Where to Share Your Donation Form

Seeing that all nonprofits rely heavily on donations in order to run their organizations, it’s makes perfect sense that any charity would want as many people to see their donation form as often as possible and in as many places as possible. After all, securing gifts is a bit of a numbers game, mixed with a little luck and a whole lot of preparation. So the more people that can see your forms and the more often they’re exposed to them, logically the more funding you should secure for your mission.

Since we now work with many different organizations in the nonprofit sector and offer all types of donation forms for our clients to grow and succeed, we’ve learned quite a bit about donation form placement and the importance of choosing the right platforms and media channels to share your forms. For instance, focusing on specific "online donation platforms" that cater to audiences who support causes like yours, or sharing your forms in places where your audiences are most likely to hang out are just two simple ideas to get you thinking.

And although the idea of simply sharing your forms may seem dull and perhaps unimportant, strategically planning an actual plan of attack and tracking the success or failures of your plan can have a dramatic effect on your overall fundraising capabilities. After all, sharing your form is only one step in a proper fundraising campaign, but imagine if you took the time to make each and every step as effective as possible how the overall cumulative effect on your bottom line can be. It just takes some time and a little work, and with our article you’ll know all the ins and outs and every trick in the book when it comes to getting your donation forms in front of as many eyeballs as you possible can.

Social Media Platforms: Leveraging Your Online Presence for Fundraising

Social media platforms are all the rage in the nonprofit sector, and for good reason, more than five billion people are connecting on these platforms, which equates to more than 62 percent of the total global population! So not using social media would be a serious handicap.

It’s just a matter of finding which platform your potential donors are hanging out on, and what forms of content they’re consuming as each platform is different and attracts different types of people. Once you do find your potential donor base and understand what types of media to present to them to engage them as much as possible in your cause and mission, presenting them with a donation form will be far easier and most likely a more profitable venture.

Just to make things as easy as possible for you, we’ve included a list of the top platforms we believe can help you get your marketing seen more often and by more people. Each is different and we’ve also included a few hacks to make presenting your forms more effective. You can let us know in the comments what your own experiences have been on each, and feel free to share any tips you’ve found that we haven’t included here.

Facebook - From Blog Posts to Live Video

As one of the most widely used platforms with a user base of over 2.9 billion monthly active users, Facebook is a must include platform for any charity or foundation looking to secure funding. And the best part is Facebook does take into consideration your nonprofit status and even has a suite of tools specifically for organizations in the nonprofit sector so they can accept donations legally right on their platform. Combing these tools or other donation form software like PayBee's solutions can dramatically increase the effectiveness of any donation form.

In addition, there are a myriad of fundraising strategies that you can use in your marketing to increase user engagement using Facebook in the form of stories, videos, shorts, images, practically any form of media is shared and used on their platform. This allows you to create compelling, shareable posts that link directly to your donation forms.

Or take advantage of Facebook Groups related to your cause to reach a more targetted and motivated audience, or start your own group and page to keep everyone updated on what your charity has been doing. Then you have the option of using Facebook Live to talk about your projects and the impact of other people’s gift can increase transparency and trust.

YouTube - Using Video to Inspire Donors

Using YouTube to tell your story can be very impactful and spark people to give freely. They say a picture is worth a thousand words, then the right video is easily worth millions. And as the second most trafficked website on the planet with over thirty three billion visitors globally, it’s a great place to share every video you create as well as a link which can be great news depending on the type of charity you’re running.

Just imagine if you were something like an animal charity looking to spread the word of your cause and the impact you’re having. Using nothing more than a smartphone you could record the horrid conditions you found a litter of puppies, their visit to the vet, their recovery process, and the steps taken to find them all loving homes. You could literally show how every donation is used to further your cause and lessen the pain felt by the animal population in your area, as well as demonstrating your commitment and effectiveness by engaging individuals in a way that stories just can’t compete with.

And just like Facebook, YouTube offers special tools to help nonprofits work more efficiently on their platform. And with 1.5 billion monthly users, the chances of your content being seen is high. And one way to take advantage of all this traffic is to be sure you place a link in the description box right at the top that goes directly to your donation page. You can also add simple calls to action in your videos like, ‘if you’d like to help, click the link in the description box to give’ or 'by giving, you're making a difference'. These types of simply pleas can be very effective fundraising marketing closings when combined with dramatic video footage. So take advantage of them!

Instagram - Using Images to Inspire Giving

Instagram is a bit different as it’s primarily a place to share images and very short stories, yet it is the fourth largest social media platform in the way of users with over two billion users and still growing. Again, it will depend on the type of individuals you’re trying to attract, and what sort of content you are producing for your charity. But lie the video explanation above, images can also have some dramatic impacts on those viewing them.

And what’s great is if you’re already incorporating YouTube videos, it’s super easy to grab images from those videos to use on Instagram, that way you’re getting two types of media from your work. And just like many other sites, Instagram does have a, albeit slightly limited, toolset for nonprofits. But you’ll need to see if they’re available in your country using the link we’ve included.

