What is peer-to-peer fundraising?

Peer-to-peer fundraising (sometimes shortened to P2P fundraising) is a fundraising strategy where individuals organize personal campaigns to raise money on behalf of a nonprofit organization.

Organizations recruit volunteers among their supporter bases to launch personalized campaign pages. Volunteers then reach out to their networks of friends and family to collect donations for their campaigns.

What is the difference between peer-to-peer fundraising and crowdfunding?

While peer-to-peer fundraising and crowdfunding share some characteristics, they are two separate strategies.

Both crowdfunding and peer-to-peer fundraising require your nonprofit to rely on its network of supporters reaching out to their friends and family (usually leveraging social media) to raise money on behalf of your nonprofit.

The difference lies in how your campaign is set up and how you share it. While crowdfunding campaigns empower your supporters to share the same campaign page across multiple sites and platforms, peer-to-peer fundraising empowers your volunteers to launch their own personalized pages to raise funds on your behalf.

As a result, your peer-to-peer fundraisers can create campaign pages that include personal information about their connections to your organization. This specificity and individualization further encourage new supporters to give to the campaign due to their relationship with your volunteer fundraisers. In fact, 39% of Americans say they’ve donated to a cause because of a request from a family member or friend.

Types of peer-to-peer fundraising campaigns

There are three primary types of peer-to-peer fundraising campaigns: rolling, time-based, and giving days.

Rolling campaigns

Rolling peer-to-peer fundraising campaigns operate without a time limit. They’re designed to raise a certain amount of money and those funds don’t have a set deadline.

If you want to give supporters the option to raise money on behalf of your nonprofit at any time, you might set up a rolling campaign on your site. That way, they can create a personalized campaign page whenever they want and dedicate the revenue to your annual fund.

An example of a rolling campaign is Alex’s Lemonade Stand’s fundraisers. Anyone can use the nonprofit’s resources to host their own lemonade stand fundraiser at any given time.

Time-based campaigns

Time-based peer-to-peer fundraising campaigns are more common and require participants to raise funds by a specific deadline. These types of peer-to-peer fundraising campaigns are often tied to events.

For example, an organization may launch a peer-to-peer fundraising campaign leading up to its annual walk-a-thon, like the Susan G. Komen More Than Pink Walk. This campaign would allow you to spread the word about the event, increasing revenue for the general campaign through peer-to-peer fundraising.

Giving days

Giving days operate like condensed versions of time-based campaigns that only last 24 hours. These campaigns create a sense of urgency for your supporters to reach their personal goals and help your nonprofit achieve its overarching goal in a short amount of time.

For these types of campaigns, your nonprofit can lean into established giving occasions like GivingTuesday or create its own giving days that make sense for your cause. For instance, an animal shelter may host a giving day on National Rescue Dog Day to raise funds for dog adoptions.

A real-life example of a giving day is American Red Cross Giving Day. Taking place during Red Cross Month, this day is dedicated to raising funds for families affected by home fires and other disasters.

Benefits of peer-to-peer fundraising

Hosting a peer-to-peer fundraising campaign allows you to cast a wide net and earn donations from many people simultaneously. It’s not just about accessing funding, though. Peer-to-peer fundraising campaigns also offer opportunities for nonprofit organizations to connect more deeply with their supporters.

These campaigns can allow you to:

• Expand your network. Since your supporters are reaching out to their friends and family, you can expand your network to those new audience members. They’ll get a sense of your brand and what your organization is about and might be interested in learning more about your nonprofit.
  
• Allow supporters to get more involved. If you’re always reaching out to your supporters and asking for money, they may feel burnt out and unappreciated. Asking them to help raise money on your behalf is not only easier on their wallets but also provides a new and unique way for them to show their support.
  
• Engage supporters virtually. You can launch and host peer-to-peer fundraising campaigns entirely virtually. That way, supporters can conveniently get involved—no matter where they’re located.
• Grow your social media presence. Peer-to-peer campaigns spread like wildfire on social media, so they naturally help grow your nonprofit’s social media presence. You can expand your social media presence by interacting with supporters’ posts about their fundraising pages and encouraging them to reach their goals.

Before you launch your peer-to-peer campaign, choose which goals are most important for your organization, both in terms of revenue and engagement opportunities. That way, you can make focused decisions that drive your objectives forward.

For example, you may use your peer-to-peer fundraising campaign to engage your current supporter base and increase your retention rate. In this case, you might set goals regarding the percentage of current supporters you want to recruit to participate in the campaign. Then, you can specifically focus on encouraging supporters to participate, stewarding them, and showing your appreciation as they raise funds for your mission.

How to get started with peer-to-peer fundraising

Follow these steps to launch your own peer-to-peer fundraising campaign.

1. Determine your campaign’s goals.

Chances are, you’ll have multiple goals you’d like to accomplish. Determine all of your goals, and rank them in order of priority.

For example, you might decide that you have four goals for your campaign:

1. Raise money.
2. Steward existing supporters.
3. Expand your social media presence.
4. Expand your brand recognition.

From here, you need a revenue goal that will meet your needs. Let’s say that you want to raise $20,000. If you recruit 50 volunteers, you can encourage them to set a goal of raising $400 each for your campaign. If they’re successful, you’ll hit that $20,000 goal.

2. Choose a peer-to-peer fundraising platform.

Pick the software platform that will help your nonprofit reach its peer-to-peer campaign fundraising goals. Look for a solution with the following features:

• Individual and team fundraising pages
• Customizability
• Gamification tools
• Branded event pages
• Social sharing tools
• Fundraising thermometers

If you already use a dedicated peer-to-peer platform, add your campaign’s details to your main information page. Highlight the basics of your campaign, including your overarching goals and what the funds raised will support.

