Are you making it hard for people to give money to your animal organization?

If you’ve ever watched a real estate show on HGTV and seen home stagers go through a house that’s about to go on the market, you’ve probably wanted to yell at the homeowners. Dirty dishes in the sink, unmade beds, clutter everywhere — why would anyone want to buy that house? People want to buy houses that are clean and beautiful, where it’s easy to imagine living in them.

The same concept applies to fundraising. Donating to your organization needs to be easy, or most people will just wander away without giving.

You may think your website is just fine. After all, you have a big, shiny donate button right at the top of every page. The thing is, all those homeowners with the cluttered houses probably just don’t see the clutter anymore. They need an objective eye to realize what needs to be done to get their home ready for buyers.

You may not have an army of TV website reviewers to help you, but you can try this simple experiment instead:

Pretend you’ve never visited your shelter or rescue group’s website before. In fact, imagine you don’t know anything about your organization, but you’re looking for a local animal welfare group to donate to. Now — see how hard it is to figure out how to give money.

  • Can you easily share a donation page to your organization’s social media?
  • Does your share display a good photo and clear headline and description on Facebook?
  • Does one click bring you to the page where a donation can be made, or will multiple clicks be required?
  • Were you asked how you wanted your donation attributed?
  • Were you offered a chance to give a donation as a gift, memorial or tribute?
  • Was information on recurring gifts and leaving money in your will available?
  • If you were able to go through the donation process, did your “thank you” page inspire you to give again?
  • Was the process easy and functional on mobile or only desktop?
  • In short, did your organization make it simple and rewarding or complicated and frustrating for people to give you money?

Now visit the websites of other nonprofits, not just animal causes. Try the same experiment. If they did better than your organization did, make a note of it. Keep looking until you’ve found several organizations where donating was incredibly easy and intuitive.

Then call your board of directors together and insist you incorporate those changes for your website, too. Because it should never be difficult for people who want to help to figure out how!

Also of interest:

Grassroots fundraising, part 1

Grassroots fundraising, part 2

Why fundraising for animals can’t be an afterthought

3 fundraising mistakes animal organizations should avoid