1. Make Your Donate Button Impossible to Miss
This might sound obvious, but it's the most common issue I see on nonprofit websites: donate buttons that blend into the background, hide in the header, or disappear as you scroll down the page.
Your donate button should be visible, high-contrast, and easy to find from any page on your site. Think bold colors that stand out from your design (like orange on a blue site, or bright green on neutral tones). It should also stay put like a sticky donate button that remains visible as visitors scroll, which can make all the difference.
When people have to hunt for the way to give, many simply won't. Making your donate button prominent removes friction and makes it easy for interested visitors to take action right away.
💡Try this: Check your website on both desktop and mobile right now. Can you see the donate button clearly without scrolling or searching? If not, it's time for a tweak.
Speaking of checking your website on mobile…
2. Make Sure Your Site Works Smoothly on Mobile
Did you know? 52% of nonprofit website traffic comes from mobile devices. That's more than half of your visitors browsing on their phones.
If your donate button is hard to tap, your forms are too complex to fill out, or your pages load slowly on mobile, you're losing donations before people even get a chance to give.
The good news? Nonprofits can increase donations by 126% on average by implementing a mobile-responsive design. That's a massive return for making sure your site works well on smaller screens.
💡Try this: Pull up your website on your phone right now. Try to make a donation. Is it easy? Can you tap buttons without zooming in? Does everything load quickly? If the experience feels clunky, it's time to prioritize mobile optimization.
3. Add Trust Signals Near Your Donate Button
People want to give to your mission, but they also want to know their donation is secure and will actually make a difference.
Adding simple trust signals NEAR your donate button can ease those concerns and boost confidence. This might look like:
- "Secure donation" or a small security badge.
- “Your support helped us get 100 people out of poverty last year.”
- A short testimonial from a donor or beneficiary.
- "Join 1,200+ supporters making a difference." (Social proof is powerful!)
These small reassurances address the quiet questions running through a potential donor's mind.
Here's a cool example: The World Wildlife Foundation increased donations by 62% by centering its design strategy around emotional triggers and trust signals. You don't need their budget to apply the same principle.
💡Try this: Look at your donation page. What messages appear near the donate button? If there's nothing there, add a straightforward trust signal this week. Even if it’s just a line of text, it can make a difference.
Try it this week 🚀
Pull up your website, look at it with fresh eyes (bonus points if you check it on your phone), and ask yourself: What's one small change I can make right now to help more visitors become donors? Then do it.
Even 15 minutes of focus on your donate button, mobile experience, or trust signals can make a real difference in how people experience your mission online.
Hit Reply
Which of these three tweaks are you planning to tackle first? Hit reply and let me know! I read every response, and I'd love to hear what you're working on.