3. Recruit your peer-to-peer fundraising volunteers.

Start recruiting supporters to fundraise on your behalf by presenting the campaign’s objectives and goals. Position the opportunity as a way to get more involved with your nonprofit and become an ambassador for your cause.

It’s best to recruit supporters who have already shown a demonstrated interest in your cause. These may be avid volunteers, regular event attendees, dedicated donors, or engaged social media followers.

After you’ve recruited your supporters, show them how to launch their own campaign pages and make the most of the opportunity. Help them create their own compelling fundraising appeals based on their experiences with your nonprofit. People are more likely to give money to a person rather than an organization, meaning their unique words and appeals will drive more support than a generic message from your organization.

4. Support your fundraisers.

Support your volunteer fundraisers during every step of your peer-to-peer fundraising campaign. Provide tips throughout the campaign to show them how to take their fundraiser to the next level.

For instance, you might recommend:

• Making the first donation to the campaign to kick things off. This shows potential donors that they’re not starting from scratch.
• Reposting the peer-to-peer fundraising page at regular intervals on their social media accounts.
• Using groups on social media, such as Facebook groups, to reach people with similar interests.
• Leveraging other platforms like email and word-of-mouth marketing to reach new audiences.

Regularly check in with your supporters to assess their progress toward their individual goals. These check-ins will keep their motivation high as they continue to raise funds for your organization.

5. Celebrate reaching your goal.

When you hit your goal, celebrate! Reach out to all the supporters who helped fundraise on your behalf and thank them for their involvement.

On a smaller scale, when individual fundraisers hit their goals, reach out to congratulate them. Encourage them to continue raising money for the campaign so they know they can keep going and surpass their goal.

6. Thank all of your supporters.

After the campaign ends, it’s time to say a lot of thank yous. Thank every fundraiser for getting involved, and don’t forget to show appreciation for the donors who contributed to the campaign’s success.

Avoid lumping your donor and volunteer segments together. Instead, create personalized communications depending on how each individual participated in your campaign to reach everyone on a personal level.

To show your appreciation for your fundraisers, consider the following:

• Write emails and letters thanking them for their support.
• Provide prizes for your top fundraisers.
• Send updates about the project they raised funds for.
• Send a survey to get their feedback on the campaign.
• Create a special event for these fundraisers, or invite them to participate in a VIP activity at an existing event.

To show your appreciation for your donors, you might consider the following:

• Send additional newsletters or information about your mission.
• Call them to say thank you.
• Send handwritten thank-you notes.

These appreciation strategies will close out the campaign and make sure it ends on a high note for everyone involved. They will also encourage people to get more involved in the future, increasing your organization’s retention rate for these types of campaigns.

7. Track key campaign metrics.

Directly after the campaign, build a report of the key metrics that determine your campaign’s success.

Some of the metrics you might decide to analyze include your:

• Average donation size
• Supporter retention rate
• Number of new donors who contributed
• Marketing platform success rate
• Average amount raised per fundraiser

Analyze these metrics and identify opportunities for improvement. Then, make a note of these opportunities for the next campaign. We recommend conducting this analysis directly after the campaign so the details are still fresh in your mind.

Peer-to-peer fundraising ideas

Peer-to-peer fundraising campaigns can take many forms. Consider your development plan and the type of campaign that will best fit your needs.

Check out this comprehensive list of P2P fundraising ideas for even more ideas!

5K race

A 5K is a great way to inspire friendly competition among supporters while raising funds for your mission. Use your peer-to-peer fundraising campaign to spread the word about the event and encourage participants to launch their own personal campaign pages ahead of time. That way, even those who can’t attend can donate and support your cause.

Walk-a-thon

Similar to your 5K race, you can encourage your walk-a-thon participants to raise funds for your cause before and during the event. Have supporters set up peer-to-peer pages and ask for pledges based on the distance they walk (i.e. $5 per number of laps or miles).

Sports tournament

Sports tournaments are exciting opportunities that encourage people to come out and support their local teams. Ask each team to set up a fundraising page as a part of your peer-to-peer campaign so supporters can cheer on their favorite team and show support by contributing to the campaign. The team that wins the tournament and the one that raises the most money for your nonprofit should receive a reward.

Team sports

Raising money for a single sports team is another great way to leverage a peer-to-peer fundraiser. Let’s say your nonprofit organizes a pick-up kickball game to raise money. Each team member can raise funds using their own personalized campaign page leading up to the big game.

Read-a-thon

Read-a-thons are perfect peer-to-peer fundraising opportunities for kids. Encourage them (with the help of their parents or guardians) to set up a campaign page and ask for sponsorships for the number of pages they read in a set period of time.

Holiday party

Your nonprofit’s holiday party is an exciting time for your organization. Invite supporters to attend and raise money leading up to the event. You might even offer a discount for entry (if you require an entry fee) for supporters who raise a certain amount of funds.

Merchandise campaign

Merchandise campaigns are special types of peer-to-peer campaigns where you sell merchandise to raise donations. Your supporters create their own campaign page connected to your organization. Then, when the supporters’ friends and family make a donation of a certain size, they’ll receive a t-shirt, mug, or other branded merchandise.

Tips for your next peer-to-peer fundraising campaign

Peer-to-peer fundraising can be challenging, especially if you’re new to it. That’s why we’ve compiled several tips that you can use to maximize your campaign and help you succeed.

