Your online giving page is one of the quickest and easiest ways to inspire, engage and attract donations. Having the right combination of church branding, storytelling, and education is key to maximizing your online presence. Check out these five steps to increasing giving and growing engagement on your donation page.
1. Lead with a Life-Change Story
According to OneSpot Research, “92% of donors were more likely to make a donation to a non-profit when a story or testimonial was featured first on their online giving page”.
Humans are hardwired to remember and respond to stories. For millennia, stories are how people have warned each other of danger, inspired each other to be courageous, and recounted their heritage. Jesus was a master storyteller and used parables to unlock the Kingdom’s mysteries for all who followed. For this reason, stories are a powerful way to motivate people to help others. Additionally, stories create a bond between the storyteller and the listener; thus, churches can use stories to help strengthen their relationships with givers.
Redesign your giving page to feature a story of a life changed at your church. Remember to refresh this page with a new story at least once a month. Read more about telling your giving story here.
2. Be Transparent with Giving
A study conducted by the Millennial Impact Project says, “78% of millennials are “very likely or somewhat likely to stop donating if they didn’t know how the donation was making an impact.”
You have to tell your givers what their funds are going to be used for at your church. Be honest – if you need funding to keep your church doors open, explain to your givers why it’s important that your church exists. Your Case for Support must be visually displayed on your site to inspire generosity. If you don’t have a case for support written – we can help! Contact us for samples and more information on developing your case for support.
“78% of millennials are “very likely or somewhat likely to stop donating if they didn’t know how the donation was making an impact.”
3. Tell Your Givers How to Give
Go beyond the traditional donation button – tell your givers how to give. Your givers know that they can give instantly from a check, ACH, or credit card, but do they understand the importance of giving from assets? Tax-benefiting donations have the potential to provide long-term sustainable funding for your church. Educate your givers on these types of gift opportunities and give them resources to make these types of donations. Need an example of how this is done successfully? Check out this giving page from our friends at the Rock Church in San Diego.
“Generic donation pages performed 66.7% lower than branded donation pages.”
4. Brand Your Giving Page
According to a Network for Good study, “generic donation pages performed 66.7% lower than branded donation pages.”
Givers need to identify with your church brand to trust that their donations will support the ministries they value. Taking givers to a generic giving page that lacks customization will only result in lower online contributions. Remember, you need to build trust, inspire, and engage your givers during every step of their online giving experience. Need help branding your giving page – contact us for more information.
5. Always have a Call-to-Action
Once you’ve inspired your givers with testimony, transparently positioned giving, and have educated them with contribution opportunities, it’s now time to ensure they donate. Have at least one donation button in every section of your giving page. Successful giving pages have at least 4 ‘Give Now’ buttons. Intelligently place your donation buttons in areas of your giving page that will create awareness and response.
Take the next step – let us provide you with a Giving Page analysis. We’ll walk you through your page and give you the tools and resources to increase giving and grow engagement. Contact us for a customized analysis.