6 tips to keep in mind as you ask for monthly donations
- Digital communications & marketing
- Fundraising ideas
- Nonprofits
- Donor Engagement
Your nonprofit organization’s website is a key part of your digital communication strategy. Websites are a central hub for sharing information about your cause, providing details about getting involved, and collecting donations. By setting up a user-friendly website, you can encourage new and existing supporters to engage with your organization.
When creating your website, keep your supporters in mind throughout the entire process. What do you want them to be able to accomplish on your website? What are they likely looking for when they visit your site? Once you know the answers to these questions, you can move on to the first step: choosing your website domain name.
Your website’s domain name influences visitors’ first impressions of your nonprofit before they even navigate to your homepage. A good domain name will help donors remember your organization’s cause and increase the likelihood that they will visit your website again.
Here are a few tips to consider when choosing a domain name:
Once you choose a domain name, you’ll need to register it with a domain registration service. When you register your domain name, you pay to reserve that domain for your organization’s website for a set period of time. To avoid losing access to your domain name, renew the name before it expires at the end of each billing period.
Once people navigate to your site, your goal should be to keep them there and guide them to take a desired action like registering for an event or donating. The best way to motivate users to stay on your website is to create engaging content.
Try adding many different types of content to your organization's website, including blog posts, details about donation opportunities, photos from a volunteer event, or a timeline of your organization’s history.
When developing content, think about who your audience is and what they want to learn or do on your website. For instance, if they are young people navigating there from a viral social media post, you may want to add a dynamic, visual breakdown of your cause so they can quickly learn more.
How you build your website will depend on factors like your organization’s budget, goals for the website, and the scope of the project.
These are the two most common routes nonprofits take when designing a website:
Before deciding how you will develop your website, make sure to establish your website’s goals and purpose. Create a list of features you can’t go without, outline a budget with some wiggle room, and thoroughly research website builders and developers before choosing one.
Keep in mind that many supporters will visit your website in search of a quick way to donate to your organization.
These tips can help you raise more through your organization’s website:
After you receive these donations, you’ll need a way to manage the influx of donor data you receive. Look for an online donation tool with a donor management system like Bonterra Donor Engagement’s Guided Fundraising solution (formerly Network for Good), that can store, track, and report data points like donor records or average gift size. Over time, this information can help you build stronger relationships with donors by tailoring your outreach to their unique backgrounds, interests, and motivations for giving.
Once you have your organization’s website up and running, keep in mind that the site should be viewed as an ever-evolving tool and hub of information. Be sure to take the time to evaluate (and re-evaluate) how you can keep your site fresh, relevant, and impactful.
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