Transform your donation page with these 8 simple steps

Your donation page is a powerful tool to educate potential supporters about your mission and encourage contributions to your cause. Increasing your donation page performance is vital to converting more website visitors into first-time donors.

Thankfully, it’s not rocket science! Whether you’re fundraising on your website or with a dedicated donation landing page for a campaign or event, you can transform your donation page into a more donor-friendly place with a few small changes.

How to make a donation page that converts

It’s the little details that can attract—or repel—potential donors. We'll show you how to set up a donation page that's fun, easy, and sure to bring in more contributions.

Step 1: Make your donate button pop ✨ 

A donate button isn’t only a tool for collecting payments online. It’s a call to action—a simple yet powerful way for your supporters to immediately become part of the change you’re making in the world. 

Ask yourself, 

How easy is it to find where to donate on my organization's website? 

Donate buttons should be the most eye-catching part of any donation page, website, email, text blast—really anywhere you’re asking for money online. Make your donate button stand out with these simple tweaks:

• Colors that match your branding
• Custom text that inspires donors—whether it’s “Donate!” “Give now” or “Change the world.”
• Easy embeds in prime real estate (your top navigation bar, hero section, footer, within blog posts, etc.)

Givebutter lets you do all of this for free while linking your donate button directly to any donation form or special fundraising campaign. You can also embed a floating donation button, which stays visible as website visitors scroll up and down on a page and as they move from one page to another. This way, your call to action is visible and easily accessible at all times. Think of it like a friendly reminder that’s hard to ignore, but not annoying. 

Step 2: Embed a beautiful donation form 💰

When supporters click on your donate button, it should take them directly to a straightforward donation form. This is where they enter their contact info and donation amount, select their payment method, and check out quickly. 

Streamline the process even more by embedding the donation form right into your donation page or as a pop-up widget so that donors can contribute with fewer clicks—and without having to leave your website. Now any regular webpage can become a donation landing page.

Just like donate buttons, Givebutter’s donation forms are easily customizable with your branding and colors, plus you can recommend donation amounts, write compelling descriptions, and include recurring donation options in one convenient place. 

‍Step 3: Show your impact 🚀

The most successful donation pages paint a crystal clear picture for donors of what impact their contribution will have. Your donation landing page should include specific information about how donations will be put to use—with words, images, and even video.

One powerful way to show impact is to customize your suggested donation amounts and write individual descriptions for each giving level. This empowers your donors with more information to visualize how their gift will make a difference. Something as simple as “$50 provides 10 school lunches” can go a long way toward building an open and honest relationship with your supporter base.

Step 4: Accept everything 💸 

Offering multiple secure payment methods on your donation pages ensures that everyone can contribute in the way that’s most convenient for them. When you create a fundraiser on Givebutter, your organization can accept donations with:

• Credit and debit cards
• PayPal and Venmo
• Apple Pay and Google Pay
• Donor-advised funds 
• Checks and cash

… and more, with no additional cost or setup required!

You can even add a matching gift program right onto your campaigns using Givebutter's built-in matching donations software or Double the Donation integration to bring in twice as many dollars. Supporters can have peace of mind knowing that contributions made through Givebutter’s online fundraising platform are completely secure.

Step 5: Default to monthly giving 🗓

Did you know that donors who give on a recurring basis contribute 42% more per year than one-time donors? Very few nonprofits make recurring contributions an option in their donation flow—don’t be one of them! 

Adding an option for recurring donations on your donation page makes it easy to turn a one-time donor into a long-term supporter—not to mention lower processing fees if they choose to give recurring donations via ACH. Givebutter enables nonprofits to offer monthly, quarterly, or yearly donation options. You can even set recurring donations as the default giving option or enable automated upsell messages that invite anyone making a one-time donation to sign up to give monthly instead.

Step 6: Build momentum with a fundraising thermometer 🎉

Publicizing your fundraising goal can make a big impact on the success of your campaign. As potential donors watch your organization inch toward your goal, it motivates them to contribute.

You can add a goal bar to any Givebutter campaign or embed a fundraising thermometer directly on your website, making it easy for supporters to stay up-to-date on your progress and visualize how their donation can make all the difference. 

Step 7: Go mobile (your donors are!) 📱

According to Double the Donation, half of the people looking at your nonprofit website are mobile and tablet users. Givebutter’s responsive design guarantees that your fundraising pages are optimized for mobile devices, meaning that the content, buttons, and forms automatically change size and reorganize content to fit any screen. 

Take mobile optimization one step further by checking your donation page yourself on your phone. Look for opportunities to declutter, shorten copy, and streamline your narrative. 

Step 8: Collect contact information 👋

Not everyone who visits your donation landing pages will be ready to make a donation, but that doesn't mean you should let them slip away! Embed custom signup forms directly on your website to capture their contact information.

This way, you can nurture the relationship, keep your organization top of mind, and provide valuable updates and information to those who may be interested in supporting your cause in the future. It's a great way to stay connected and engage potential donors on their journey toward making a meaningful contribution.

Dive deeper

Discover free donation form templates, tips, and examples →

Create donation pages that do more with Givebutter

Givebutter is the all-in-one fundraising solution that helps you create beautiful donation pages, communicate in more ways with your donors, and embed donation widgets directly on your website—all completely free. 

The rest is up to you to tell your story and inspire your supporters to join your movement. 

Ready to see how Givebutter can transform your donation landing page into a fundraising machine? Create your free account and start raising more in minutes.