Illustration of a Donate page

It takes more than a user-friendly donation form to create a donor-friendly experience. Your form is incredibly important, but you need to get people to start filling out that form in the first place. Cue, the content. Your Donate page needs to establish your credibility, maintain the trust you’ve gained and reinforce the urgent need for their support.

Drive people to action.

Just because someone is on your Donate page doesn’t mean it’s a done deal. Your Donate page should contain a compelling call to action. Give a Gift that Empowers. Help an Orphan Find a Forever Home. End the Education Crisis. These are just a few examples of compelling calls to action that remind people why their support is needed.

Explain the options.

Much like letting supporters know all the different ways they can get involved, it’s important to let people know all of the ways they can give, even if it’s just a small donation. But don’t overwhelm them with information when you do this.

If necessary, link to a subpage with more in depth information about each way to give. Create headings for each method and include a short blurb underneath. Explain the options as succinctly and cleanly as possible so that people don’t have to scroll, which can cause some potential donors to leave the page.

Offer financial transparency.

People like knowing where their money is going so be as specific as possible. Provide information on how donations are being used to establish your credibility and gain the trust of potential donors. If you have accreditations or other “seals of approval,” list them here.

Welcome questions.

There will be people who will undoubtedly have questions. Be prepared. Provide a link to your contact page, or include information if there is a specific person they should get in touch with. You want to be as accommodating as possible.

For more donate page tips, check out our blog posts about 6 Ways to Make Online Donors More Comfortable and 10 Great Nonprofit Donation Pages.

And don’t forget about a Thank You for Donating Page!