Here are our top tips for success:

• Center your supporters in your appreciation efforts. In your follow-up communications after your fundraiser, explain what donors and fundraisers made happen through their dedicated support. For example, instead of saying “Our nonprofit can now purchase 12 new beds for shelter dogs,” say “Because of your generous support, 12 shelter dogs will have a comfy place to sleep.”
• Encourage fundraisers to personalize their campaign pages. Provide training materials for your supporters, instructing them on how to personalize their campaign pages. Advise them on what content works best for peer-to-peer pages. For instance, images that feature the fundraiser at a nonprofit event or a beneficiary are especially impactful. Your fundraisers should also engage their networks with stories about their personal experiences with your cause.
• Leverage fundraising thermometers. Fundraising thermometers allow your donors to see exactly how much more money you have to raise to hit your fundraising goal, incentivizing donors to give. Brand your thermometer to your organization, and feature it on various campaign pages and your nonprofit’s website.
• Use leaderboards to gamify the campaign. Turn your peer-to-peer fundraising campaign into a competition by adding leaderboards to the mix. Rank your leading fundraisers for everyone to see and celebrate your top earners. After the campaign, award the winner with a prize.

Using the right online giving tool is essential for ensuring you can enact these various peer-to-peer fundraising tips. Prioritize the features you need for your specific peer-to-peer campaign, and compare different software providers to choose the one that’s best for your organization.

Our recommended peer-to-peer fundraising platform: Qgiv

To host an effective peer-to-peer fundraising campaign, you’ll need a platform that allows your supporters to customize their campaign pages and promote them to a wide audience. We recommend using Qgiv, an all-in-one peer-to-peer fundraising platform.

If you’re looking for a comprehensive, user-friendly peer-to-peer fundraising platform, look no further than Qgiv. With Qgiv’s intuitive software, you can empower your fundraisers to customize their pages and encourage their networks of friends and family to contribute.

Check out some of the incredible features Qgiv has to offer:

• Team fundraising capabilities. Have your fundraisers team up to raise even more for your cause. With the ability to assign team captains, set recruitment and fundraising goals for each team, and leverage team leaderboards, the sky’s the limit for how much your participants can raise.
• Customizable events. Want to pair your peer-to-peer fundraising campaign with an event? Qgiv allows you to easily accept registrations from any device through custom event pages—whether you’re hosting a 5K, walk-a-thon, or anything in between.
• Gamification elements. Make fundraising more fun with gamification. You can inspire friendly competition with leaderboards, reward fundraisers for hitting their goals with badges, and launch recruitment and fundraising contests that keep your supporters engaged.
• Email and social tools. Supporters can email their friends and family directly from their personal dashboards, making it easy to spread the word about your campaign. They can also use customized email and social post templates created by your team to keep communications consistent and on brand.
• Online store. Smash your fundraising goals by selling event merchandise in your online store to drive additional revenue. You may also create and sell sponsorship packages directly from your event page to keep everything in one place.

Plus, Bloomerang’s partnership with Qgiv allows nonprofits to put supporter relationships at the heart of every fundraising campaign. By combining Qgiv’s fundraising tools with Bloomerang’s donor management software, you can seamlessly sync your fundraising data and use it to build stronger donor relationships. With all of your fundraising data and tools in one place, you can unlock unparalleled insights that allow you to fortify your fundraising strategy over time.

Wrapping up

Text-to-give: FAQs

What is text-to-give and how does it work?

Text-to-give (also known as text-to-donate, text-to-pledge, or text fundraising) is a form of mobile fundraising that asks donors to send a keyword to a text fundraising phone number.

Here’s how the text fundraising process works:

1. Your nonprofit chooses a text fundraising platform or service provider.
2. You choose a unique keyword and are assigned a phone number for supporters to text.
3. Supporters text the keyword to your phone number.
4. Supporters either send a donation amount to be charged to their mobile carrier (text-to-give) or are sent a link to your online donation form (text-to-donate) where they can submit a gift.

Around 85% of Americans own a smartphone, making this type of fundraising incredibly effective for reaching donors on a device they use regularly.

What is the difference between text-to-give and text-to-donate?

While the terms are often used interchangeably, text-to-give and text-to-donate do have some slight differences.

With a text-to-give or bill-to-carrier campaign, donors text in a donation amount, which is applied to their next phone bill. The nonprofit receives the donation sometime later from the Mobile Giving Foundation, which means the donation isn’t instantaneous.

By contrast, text-to-donate might take the donor a little longer to complete, but you receive the funds a lot faster. When a donor texts your text-to-donate keyword, they’ll receive a link to a mobile-friendly donation form. Following this link, they complete the donation form and submit their donation.

Text-to-donate campaigns are most useful for urgent fundraising needs or opportunities, such as a telethon or disaster relief campaign. That’s because donors can send in gifts as quickly as possible when they feel inspired to help.

You can set up the text-to-donate option to accept donations of any size using the same form, and it costs significantly less to implement than the bill-to-carrier option. Because donors give using your online donation form, you receive the donation much faster than the processing time of the Mobile Giving Foundation.

What kinds of organizations use text-to-give?

All types of organizations looking to expand their mobile fundraising can use text-to-give or text-to-donate, including:

• Nonprofits
• Churches
• Schools/universities
• Healthcare organizations
• Political organizations/campaigns

Text fundraising campaigns can help these organizations fundraise quickly and generate support from a broad audience.

Is text-to-give a safe fundraising avenue?

Text-to-give is no different from any other form of online fundraising—its safety relies on the quality of the platform or service you use to carry out the campaign. Your text-to-give campaigns will be safe when you use secure fundraising tools and a reputable service provider. Be sure to look for a text-to-donate provider that offers measures like:

• PCI compliance
• Fraud detection
• Data encryption

These aspects will make your text fundraising transactions as secure as possible and build donor trust.

Pros and cons of text-to-give

Starting a text-to-give or text-to-donate campaign will require foresight and strategic planning. So, is it worth it for your team to invest time and energy into a text fundraising campaign? Review the following pros and cons to help decide.