Twitter - Short Form Content only

Although Twitter, or now X or whatever, limits the amount of characters or words you can use in your threads, they still are a great way to send out quick briefs or information about upcoming fundraising events. Many people don’t have a lot of time, so quick succinct information is often a welcome for them. It’s also a great place to leave links to longer forms of content on other platforms if someone is interested in knowing more, or dropping a quick link to your form.

One limitation with X is they don’t have anything specifically tailored to the nonprofit sector. But using relevant hashtags like #SocialMediaFundraising and #DigitalFundraisingStrategies can increase the visibility of your tweets while regular tweets and retweets from supporters can amplify your messages. Pinning a tweet with your donation link at the top of your profile is also a strategic move.

LinkedIn - Get Your Nonprofit Noticed by the Elite

This platform is excellent for reaching professionals who may be interested in making more significant contributions and practically every CEO or anyone with a bit of money or power is on LinkedIn. So this would be a great place to attract board members, or share information on an upcoming golfing fundraising event or high profile gala.

Again, you’ll need to tailor your content for this particular crowd, so it’s best to share articles or posts about your charity's impact and work culture as LinkedIn revolves around work and employment topics. Regular updates about how funds are being used, or achievements you've made can motivate this audience of potential donors to donate. Just be sure to include links to your nonprofit donation forms in your bio and content.

TikTok - Sharing Your Page Link With the Younger Generation

The newest mover and shaker that is growing at a dizzying pace, this platform is for the younger generation and is a bit of everything, although video shorts and clips are the backbone of the platform. Think YouTube but with the average video only being a minute or two. And as the sixth largest social media platform with 1.2 billion users and still growing, if you can find ways to grab these individuals attention, the results can be staggering.

And TikTok does have some tools for nonprofits including their own fundraising tools that you can use right in their platform. But be aware the bulk of their users are under the age of thirty, so it’s only going to be strategically useful for those charities that are focused on issues that deal with a younger generation, or something a younger person would be interested in.

One way that may be beneficial for some nonprofits is to use them to recruit volunteers for your charity. More and more younger people are deciding to volunteer and try to make a difference, especially in their own communities. In fact, some minors are starting their own charities and some are having great success in doing so. So don’t discount this as an option just because you’re targetting a different demographic.

Your Nonprofit’s Website: Enhancing Donation Collection

For nonprofits aiming to boost your fundraising efforts, the design and positioning of your donation forms on your website matter a lot more than you think. In order to be effectively optimized, your website needs to offer a smooth donation process while also positively influencing donor engagement and retention.

This means that your donation form is easily accessible, visible, and enticing to potential donors. A common best practice is to position the donation button prominently on every page of your site, preferably in the top right corner, where it’s naturally eye-catching. Additionally, integrating the form on your homepage or having a dedicated, easily navigable donation page can significantly enhance visibility as well as having a ‘Donate’ category listed in your website’s menu.

When it comes to the design when you create donation form, simplicity and clarity are key. A clean, straightforward form with minimal fields can reduce donor confusion and frustration and abandonment rates. The form should look nice and be consistent with your charity’s branding including your primary color scheme, typography, and logo. This all helps make your prospect feel the page is trustworthy and doesn’t deviate from the tone of the rest of your site.

Another key aspect is page speed. If someone needs to wait for a page to load for more than a few seconds, the chances are great that they’ll just leave the page never to return again. People want fast pages that are responsive and easily usable across all devices, particularly mobiles, where a growing number of your users are likely to access it.

One more tip is try to offer as many different payment options as possible. Not everyone has a PayPal or Stripe account, so offering ways to use credit cards or even cryptocurrency can only increase your chances of securing their donation. Luckily if you’re using PayBee as your online fundraising platform, you can include all types of payment options for your clients to choose from.

If you do decide to use a dedicated donation page for the bulk of your funding requests, there are a couple of ways to easily increase it’s effectiveness. For starters, you should include testimonials, success stories, or a brief video from beneficiaries of the work your charity is doing. Keeping the content engaging and emotionally appealing will help motivate visitors to take the final step to donate.

Just be sure to avoid adding too much to the page and overwhelm your visitors with too much information or multiple calls to action. It also may be helpful to have a page checklist so you can be sure you're hitting all the important aspects of your page.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the most effective social media platforms for sharing donation forms?

Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter are very effective due to their large user bases and interactive features like links and hashtags as well as speciality tools created for nonprofits that can help promote and collect donations as well as user data on your donors.

How can I optimize the donation form on my nonprofit's website?

Keep it simple with minimal fields, ensure it’s mobile and blazing fast, use a clear call to action that stands out, and visually highlight the form on your site in your menu and on each of your blog posts.

What are the best practices for integrating a donation page into an email campaign?

Include a prominent, direct page link or QR code that links to the form in your email at the beginning, in the middle and at the end, keep the email content brief and compelling, and ensure the email design is responsive.

How frequently should I share my donation form on social media?

Share periodically, especially during fundraising campaigns or when you have high engagement content, but avoid over-posting to prevent donor fatigue.

What kind of content should accompany the donation form in emails to increase engagement?

Personal stories, clear use and impact of previous giving, compelling visuals such as images or videos, and urgent calls to action help increase engagement.

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