Digital fundraising has become an integral part of the charitable world, and for good reason. Not only does it expand your nonprofit organization’s reach, but it also provides opportunities to connect with donors in new and meaningful ways.
In this guide, we’ll explore an essential must-have for digital fundraising: one-click donations. Whether you’re new to digital fundraising or looking to optimize your current strategy, this guide will provide insights and actionable steps to take your fundraising efforts to the next level.
What is a one-click donation?
One-click donations give donors the ability to support your nonprofit with the press of a single button. It’s made possible by enabling pre-fill functionalities on your online donation forms so that when a donor goes to make a gift, the form in front of them already displays their existing data stored in your CRM (constituent relationship management solution), including contact and credit card information. You can share one-click enabled donation forms across digital channels or by adding a QR code to your non-digital fundraising asks.
Why should nonprofits use one-click donation forms?
The beauty of one-click donations is their effectiveness. Pre-filling donors’ information in online forms means they’re more likely to complete their gift. In fact, when the National Audubon Society used email to test the performance of one-click donation forms vs. standard forms, it found that donors were over nine times more likely to convert on a one-click form. The nonprofit also raised nearly nine times more revenue from fundraising emails that used one-click donation forms than emails with standard forms.
Simply put: If you can minimize interruptions while a donor is making a gift—like needing to step away to find their credit card—they’re more likely to complete that gift. And when you give supporters a seamless, convenient donation experience, they’ll be more inclined to continue giving to you in the future.
How can my nonprofit make the most of one-click donations?
Fundraisers can give donors a more user-friendly giving experience by incorporating one-click donations across a range of channels and campaigns. Here are three examples to help you get started:
Form design
Ensure your one-click donation forms present a consistent look and feel to your supporters, no matter where they interact with them. This entails using the same graphic design elements, including your nonprofit’s logo, color scheme, and typography across all channels. Strong branding establishes credibility with potential donors, further inspiring support for your cause.
Whether this is your first or hundredth time prepping a digital fundraiser, you know how important email is. In M+R’s most recent Benchmark Report, researchers found that while email list sizes grew, the click-through rate and amount raised from fundraising emails dropped.
In this context, it’s more important than ever to stand out in your supporters’ already crowded email inboxes. Write creative subject lines that prompt subscribers to open and read your email. Then, use one-click donation forms to boost conversions by keeping the donation process as simple and convenient as possible.
Mobile messaging
High click-through rates and continued growth in SMS lists mean nonprofits can use this emerging channel to take their fundraising further—and one-click donations can help. Mobile messaging can be useful for fundraising given that M+R’s Benchmarks found 57% of nonprofit web traffic came from mobile devices. However, the Benchmarks also found that mobile donors consistently “give at lower rates, with lower average gifts” than desktop donors—which means for many fundraisers, their goal is to make it easy for mobile users to give.
One-click donations are the solution. When combined with a digital presence optimized for mobile and tools like a sustainer upsell lightbox, you can encourage those supporters to convert on your forms and easily give more over their donor lifetime, so they can do even more to help you advance your purpose.
Next steps: Get started with one-click donations
One-click donations are a tested, powerful solution that removes unnecessary and tedious steps from the donor experience. To get started, consider investing in a platform like Bonterra Donor Engagement Fundraising that helps nonprofits raise more money more efficiently via one-click donation capabilities.