Pros

Both text-to-donate and text-to-give campaigns offer plenty of benefits that make it easier to fundraise via mobile. These campaigns are:

• Easy to set up and participate. It’s easy for your nonprofit to get started with a text-to-donate provider. For donors, there aren’t too many barriers to participation because all they have to do is pull out their phone and text your number or fill out a quick form.
• Quick. It’s very fast to complete a text donation, with most transactions completed in just a few clicks.
• Engaging. Text-to-donate is a great way to engage participants in real-time, such as throughout an event.

Cons

On the other hand, there are some limitations to consider, especially if you pursue a text-to-give campaign instead of a text-to-donate initiative. The cons of text-to-give are:

• Donation amount limits. Depending on the provider, there could be a donation cap on how much donors can give via text-to-give.
• Donor stewardship challenges. You won’t get as much personal information about donors from text-to-give compared to a text-to-donate, where donors make gifts via your online donation form.
• Non-branded experience. With a purely text-to-give campaign, donors won’t be able to get a good sense of your nonprofit’s brand or messaging. There isn’t a natural way for donors to see mission information or engage with other aspects of your nonprofit website.

How to set up text-to-give or text-to-donate

Text-to-donate tools make giving fast and convenient for your donors, even when they’re on the go! Read on to learn the steps in the text-to-donate process.

1. Select a text-to-give provider

Working with a text-to-give provider helps you launch mobile giving campaigns on a larger scale. These platforms prioritize security and a positive experience for both nonprofits and donors.

Search for a text-to-donate or text-to-give provider that offers features like:

• User-friendly interface
• Automation
• Secure donation processing
• Short timeline for access to funds
• Software support
• Clear-cut pricing
• Integration with your other fundraising tools

We’ll explore a few top options in a later section.

2. Choose a relevant keyword

Your keyword can make or break your text fundraising campaign—that’s why choosing the right term is a crucial step in the process. You’ll want a keyword that’s short, easy to spell, and won’t get changed by a phone’s autocorrect function.

For example, let’s say you’re holding a campaign to support endangered whale species. You might choose the keyword “Save The Whales 2024.” This keyword is easy to spell and remember, and it’s directly related to the purpose of the campaign.

3. Prepare a simple donation form

Donors expect a straightforward and quick experience when they make a gift with text-to-donate. Consider creating a mobile giving form that’s even simpler than your nonprofit’s main online donation page.

For the first step in the donation process, ask for the donation amount. Provide a few suggested donations to make it easier for donors to decide on a gift amount.

In the next step, capture only the personal contact information needed to complete the donation. Typically this includes a name, billing address, and contact information you can use to send a donation receipt and thank-you messages.

In the last step, ask for the information needed to process their online payment, such as their credit card details.

4. Send automated reminders

Use your text-to-give platform to send automated messages to remind donors about your giving opportunities. Also, if you’re carrying out a text-to-pledge campaign, you can send automated reminders to fulfill pledges.

Best practices for an effective text-to-donate campaign

There are a few strategies you can use to make your text-to-donate campaign successful. Follow these best practices to maximize your return on investment (ROI):

Create clear instructions

If you want your donors to adopt text-to-give technology, make it easy for them. Write clear instructions for how to use text-to-donate and share those directions with your supporters in your appeals.

Consider including screenshots of each step so donors visualize what they’re supposed to do. Better yet, create a video that shows them how to create their text-to-donate pledge and complete their gift in real time.

Test the text-to-donate process

Test out the mobile giving process with your nonprofit’s staff or volunteers before promoting it to your full community. Gather their feedback on what works well and any areas that may need improvement. This will help ensure a smooth rollout when you’re ready to promote this giving option to supporters.

Promote text-to-give opportunities

Spotlight your text-to-donate opportunities using your blog posts, social media posts, and even in your direct mail communications.

Start the process by first distributing your keyword to your savviest donors who are most likely to jump on board. Then, cast a wider net by sending out your keyword with your written or video instructions to other donors who may also be interested in using this giving channel.

Monitor your progress

While it’s possible to set it and forget it, text fundraising can require tweaks to stay effective in the long run. Diving into your data can provide valuable insight into what’s working and what’s not.

Be sure to monitor incoming donations and your total donation amount for text fundraising. If momentum starts to slow down, try out new outbound messages or new cross-platform marketing techniques to secure more gifts.

7 top text-to-give platforms

Leveraging a text-to-give or text-to-donate platform is much more efficient than texting your donors manually or on an ad-hoc basis. You can reach a wider audience, track your campaign progress, and save your team plenty of time.

To maintain donors’ trust, find a secure text-to-donate platform that makes the giving experience as easy as possible. Consider these seven top providers and the features they offer to streamline the process:

Bloomerang

Bloomerang’s text-to-donate campaigns prioritize donor engagement and retention. Create a campaign that your staff and supporters can get excited about, with features such as:

• Easy setup. You can choose your phone number directly from Bloomerang’s fundraising app, keeping all fundraising activities centralized in one place.
• Link to any form. Use text messaging to promote your donation page, volunteer registration form, fundraising campaign page, event page, and more.
• Simple giving process. Through Bloomerang’s text-to-donate functionality, supporters will be sent a link to your online donation page, allowing them to learn more about your cause and give using your streamlined form.
• Integration with your Bloomerang CRM. All donations received through Bloomerang’s text-to-donate platform will be automatically recorded in your Bloomerang donor database. This makes follow-up and donor stewardship much simpler because you can track who donated, how much they gave, and when.
• Ability to reach new supporters. Because your text fundraising campaigns are accessible to anyone with a mobile device, you can reach a wider audience of potential new donors.

