Learn the top 10 best practices for developing your donation landing page. From security to storytelling, to utilizing social media, to learning how to ask donors for their support with clarity, this presentation provides you with many resources and tips for converting donors.

1. wifi: effortlesslyhealthy pw: effort14624
Donation Page
Best Practices
Presented by:
Amanda Gorman
Twitter: @amandagormn
amanda@givewp.com

2. Amanda
Gorman
@amandagormn
Bachelor Degree in Marketing from SUNY Brockport
10+ years of experience in WordPress
Yoga Teacher and Owner at Flower City Yoga in
Irondequoit
Customer Success Manager at Impress.org
Expertise:
● WordPress
● Online Donations
● Search Engine Optimization
● Social Media
● Content Marketing
● NGOs

3. ● Preparing for success
● The top 10 donation page best practices
● Donation landing page examples
● A quick look at GiveWP
● Q&A
OVERVIEW

4. Preparing Your
Campaign for
Success

5. Preparing
for Your
Campaign’s
Success
“A goal without a plan is just a wish.”
― Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, writer and pioneering aviator
● Take the time necessary to understand your donors as
deeply as you can.
○ Keyword research
○ Competitor analysis
○ Map out donor demographics & qualities
● Goal Setting
○ Be clear and specific
○ Set dates to review success and make
improvements
● Measure Your Data
○ Set clear metrics you can track & improve upon

6. Top 10 Donation
Page Best
Practices

7. #1:
Secure Your
Site with an
SSL
Certificate
Resources
● Learn more about all different kinds of SSL certificates
on Give Live: https://youtu.be/qFAbFi5OC60
● Make sure your site is secure with an SSL.
● An SSL certificate allows your domain to display the
https:// in the URL bar instead of the less secure
http:// prefix.
● Google will like you more if you have one.
● Gives your donors a sense of security when they visit
and make donations on your website.

8. #2:
Own Your
Donor Data
“When you work with an online donation system like
[GoFundMe and Classy], you are effectively sharing all of
your donation data with them. They store all the
information about your donors. They are co-owners of that
information.”
– Matt Cromwell, Partner and Head of Support and Community
Outreach
● Owning your donor data = improved donor trust &
security.
● Review the terms & conditions of the donation
provider you’re working with.
● GiveWP allows you to own and manage your donor
data safely and securely.

9. #3:
Tell a Story
That Inspires
Donors
Resources
Check out our Customer Success team’s video on Elements of
an Excellent Donation Landing Page:
https://youtu.be/8R_efYNaQ-Y
● After safety comes inspiration.
○ What can you do to engage and aliven your
campaign, inspiring donors to contribute?
○ It’s about creating a community.
● Include your purpose, mission, goals, benchmarks,
what you need to accomplish your goals, etc.
○ Consider adding graphics to display data,
metrics, and other important insights your
donors need to make a decision.

10. #4:
Use Social
Media for
More Than
Just
Fundraising
Resources
● Social media for nonprofits:
https://givewp.com/2019-state-of-social-media-for-nonprofits/
● Nonprofit Storytelling:
https://givewp.com/instagram-nonprofit-storytelling/
● Use the Zapier add-on with Give to auto-tweet:
https://youtu.be/Q0zCXb3zatc
● Consider utilizing Facebook Ads to tell a story about
your organization (rather than only promoting a
fundraising or event campaign)
● Be strategic.
○ Research which platform will serve you best
○ Have a plan & stick to it
○ Use social media tools as necessary & train team
members

11. #5:
Master
Asking for
Donations
with Clear
Wording
Resources
Give LIVE on best practices to encourage major gifts to
your organization.
https://www.facebook.com/wpgive/videos/2220942481491541/
● Again, an emphasis on storytelling is crucial.
● Clarity is key.
○ Use middle-school level language
○ Speak plainly and clearly
○ Communicate all giving options
● It’s all about reducing donor friction.

12. #6:
Send
Fundraiser
Emails & Use
Direct Mail
Fundraising
Resources
● 12 Giving Tuesday Email Campaign Templates:
https://givewp.com/12-email-templates-for-giving-tuesday/
● Utilize email marketing to continue the conversation
with your donors.
○ Update them on the campaigns they’ve engaged
with.
○ Invite them to join you in person at live events or
online (webinars).
● Direct mail works best with well crafted letter and
brochure that captures your organization’s needs.
○ Make sure to include a link where they can
donate! (and where to mail a check)

13. #7:
Enable
Mobile
Giving
Resources
Make your own mobile app with Give using AppPresser:
https://givewp.com/create-your-own-fundraising-app-with-apppresser-and
-givewp/
● Half of overall website traffic is mobile.
● All modern WordPress themes are built to be mobile
responsive. GiveWP is mobile responsive, too.
● Stripe allows for Google & Apple Pay.
● Check all donation landing pages on multiple devices
before launching any new campaigns.

14. #8:
Make Your
Donations
Page Easy to
Find
Resources
Where to place donation buttons and forms:
https://youtu.be/Cal1jhLsRyE
● Don’t hide your Donate button!
○ Use words like Donate, Support, Contribute, Give
● General giving form should be visible all year long.
● Seasonal and other campaigns can be organized
differently, but consider the donor’s experience on
site.
● Link to your Donate page in your main navigation &
footer. And maybe a sidebar on your blog!

15. #9:
Retain
Donors with
an Email
Opt-In
Resources
Give’s MailChimp newsletter opt-in add-on:
https://youtu.be/q4dcgx-nr4E
● Add an email opt-in to your donation forms &
follow-up with donors sooner after they make their
donation.
● Opt-ins are a great way to gain permission from your
donors at the time of donation, where it might be
missed elsewhere.

16. #10:
Say Thank
You
Resources
12 Tips to Optimize Your Thank You Page for Better Donor
Retention:
https://givewp.com/12-tips-thank-you-page-better-donor-retention/
Automate a Hand Written Thank You Note:
https://givewp.com/how-to-automate-a-hand-written-donor-thank-you-note/
● The first thing that your donors see after they
complete a donation on your website is the donation
confirmation page.
○ Make sure to thank them appropriately!
○ Edit the donation confirmation page to be filled
with valuable content to keep donors engaged,
post-donation.

17. Donation Landing
Page Examples

18. Donation
Landing
Page
Examples
● Love Button:
https://www.lovebutton.org/givelovecampaign/
● Niels on Wheels: https://nielsonwheels.com/en/
● Learning Plunge:
https://www.learningplunge.org/donate/
● Nate Maingard’s Virtual Tip Jar:
https://www.nate.live
● Paws of Coronado:
https://pawsofcoronado.org/donate/
● Closed form example:
https://walktowc.eu/donate/

19. A Quick Look at
GiveWP

20. GiveWP
vs.
GoFund
Me
A Case Study on GoFundMe vs.
GiveWP:
https://givewp.com/gofundme-give-
case-study-memorial-fundraiser/

21. Q & A

22. Thank you!
Contact Amanda for a demo of the
GiveWP plugin:
amanda@givewp.com