How to collect donations online (+5 tips to increase giving)

Imagine missing out on valuable donations just because your campaign relies solely on cash. Today's donors expect convenience, and if they can’t donate with a tap, you're leaving money on the table.

Collecting donations online boosts donor convenience, increases contributions, and modernizes your fundraising efforts. This step-by-step guide will show you exactly how to set up online donation options and offer actionable tips for consistently growing contributions.

How to collect donations in 5 easy steps

Until recently, donations mostly came in the form of cash and checks, often through door-to-door solicitation, direct mail, or phone calls. While these tactics aren’t obsolete, they can be time-consuming and drain limited resources. 

Today, 63% of donors prefer to give online with a credit or debit card, followed by direct mail, PayPal, wire transfer, cash, then digital wallets and text-to-give.

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Follow these five easy steps to offer donation options that are convenient for all your potential donors. 

Step 1: Create a fundraising account 🤗

A fundraising account is a secure place to collect and manage charitable donations. It’s essential for creating a professional and trustworthy donation process, allowing you to manage donations efficiently, track progress, and engage with donors.

Of the best platforms for fundraising, Givebutter stands out by offering:

• Dozens of free fundraising features, meaning you can launch a comprehensive campaign immediately, without stretching your budget‍
• A built-in donor management CRM, so you not only attract donations but cultivate lasting relationships to keep supporters giving long-term‍
• Numerous payment options, ensuring you never lose a donor simply because their preferred payment method isn't supported

You can sign up for a free Givebutter account as a tax-exempt nonprofit, business, or another type of organization and get started in just minutes. 

Step 2: Set up your first fundraising campaign 🎯 

Fundraising with Givebutter begins by choosing from a variety of campaign types, including:

• Online donation forms: Offer a fast and easy way for supporters to give.
• Fundraising pages: Rally your community around a clear fundraising goal and a compelling story. 
• Fundraising events: Create an exciting and engaging in-person, virtual, or hybrid fundraising experience with numerous ticketing options. 

To raise even more, you can add an auction and enable peer-to-peer fundraising on any page or event.

Be sure to match your campaign type with the objectives you want to achieve, whether it’s raising $5K for a local shelter or funding an educational program. 

A fundraising strategy that includes a definitive goal and timeline separates an outstanding campaign from a regular one. Set a budget, list fundraising costs, and allow for setbacks in your campaign timeline.

⚡ Pro tip: Check out Givebutter’s fundraising ideas hub for inspiration! The most successful campaigns feature a compelling story, photos, and videos that showcase the urgency and impact donors will have when they contribute. 

Dive deeper

How to set up a donation page that converts: 5 simple steps →

Step 3: Offer multiple payment options 🤑 

U.S. consumers currently use digital wallets for 37% of online transactions, and projections show this number will increase to 52% by 2027. 

The takeaway? With this rise in mobile payments, nonprofits are expanding their payment options to accommodate donors’ preferences.

Every donor has their preferred way of giving. Some love PayPal for quick and secure payments, others trust direct bank transfers, and many stick to familiar credit cards. By offering a variety of payment methods, you reduce barriers for donors and increase overall contributions.

Fortunately, Givebutter provides a wide range of convenient payment options for your online donation pages, which you can easily enable or disable right from your dashboard. 

When Sarah Marie Thomas, Director of Membership and On-Air Fundraising at WVIA Public Media, was asked why her organization chose Givebutter, her answer went straight to the point:

The main reason we chose Givebutter was to accept more payment options without having to set up individual accounts for each, and that has been incredibly effective for our donors and easy for our finance team!

Sarah’s experience underscores the value of simplicity: fewer steps, more donations.

⚡ Pro tip: Always prioritize secure payment gateways in your fundraising strategy. Givebutter’s dedicated Trust & Safety team continuously monitors transactions for suspicious activity, while built-in fraud prevention tools automatically detect and stop fraudulent behaviors—keeping both you and your donor base protected.

Step 4: Promote your campaign 📢

Now it’s time to start using social media and other marketing tools to reach a wide audience and raise awareness about your campaign.

While 71% of nonprofits worldwide agree that social media is effective for online fundraising, a multi-channel approach is the key to success. 

With Givebutter, sharing your campaign is effortless. Here’s how you can get started: 

• Spread the word with one-click social media sharing 
• Embed your campaign on your website using seamless widgets, including fundraising thermometers 
• Offer mobile-friendly options like text-to-donate and QR codes 
• Tell your story through email marketing 
• And reach your donors via SMS, available with Givebutter Plus 

While you may not use every tool for every fundraising effort, you can breathe easy knowing they’re all available in one dashboard whenever you need them. 