Bloomerang’s text-to-give feature is available as an optional add-on to Bloomerang’s core donor database product. Explore pricing plans and features.

Qgiv

Qgiv’s text-to-donate platform prioritizes high response rates and speedy donation turnaround times. Engage supporters with features like:

• Outbound texts, with quick updates, news, and donation reminders to keep supporters engaged
• Pledges and automated pledge reminders to ensure donors fulfill their giving intentions
• Campaign reports to track progress and adjust your approach as needed.

Qgiv’s text fundraising services are available for $159 per month. Users also gain access to features like donation forms, event management, and unlimited software support.

Snowball

Through Snowball’s text-to-give platform, donors can give using an email address or mobile donation page. Beyond just text-to-give, Snowball offers the following forms of text fundraising:

• Text-to-bid, which simplifies the mobile bidding process at auction events
• Text-to-tithe, which churches can use to gather charitable offerings
• Text-to-ticket, which organizations can use to make it easier to buy tickets for fundraising events

Text-to-give is available as part of Snowball’s $55 per month premium plan, which also offers access to the Snowball CRM, unlimited campaigns, and more.

Donorbox

The Donorbox text fundraising platform makes it easy for donors to give using a mobile device and become recurring supporters. The platform offers features such as:

• Repeat donation option that allows donors to give again without having to fill out the donation form
• Integration with the Donorbox fundraising system to manage all fundraising activities from one platform
• Simple shortcode option that’s easy for donors to remember when they go to make a mobile donation

The Donorbox text-to-donate functionality is available as an add-on for $19 per month for a standard keyword and $50 per month for a custom keyword. Learn more about their pricing plans.

OneCause

OneCause offers a versatile text-to-give platform that helps nonprofits access donations in times of urgent need. Drive mobile giving using the platform’s:

• Intuitive interface that makes it easy to set a campaign goal, manage campaigns, and collect donor data
• Interactive fundraising features to make events more exciting, such as a fundraising Scoreboard
• Simple, secure payment processing that enables donors to cover processing fees

Contact OneCause for pricing information.

Tatango

Tatango is a platform solely dedicated to SMS fundraising. This marketing software offers features such as:

• Automated messaging based on event triggers, such as mid-event donation reminders
• Robust support services from the Tatango Team
• Easy integrations with other software solutions or apps, including a variety of CRMs and marketing software

Contact Tatango for pricing details.

GiveWP

GiveWP is a WordPress donation plugin that offers a variety of fundraising features, including a text-to-give add-on. Using this text-to-give option, your nonprofit can benefit from features like:

• Integration with WordPress to create a seamless flow between your online donation page and text-to-give platform
• Multiple giving options including Venmo, Apple Pay, and Google Pay
• Ability to customize your SMS messages to apply to any campaign type

GiveWP’s text-to-give add-on is available for $79 per year.

Optimized design

The structure and look of your donation page play a major role in whether supporters feel motivated to complete the form. Implement these best practices to develop a clean, engaging, and intuitive donation page design:

1. Choose the right online fundraising platform.

A robust nonprofit fundraising platform makes it easy to create and promote your online giving form. These platforms take the guesswork out of donation page design by offering tried-and-true templates that still allow you to fully customize your page to your organization.

Plus, they offer a variety of features for stewarding donors after they contribute using your online donation page. This includes sending donors personalized thank you messages and adding them to a new donor communications cadence.

Powerful online giving platforms like Bloomerang + Qgiv enable you to optimize your online donation process with:

• Dynamic, responsive donation buttons to include throughout your website
• Customized online giving forms for general fundraising and specific campaigns
• Ticketing and event tools that empower attendees to make one-time or recurring donations while registering for events
• A robust donor portal where supporters can review their donation history, update their credit card information, and manage their recurring gifts
• Peer-to-peer and crowdfunding tools that put supporters in the fundraising driver’s seat

If you’re interested in upgrading your online donation platform, think strategically about your options. Read reviews and testimonials and request demos for your top options. Make your final decision with the help of team members who will use the platform daily.

2. Include a compelling reason to give.

Use your donation page to remind prospective donors why you’re fundraising and what your goal is. Include a brief description of your fundraising purpose at the top of the page and a compelling image that highlights your mission.

For example, the ASPCA’s donation form includes a succinct description of the ASPCA’s mission to end animal abuse and neglect. It describes how donors’ gifts can help support that mission and make a difference for animals in need. Plus, it includes a carousel of suggested donation amounts with photos of different animals that the organization has helped.

This powerful combination of text and images sparks compassion and empathy in donors, encouraging them to follow through with their intention to give.

3. Connect donation amounts to specific impacts.

Connect specific donation amounts to different impacts that donors can make. This helps donors visualize how their donations actually make a difference. Plus, donors may feel encouraged to give more when they see the additional benefits they can bring to your organization’s work with a higher donation amount.

Take a look at a real-world example of this on the Nashville Food Project’s online donation form. The form lists four suggested donation amounts and how the organization uses those gifts:

These examples are powerful because they’re specific and descriptive. The donation page tells donors exactly how their support will fuel the organization’s mission and also provides an opportunity to review community impact reports to learn more about how donations are used.

4. Brand your donation page to your nonprofit.

Your nonprofit likely put a significant amount of time and effort into developing your branding strategy. You chose your logo, colors, and fonts deliberately to reflect your organization’s mission and values. Then, you incorporated your branding throughout your marketing materials, such as your website, social media, and direct mail.

Similarly, your online donation page should also be fully branded to your organization. A branded donation page reassures donors that they’re giving to the right organization. Plus, it helps spread brand awareness and recognition.

