Christine Ward Nonprofit fundraisers know how important it is to nurture relationships with donors. So when a visitor makes a donation on your website, what happens next? If you’re not sending them to a compelling Thank You for Donating page, you’re missing out on a huge opportunity to nurture donor relationships and keep these folks engaged on your site.
Whether you’re creating a new Thank You for Donating page or looking to refresh your existing one, the approaches and examples below should point you in the right direction in no time.
Thank You for Donating Page Structure
The Thank You for Donating page, or donation confirmation page as it’s sometimes called, should live hidden on your website (meaning not just anyone will be able to reach it through the navigation, search functionality or page content). Visitors will only be sent here once they’ve successfully submitted the donation form on your website.
There are a variety of ways to approach the page itself, but there are a few things to keep in mind as you piece it all together. The purpose of the page is to thank your supporters, but also keep them engaged on your site. Open with a thank you and close with a call to action (another action on your website that you’d like donors to do).
Don’t go too crazy with asks, though. We’ve found that, given too many options, visitors can get overloaded and not take any actions. It’s important to strategize your process and decide on one or two key actions that naturally follow a donation to your nonprofit. Some common next steps for donors could be actions like connecting on social media, signing up for your newsletter or registering for an upcoming event.
Types of Content to Include
Depending on the resources and time you have to build out this page, you can keep it simple with standard text or add visual elements, like photos, graphics or video to accompany the text.
Standard Text
- Thanks them for donating
- Says how the donation will be used
- Tells them any additional information they’ll need to know, such as next steps, who will be reaching out to them or when they can expect to hear from someone
- Links them to any additional, relevant information they may find interesting to keep them on the website longer
- Provides them with contact information for any questions
Visual Elements
- Emotional video
- Powerful photo
- Infographic showing impact
As a note, it’s important not to reuse any content or visual elements from your Donate page. Remember, all visitors landing on this page will have just been on the Donate page. You don’t want to appear lazy or confuse them with a sense of déjà vu before you ask them to further engage with you.
Possible Approaches
Thinking about your nonprofit’s goals and strategy, consider the following possibilities on your Thanks for Donating page.
Celebrate Donors
A great Thanks for Donating page does exactly what the name implies — it offers a great, big, heartfelt thank you to your donors. Say thanks and show them how you’re using their generosity to make a real difference in the world and move closer to your mission.
Oxfam America put together a powerful thank you video for its supporters, letting those the organization has helped around the world say thank you directly to donors. Not only does Oxfam celebrate its donors, but it also gives them a glimpse into the communities they’re helping, further connecting them to the cause.
Get (Further) Involved
You probably have a few ways for supporters to get more involved with your nonprofit. Donors are the perfect audience for promoting things like upcoming events, volunteer opportunities, peer-to-peer fundraising, email subscriptions and programs like an employee match for donations.
On their Thank You page, charity: water keeps it simple. They ask donors to fundraise for their organization by pledging their birthday. With such a beautiful background image, they don’t need to say much else.
Build Credibility
Once a supporter gives to you, it can be a nice touch to have your current donors welcome them into the community. Supporters want to know that they aren’t on an island in supporting your mission, and building additional credibility through a strong community of donors could be the magic touch. Sharing a particularly powerful donor, expert or celebrity testimonial, the status of an ongoing campaign or project, or even providing the number of donors or money raised should do the trick. Video and photos are a great way to make donors feel welcomed, but you could even keep things simple with a short quote as well.
It may be tough to get Harrison Ford to vouch for your nonprofit, as he did for Conservation International, but a local news reporter, YouTube celebrity or active community member could be a great way to garner a bit of social proof and authority.
Social Media Sharing
Let your donors share their support with the rest of the world. Providing an easy way for donors to share on social is an awesome way to increase your following and expand your network of potential supporters. Consider adding in social media buttons for donors to share that they gave and follow your nonprofit’s accounts.
Along with their options to get more involved by sending messages to members of Congress, Audubon includes links below to share their involvement on social media, allowing them to expand their audience.
Gather Donor Feedback
How much do you know about your donors? If you’re looking to get to know this audience and learn how to serve them better, the Thank You for Donating page is a great opportunity. Link to a donor survey or embed a form for feedback to find some answers.
The World Wildlife Fund used a short survey on its Thank You for Donating page to learn more about donors and marketing efforts that prompt donations. But there are many different directions to take a survey. Are your donors satisfied with the amount of communication they get from you? Are they looking for other ways to get involved? Why are they giving? How was their donor experience? Ask your donors what you’d most like to know, but keep it brief.
Whichever direction you take with your Thanks for Donating page, make sure you’re fulfilling its namesake and adequately thanking folks for supporting your mission. How does your nonprofit approach its Thank You for Donating page? What goals are you trying to accomplish? We’d love to hear from you in the comments.
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