More to explore

The complete nonprofit social media guide →

Step 5: Track donations and engage donors 📊 

Keeping track of donors and their giving history can be overwhelming. Spreadsheets get messy, data is scattered across platforms, and key information slips through the cracks.

With Givebutter’s built-in CRM, you can finally ditch the chaos by organizing donor data and tracking your campaign’s performance, so you can see what's working, identify gaps, and allocate resources more effectively. 

But tracking alone isn't enough. To keep donors coming back, you have to engage and appreciate them. 

The good news is that in addition to automated donation receipts, Givebutter also makes it easy to engage donors with personalized thank-you messages and ongoing communications.

⚡ Pro tip: Your Givebutter dashboard displays all recent transactions, including online donations, ticket sales, and offline contributions, in one place. Easily filter, sort, and analyze transactions to gain valuable donor insights. 

5 tips to increase giving

Now that you’ve learned the basics of collecting online donations, let’s take a look at a few quick strategies to increase giving, engage your supporters, and reach your fundraising goals faster.

1. Tell an authentic story 🤩

Use storytelling to connect with donors, trigger an emotional response, and move them to action. Your story should be real, impactful, and true to your organization’s mission. 

🤩 See it in action: Front and center on Wings of Rescue’s website is a short, moving video that shows firsthand the animals they save and the impact of donor support. Plus, the donate button is hard to miss! 

2. Be transparent about fund usage ✅

How will donations be used? Transparency is a non-negotiable trigger for increased giving. It fosters trust and increases the likelihood that supporters will give again.

🤩 See it in action: The Health Professionals Network for Tigray’s Giving Tuesday campaign displayed a clear, easy-to-understand graphic outlining exactly what funds will be used for, helping donors at all giving levels see the direct impact they can make. 

3. Create a sense of urgency ⏰

Urgency drives action. Encourage donors to act quickly by setting a deadline for each campaign and explaining in detail why funds are needed right now. 

🤩 See it in action: During the devastating fires around Los Angeles, Authors4LA came together to rally support for the Red Cross. They hosted a live telethon on their fundraising event page and included a silent auction to bring in even more funds.

4. Leverage social proof 👥

People are more likely to give when they see others doing the same. Psychologist Robert Cialdini coined the term “social proof” to describe how we look to others’ actions to guide our own behavior—especially when we believe those actions reflect the right choice.

That’s why fundraising pages with donor testimonials, progress updates, and leaderboards tend to perform better. Showcasing your nonprofit's support can provide potential donors the confidence to get involved. 

🤩 See it in action: The leaderboard on L-CMD Research Foundation’s fundraising page displays each team and individual working to raise funds for the campaign. In addition, personal messages from donors line their supporter wall, showing just how many passionate people are joining the action. 

5. Incentivize donations 🎁

Make giving to your campaign even more rewarding! Offer matching gifts, exclusive perks, and social media shout-outs to make your supporters feel valued and excited to contribute. 

🤩 See it in action: River City Believers Academy launched a Double the Impact campaign, where an anonymous donor matched every gift up to $25,000. The matching opportunity energized their community, helping them surpass their fundraising goal and boost support for student programs and campus improvements.

Create your first campaign with Givebutter

Collecting donations has never been easier. With diverse payment options, industry-leading donation forms, and powerful fundraising tools, Givebutter makes giving easy—for you and your donors.

With Givebutter’s all-in-one solution designed specifically for nonprofits, you can take the headache out of fundraising and reach your goals faster. 

Sign up for your free account today and launch your first campaign in minutes! 

FAQs about how to collect donations

How to receive donations for a nonprofit organization?

Wondering how to collect donations for a charity? Nonprofits can accept donations at events in a single tap using the free Givebutter mobile app. 

You can also create an engaging backdrop for increased giving with live display and encourage more mobile payments with free text-to-donate and scan-to-donate features.

What is the best way to collect charity donations online?

The best way to collect donations online is to create a donation form or fundraising page, customize it with a compelling message, and share it with your community via social media, email, and other channels. 

What is the best website to receive donations?

Givebutter is rated #1 across multiple nonprofit software categories on G2, including fundraising, donor management, and auctions. Even better—Givebutter’s core donation features are free! 

No matter which platform you choose, make sure it enables you to offer multiple payment methods (PayPal, ACH, Venmo, etc.), share your story, track contributions, and engage your supporters after they give.