Include the following brand elements on your donation page:

• Logo
• Colors
• Font
• Tone
• Message

For example, the Habitat for Humanity online donation page is branded with the organization’s logo, colors, and imagery:

While visual branding makes your forms easier to recognize, you should also include your organization’s voice on your forms. Include your mission statement on your donation page to inform people exactly what your nonprofit does to help the community. Tell your potential donors how their gift can make a difference in your efforts.

5. Only ask for necessary information.

Keeping your donation form simple and short allows donors to fill out the form as quickly and easily as possible.

Only ask for necessary information such as:

• Names
• Donation amount
• Contact information (to follow up later and thank donors for their gifts)
• Payment details

This information is all you will need to process donors’ gifts and connect with them later to show appreciation and offer more ways to engage with your organization. Only collecting necessary information can also help keep your CRM less cluttered, making it easier to access important donor information.

6. Make your donation form mobile responsive.

Mobile users make up a growing number of online donation transactions, as well as 57% of nonprofit website traffic. Mobile-friendly pages also help your SEO results, making your donation pages easier for your donors to find online.

Look at your donation form in the mobile view to ensure there aren’t any formatting errors that could disrupt the mobile experience. Ask these questions as you review the page:

• Are the images clear and fully visible on the page?
• Is the text large enough to be read on mobile devices?
• Are the form fields easy to click on in the mobile view?
• Does the page load quickly (in three seconds or less)?

If you answered no to any of these questions, review and edit your donation page in the mobile view of your content management system.

7. Ensure your donation page is accessible.

Online accessibility is the process of making websites more inclusive by ensuring that people with permanent or temporary disabilities can use them. Accessibility is essential for making the web more inclusive, but unfortunately, 96.3% of website homepages have accessibility failures.

To increase your online donation form’s accessibility, design it with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) in mind. These guidelines provide clear instructions for making your site more accessible. Here are a few examples of guidelines that apply to nonprofit donation pages:

• Ensure there’s sufficient color contrast between the background and foreground text. Color contrast is the difference in brightness between the background and text. The text should be distinct enough to be easily read, even by individuals who have visual impairments.
• Avoid any flashing or strobing elements. These can create a negative user experience and even cause seizures.
• Include alternative text for images and captions for videos. Alternative text is metadata you can add to each image that describes the image in detail. This ensures that screen readers and search engines can interpret images.
• Label form fields using descriptive text that isn’t inside the fields themselves. This ensures that these descriptions can be read by screen readers and other assistive technologies.

By making your online donation form accessible, you ensure that anyone who wants to donate can do so without barriers. This can support your organization’s wider goals of making all of your opportunities, from donating to volunteering, more accessible for all community members.

8. Use A/B testing to assess different versions of your form.

Use A/B testing to assess how your audience responds to different donation page designs. A/B testing is the process of designing two different versions of your giving form and using website analytics to determine which page had a higher conversion rate.

Consider using different images, suggested donation amounts, and page formats (multipage vs. single page) to determine which options your audience responds best to.

For example, here’s what an A/B image test might look like:

Make sure to just change one page element at a time when conducting A/B tests. This allows you to pinpoint which changes make a difference.

9. Pay attention to aesthetics.

Don’t underestimate the power of a clean, engaging, stylish page design. An aesthetically pleasing donation page can enhance your brand image and provide a better giving experience. Studies have even shown that 81% of people think less of a brand with an outdated website.

Consider incorporating evergreen design trends that make your page timeless. Elements like lots of white space, strong color contrast, and large buttons will always be in style because they’re both streamlined and user-friendly. Adding these elements will ensure that you don’t need to constantly update your giving form to keep up with fleeting trends.

10. Optimize your submit button.

The submit button is the most important call to action (CTA) on your online donation form. It’s the final button donors will click to submit their gift. It should stand out on the page and make it clear that by clicking the button, donors will send their funds to your organization.

Play with the wording and formatting of your submit button. For example, you might try different phrases, such as “Give Now,” “Submit,” or “Donate Now.” Conduct A/B testing to see if one type of wording leads to greater conversions.

You can also try different font styles or button colors to see which option leads to the greatest audience interaction.

11. Use compelling imagery.

Humans are visual creatures—we’re drawn to images, especially ones that feature other humans. Our brains can interpret visual information very quickly, making photos a useful tool to incorporate into your online donation page. Research shows that photos of people are particularly memorable, with an average memorability score of 82 percent, compared to photos of nature at 61 percent.

Choose just one compelling hero image to include in your giving form to remind donors who they will help through their gifts. For example, the Covenant House donation page includes an image representing the young people that the organization supports:

Including just one image keeps the main focus on the giving process while giving donors an inspirational reminder of what their gifts can accomplish. The goal is to create an emotional response to your cause without overwhelming your donors.

12. Include a fundraising thermometer

People are more likely to give if they feel the need for funds is time-sensitive. One way to encourage this sense of urgency is a fundraising thermometer, which helps your donors see how much more you need to raise for your campaign.

Including a fundraising thermometer on your nonprofit donation page increases your donors’ excitement and lets them visualize how much they can help your campaign progress. You can also embed your thermometer on different web pages to share your progress with more of your supporters.

Use a tool like Bloomerang’s free fundraising thermometer generator to develop a visual quickly and easily.

Simple giving process

Your donation page should be streamlined, allowing supporters to complete the form as quickly as possible. Your form should also make it easy for supporters to maximize their giving if they want to. Use these tips to simplify the giving process:

13. Offer suggested giving amounts.

Suggested donations are the giving amounts that you highlight on your donation form to give supporters an idea of the types of donations that will help your organization the most.

Offer a range of suggested donation amounts on your giving page. Base the lowest amount on your median donation amount to eliminate outliers, and set the other numbers at increasing intervals. For example, you might offer a suggested donation range of $25, $50, $100, and $200.

