Secure Your
Site with an
SSL
Certificate
Resources
● Learn more about all different kinds of SSL certificates
on Give Live: https://youtu.be/qFAbFi5OC60
● Make sure your site is secure with an SSL.
● An SSL certificate allows your domain to display the
https:// in the URL bar instead of the less secure
http:// prefix.
● Google will like you more if you have one.
● Gives your donors a sense of security when they visit
and make donations on your website.

8.
#2:
Own Your
Donor Data
“When you work with an online donation system like
[GoFundMe and Classy], you are effectively sharing all of
your donation data with them. They store all the
information about your donors. They are co-owners of that
information.”
– Matt Cromwell, Partner and Head of Support and Community
Outreach
● Owning your donor data = improved donor trust &
security.
● Review the terms & conditions of the donation
provider you’re working with.
● GiveWP allows you to own and manage your donor
data safely and securely.

9.
#3:
Tell a Story
That Inspires
Donors
Resources
Check out our Customer Success team’s video on Elements of
an Excellent Donation Landing Page:
https://youtu.be/8R_efYNaQ-Y
● After safety comes inspiration.
○ What can you do to engage and aliven your
campaign, inspiring donors to contribute?
○ It’s about creating a community.
● Include your purpose, mission, goals, benchmarks,
what you need to accomplish your goals, etc.
○ Consider adding graphics to display data,
metrics, and other important insights your
donors need to make a decision.

10.
#4:
Use Social
Media for
More Than
Just
Fundraising
Resources
● Social media for nonprofits:
https://givewp.com/2019-state-of-social-media-for-nonprofits/
● Nonprofit Storytelling:
https://givewp.com/instagram-nonprofit-storytelling/
● Use the Zapier add-on with Give to auto-tweet:
https://youtu.be/Q0zCXb3zatc
● Consider utilizing Facebook Ads to tell a story about
your organization (rather than only promoting a
fundraising or event campaign)
● Be strategic.
○ Research which platform will serve you best
○ Have a plan & stick to it
○ Use social media tools as necessary & train team
members

11.
#5:
Master
Asking for
Donations
with Clear
Wording
Resources
Give LIVE on best practices to encourage major gifts to
your organization.
https://www.facebook.com/wpgive/videos/2220942481491541/
● Again, an emphasis on storytelling is crucial.
● Clarity is key.
○ Use middle-school level language
○ Speak plainly and clearly
○ Communicate all giving options
● It’s all about reducing donor friction.

12.
#6:
Send
Fundraiser
Emails & Use
Direct Mail
Fundraising
Resources
● 12 Giving Tuesday Email Campaign Templates:
https://givewp.com/12-email-templates-for-giving-tuesday/
● Utilize email marketing to continue the conversation
with your donors.
○ Update them on the campaigns they’ve engaged
with.
○ Invite them to join you in person at live events or
online (webinars).
● Direct mail works best with well crafted letter and
brochure that captures your organization’s needs.
○ Make sure to include a link where they can
donate! (and where to mail a check)

13.
#7:
Enable
Mobile
Giving
Resources
Make your own mobile app with Give using AppPresser:
https://givewp.com/create-your-own-fundraising-app-with-apppresser-and
-givewp/
● Half of overall website traffic is mobile.
● All modern WordPress themes are built to be mobile
responsive. GiveWP is mobile responsive, too.
● Stripe allows for Google & Apple Pay.
● Check all donation landing pages on multiple devices
before launching any new campaigns.

14.
#8:
Make Your
Donations
Page Easy to
Find
Resources
Where to place donation buttons and forms:
https://youtu.be/Cal1jhLsRyE
● Don’t hide your Donate button!
○ Use words like Donate, Support, Contribute, Give
● General giving form should be visible all year long.
● Seasonal and other campaigns can be organized
differently, but consider the donor’s experience on
site.
● Link to your Donate page in your main navigation &
footer. And maybe a sidebar on your blog!

15.
#9:
Retain
Donors with
an Email
Opt-In
Resources
Give’s MailChimp newsletter opt-in add-on:
https://youtu.be/q4dcgx-nr4E
● Add an email opt-in to your donation forms &
follow-up with donors sooner after they make their
donation.
● Opt-ins are a great way to gain permission from your
donors at the time of donation, where it might be
missed elsewhere.

16.
#10:
Say Thank
You
Resources
12 Tips to Optimize Your Thank You Page for Better Donor
Retention:
https://givewp.com/12-tips-thank-you-page-better-donor-retention/
Automate a Hand Written Thank You Note:
https://givewp.com/how-to-automate-a-hand-written-donor-thank-you-note/
● The first thing that your donors see after they
complete a donation on your website is the donation
confirmation page.
○ Make sure to thank them appropriately!
○ Edit the donation confirmation page to be filled
with valuable content to keep donors engaged,
post-donation.

17.
Donation Landing
Page Examples

18.
Donation
Landing
Page
Examples
● Love Button:
https://www.lovebutton.org/givelovecampaign/
● Niels on Wheels: https://nielsonwheels.com/en/
● Learning Plunge:
https://www.learningplunge.org/donate/
● Nate Maingard’s Virtual Tip Jar:
https://www.nate.live
● Paws of Coronado:
https://pawsofcoronado.org/donate/
● Closed form example:
https://walktowc.eu/donate/

19.
A Quick Look at
GiveWP

20.
GiveWP
vs.
GoFund
Me
A Case Study on GoFundMe vs.
GiveWP:
https://givewp.com/gofundme-give-
case-study-memorial-fundraiser/

21.
Q & A

22.
Thank you!
Contact Amanda for a demo of the
GiveWP plugin:
amanda@givewp.com