Maximise Donation Form Conversion Rates

EOFY is knocking on the door, and you’re flat-out crafting a fundraising appeal to remember. But here’s the million-dollar (or at least a few extra dollars) question – have you taken a good, hard look at your online donation experience?

Because let’s be real – if your donation form feels like a tax return, you’re sending donors running for the hills.

Follow these simple tips to keep people clicking “Donate Now” instead of “Close Tab”:

🛠 Optimise for Mobile: Up to 45% of website visitors are on mobile, and over 30% of donations happen there too. If your donation form isn’t mobile-friendly, you might as well be asking people to donate via carrier pigeon.
💳 Embrace Payment Wallets: Apple Pay, Google Pay, PayPal—more people are using them, and they’re fast. Commonwealth Bank saw a 55% jump in volume and a 61% rise in value of donations using payment wallets in just a year. If you’re still only accepting credit cards, you’re leaving money on the table.
🎯 Show the Impact: “$50 can provide a hot meal” sounds way better than “$50.” Give your donation amounts some meaning, and donors will give more. It’s fundraising science.
✂ Keep It Simple: If your donation form looks like an interrogation, it’s too long. The fewer fields, the better. No one wants to fill out their life story just to donate.
💌 Personalisation Matters: People love feeling special. McKinsey research has identified that not only do 70% of consumers expect personalisation, but 76% get frustrated when they’re treated like just another number and personalisation doesn’t happen. If you can’t personalise donation forms with PURLs, at least send them to a thank-you page that acknowledges the campaign they gave to. A heartfelt, relevant “thank you” can be the difference between a one-time donor and a lifelong supporter.

Data shows that as few as 20% of people who actually click “donate” to enter your donation form actually go on to complete a donation. That’s a whopping 80% who run for the hills, yes some get distracted, some maybe never really intended to complete the process – however, we’re pretty darn sure that in most cases a big chunk are put off by the following:

Too much friction – yep, reaching in to your wallet to get your payment card is a big blocker: I mean who carries a wallet with them these days anyway! Apple Pay, Android Pay and PayPal are the answer here.
Too much tip-tappety-tapping – asking for too much information increases drop off rate dramatically (particularly things that you don’t need right away – date of birth, postal address, inside leg measurement etc.).
Not clear on the number of steps – making sure it’s clear, up-front, how many steps your donation form consists of is an effective way of keeping people focused and ensuring they see it through to the end.
Security concerns – even if you’re a big brand charity, making it clear that the form is secure and data encrypted is still an important reassuring factor for some supporters.

IFAW Donation form (above): Powered by FundraiseUp

Time for a Donation Form Upgrade?

If your donation experience could use a glow-up, check out solutions like Give Easy, Fundraise Up, Funraisin, and Raisely—they integrate with most CRMs and will save you a world of donor frustration. Our team have experience across all of these providers and many more, we’re happy to give you some friendly advice.