You can also use A/B testing here to determine the giving amounts that result in the most donations. For instance, you might run an experiment by setting two different suggested giving ranges and evaluating which range leads to a higher donation total. You might also try arranging your suggested donations from low to high and high to low to determine which arrangement yields more donations.

14. Use social proof.

Social proof is the social-psychological idea that people imitate the behavior of others to conform to the “right action” in any given situation.

You can subtly incorporate social proof into your giving process to encourage donors to give in specific amounts.

Check out how the CARE online donation form highlights the most popular donation amount within their donation suggestions:

This strategy works because of social proof—the social-psychological idea that people imitate the behaviors of others to conform to the “right action” in any given situation. Giving suggestions make donors feel more comfortable with their donation choice.

Highlighting your most common donation amount can make your donors’ giving decisions even simpler.

15. Spotlight matching gifts.

Highlighting matching gifts on your donation page can be a great way to maximize supporters’ donations. Businesses with these programs match donations that their employees make to nonprofits and other charitable organizations. Companies usually match at a 1:1 ratio, but some match at a 2:1 or even 3:1 basis.

Help donors research their matching gift eligibility by incorporating a matching gift database within your donation process. Embed the database in your giving form, donation confirmation page, or a dedicated matching gift page on your website.

When donors access the database, they’ll research their company’s name to see if their employer offers matching gifts. They’ll be able to review the program’s guidelines, such as the minimum and maximum donation amounts, the match ratio, and employee eligibility rules.

Then, donors will view the next steps for how to apply for a match, such as the forms they’ll need to fill out. After they’ve completed these steps, your organization will benefit from the additional funding that matches will bring in.

You can make the process even simpler by using a matching gift tool that offers autosubmission. Rather than navigating to their companies’ gift-matching portals (which adds time and complexity to the process), donors just need to submit their company emails. The matching gift platform will automatically process the request.

16. Offer multiple payment options.

These days, there are multiple payment options for all types of online transactions, from paying bills to shopping online. Your online donation form should be no different.

Depending on your donation page integration capabilities, you might offer payment options such as:

• Credit/debit card
• PayPal
• Venmo
• Apple Pay
• Google Pay
• Bank transfer

Some of these options may even influence donors to give more. For example, if a donor happens to have $50 in their Venmo balance, they might consider donating the entire amount rather than their initial choice of $30.

Offering a variety of payment options appeals to a wider range of donor payment preferences and helps make the donation process more convenient.

17. Eliminate distractions.

As mentioned, your donation page should be simple and streamlined to keep donors’ focus on giving. Avoid unnecessary distractions like:

• Pop up messages
• GIFs or flashing elements
• Unneeded form fields with irrelevant questions
• Auto-playing videos

These elements can distract donors from their intention to give and lead to a negative user experience.

18. Make it easy to become a recurring donor.

Provide an option for donors to turn their one-time gifts into recurring donations on your donation page. This can be as simple as including a check box that says “Turn my one-time gift into a monthly donation.” For example, look at how the Michael J. Fox Foundation giving form prompts donors to make monthly gifts:

Offer a brief description of your monthly giving program and how it helps your organization. For instance, you might describe how your monthly giving program provides a reliable fundraising source in case your organization has to quickly respond to unexpected challenges. Also, describe any benefits monthly donors receive, such as free merchandise, early event registration, or exclusive publications.

It can be helpful to distinguish your monthly giving program from other fundraising efforts by giving it a unique name. For example, Doctors Without Borders calls its monthly donors “Field Partners.” This title makes monthly donors feel like true partners in working toward the Doctors Without Borders mission. To choose your monthly giving program’s name, consider how you can convey its fundraising purpose clearly and concisely through a unique name.

19. Enhance page performance.

Load speed has a major impact on your donation page’s conversion rate. The likelihood that someone will bounce from your donation page increases by 32% when page load time goes from one to three seconds.

To ensure faster load speeds, enhance your donation page performance with the following tips:

• Compress and optimize images.
• Optimize your code by reducing unused or unneeded characters.
• Enable browser caching to improve load speeds on follow-up visits.

Run your donation page through a testing tool like PageSpeed Insights to understand how it’s performing and identify necessary improvements.

Secure payment tools

Your payment processing tool is the platform you use to process donors’ gifts. A secure, reliable payment gateway enhances donors’ trust in your nonprofit. Enhance your donation page security with these tips:

20. Let donors know what you need their information for.

It’s important to give donors agency throughout the giving process. When they know why your organization needs their data and what you’ll do with the information, they’ll feel more comfortable trusting your nonprofit with that data.

For example, check out how the Girls Who Code donation form keeps donors informed about how the organization uses email information:

The form lets donors know that the organization will use email information to send donors a donation receipt. It also allows donors to opt in or out from receiving future communications.

21. Embed your giving page into your website.

Avoid sending supporters to an unfamiliar third-party website to submit their donations by embedding your giving form directly into your website. This ensures that there are fewer steps involved from when a supporter decides to donate and actually completes the transaction.

Plus, when your online donation form is fully branded to your organization and integrated into your website, supporters will feel more comfortable giving you their sensitive payment information.

22. Use a secure payment processor.

A payment processor is a digital system that allows you to manage financial transactions, such as online donations. Your payment processor should be easy to use, secure, and fully integrated with other tools, such as your CRM.

With a robust payment processor like Bloomeran Payments, you can benefit from features like:

• Daily deposits to your organization’s bank account
• Simple setup
• Integration with your CRM
• PCI compliance
• An option to let donors cover processing fees
• Real-time payment tracking

With these tools, you can track donations and access donor information. Store this information in your CRM to follow up with donors and offer them additional ways to engage.

