6 ways to fix your nonprofit website

20 March 2023

6 ways to fix your nonprofit website

You’ve got a great looking website with tons of excellent content.

You’re getting lots of visitors to the site.

But not many donations.

What’s wrong? It’s your conversion rate -- the percentage of visitors who end up taking action.

Here are some of the common problems that hurt conversion rate -- and cost you revenue, from the Wired Impact Blog, at 6 Nonprofit Website Conversion Rate Killers (and How to Fix Them)

Targeting Everyone. Connecting with No One. There’s no cause in the world that “everyone” will support. (Yes, there are many that everyone should support. But they don’t.) Know who cares about your cause and laser-focus on them. Speak their language. Connect with their values. Discover what moves them.
Your Pitch Isn’t Clear. A lot of nonprofit websites are trying to be tutorials on how your organization works. That will never get people to donate. Keep it simple, clear, and outcome-focused. Donors don’t give to fund your processes. They give to make things happen. Figuring out how to communicate your outcomes is one of the most difficult tasks in fundraising. But it’s a must.
Broken or Slow Conversion Paths. You might be shocked how many nonprofit websites make it impossible to donate because something is broken. Or frustratingly slow. Periodically check your giving pages from many different systems (including mobile). Fix anything that’s broken, confusing, or slow.
Overwhelming Visitors with Too Many Choices. There might be a whole lot of different things you want your audiences to do. Don’t pile them all into a massive list. Keep it simple. Most pages on your site should have only one call to action.
Your Actions Are Too Complicated. Complexity kills conversion. Remove actions that you don’t need people to take. Keep everything as simple as possible.
Visitors Don’t Trust You. Sadly, a legacy of scam and incompetent nonprofits have made many people not trust you. Give them reasons to trust. Show watchdogs logos. Make financial information available. Make it easy for people to talk to a human. Share your privacy policy. Display a pledge to donors. It all helps!

(Tons of details on the fixes at the post!)

Posted by Jeff Brooks on 20 March 2023 at 08:02 | Permalink

Comments

You’ve got a great looking website with tons of excellent content.

You’re getting lots of visitors to the site.

But not many donations.

What’s wrong? It’s your conversion rate -- the percentage of visitors who end up taking action.

Here are some of the common problems that hurt conversion rate -- and cost you revenue, from the Wired Impact Blog, at 6 Nonprofit Website Conversion Rate Killers (and How to Fix Them)

Targeting Everyone. Connecting with No One. There’s no cause in the world that “everyone” will support. (Yes, there are many that everyone should support. But they don’t.) Know who cares about your cause and laser-focus on them. Speak their language. Connect with their values. Discover what moves them.
Your Pitch Isn’t Clear. A lot of nonprofit websites are trying to be tutorials on how your organization works. That will never get people to donate. Keep it simple, clear, and outcome-focused. Donors don’t give to fund your processes. They give to make things happen. Figuring out how to communicate your outcomes is one of the most difficult tasks in fundraising. But it’s a must.
Broken or Slow Conversion Paths. You might be shocked how many nonprofit websites make it impossible to donate because something is broken. Or frustratingly slow. Periodically check your giving pages from many different systems (including mobile). Fix anything that’s broken, confusing, or slow.
Overwhelming Visitors with Too Many Choices. There might be a whole lot of different things you want your audiences to do. Don’t pile them all into a massive list. Keep it simple. Most pages on your site should have only one call to action.
Your Actions Are Too Complicated. Complexity kills conversion. Remove actions that you don’t need people to take. Keep everything as simple as possible.
Visitors Don’t Trust You. Sadly, a legacy of scam and incompetent nonprofits have made many people not trust you. Give them reasons to trust. Show watchdogs logos. Make financial information available. Make it easy for people to talk to a human. Share your privacy policy. Display a pledge to donors. It all helps!