Donor-friendly content

Donors are the end-users of your online donation page, meaning you should design the form with their preferences and interests in mind. Here are a few strategies for incorporating donor-friendly content into your donation page:

23. Provide information about donor portals.

If you’re still deciding on a new online fundraising platform to invest in, look for a solution that allows donors to create their own accounts in a donor portal. With a donor portal, donors can manage their recurring giving, update their payment information, and view their donation history.

Donor portals give supporters more control over how they support your organization. These portals can also save your staff time since they won’t have to spend time updating donor information themselves.

Use your donation confirmation page or follow-up emails to describe the benefits of creating a donor account and provide instructions on how to do so. You can also allow donors to save their information after inputting it into your giving page to automatically create their accounts. This allows you to get donors into the system right after they make an online contribution.

24. Optimize your donation confirmation page.

The donation confirmation page is your organization’s opportunity to start building long-term relationships with donors, so you should use it to offer supporters additional ways to connect with your nonprofit.

Ensure your confirmation page includes:

• A heartfelt thank-you message
• Social sharing buttons
• Additional ways to get involved, such as by signing up for your email newsletter or checking out your event calendar

Here’s an example of what your confirmation page could look like:

Remember, your confirmation page shouldn’t be the only place you thank donors—you should also send a follow-up email with a longer thank-you message that describes the impact of donors’ gifts, as well as a donation receipt. However, this page represents a crucial first step in the long-term donor stewardship process, so it should be considered an essential element of your online donation process.

25. Use your donation page to collect donor data.

When you use a robust online donation platform (like Bloomerang) to manage your online donation process, you can collect donor information from your giving form and automatically transfer it to your CRM. Then, you can follow up with donors using personalized thank-you messages that include donors’ names and specific donation amounts.

Here’s the information you can store in your CRM for future reference:

• Donors’ preferred names and titles
• Donors’ specific donation amounts
• Donors’ payment information (to have on hand if supporters want to make another donation or if there are any issues processing their donations)

By storing this information, you can follow up with donors and continue stewarding them after they give online. This can lead to more donations from these supporters in the future.

26. Customize your form field options

Find a donation page tool that allows you to create customized fields for your donors, but keep your form as simple as possible. Offer custom fields for tribute or memorial donations to be made in someone’s name or create fields for additional details you may need to collect from your donors, such as volunteer options. For example, here’s an example of a memorial giving option on the Humane Society of Broward County giving page:

To keep your donation pages simple while asking for extra information, use conditional logic. With conditional logic, some fields will stay hidden unless a donor answers a different field to provide more information. For example, if your donor chooses to hear about volunteer opportunities, you can add a conditional logic field to ask for their phone number or other details.

Another way to add custom fields while keeping forms easy to fill out is to use multi-step forms. Multi-step forms allow you to ask for information in chunks rather than in one long form, which makes the form feel less complicated for your donors to go through while still being able to collect extra information.

27. Allow donors to choose where their donation goes

Your donors want to know where their money is going and how their generosity helps to further your cause. Give your donors the option to choose a specific project within your organization that they want their gift to go toward within your donation page. This ensures your donors’ gifts help the projects most important to them.

With a multi-restriction system, you can give your donors the option of picking further sub-restrictions within the project they decide to support. For example, if your organization works in different locations, your donors can choose which area receives the funds for the project they decide to support.

Easy sharing options

After designing an optimized online donation form, your work is not done. You’ll also need to find creative ways to promote the form to a wider audience. Try these promotional strategies to increase awareness and engagement with your donation page:

28. Promote your donation page using Google Ads.

Google Ads are the sponsored search results that appear at the top of the page for certain search terms.

For example, take a look at this sponsored ad from the ASPCA that appears when you search “donate to animal shelter”:

Promoting your donation page via Google Ads is an effective way to reach an audience of people searching for terms relevant to your nonprofit’s mission.

As a nonprofit, you may also be eligible for the Google Ad Grant, which offers $10,000 per month in free Google advertising to qualifying organizations. Eligible organizations must hold 501(c)(3) status, have a functioning website with valuable content, and agree to the program’s requirements.

Optimize your Google Ad strategy by choosing high-volume, relevant keywords to target, creating compelling content for your ads, and tracking your conversion rate and click-through rate to assess your progress.

29. Optimize your website’s CTAs.

Include call-to-action (CTA) buttons on your homepage, blog posts, about page, and event pages that lead users to your online donation form.

Ensure these buttons are bold, with contrasting colors and compelling text urging website visitors to “GIVE NOW” or “DONATE.”

Take a look at this effective example from the Freedom Service Dogs of America website:

The large, red “DONATE” button stands out against the white background and smaller main menu items at the top of the page.

30. Share your donation form on all marketing platforms.

The more platforms you use to share your donation page, the more potential donors you can reach. Promote your digital donation form by:

• Including a link to it in your social media bios
• Incorporating the link into your social media posts
• Sharing the link in your email outreach
• Adding a QR code to your direct mail that leads to the form

This gives donors plenty of ways to connect, whether they’re using their mobile device or laptop or checking the mail.

31. Include social sharing options.

Incorporate social media sharing buttons that make it easy for supporters to share the page with their networks. For instance, as mentioned, your donation confirmation page should offer social media buttons so donors can share their donations with their family members and friends online.

Incentivize donors to share your donation link by commenting on their posts to thank them or entering their names into a prize drawing.

32. Incorporate your donation page into fundraising campaigns.

In addition to promoting your giving form in day-to-day social media posts, emails, and letters, you can also include it in specific fundraising campaigns to drive revenue.

Link to the form throughout fundraising initiatives such as:

• Giving days (like Giving Tuesday)
• Virtual or in-person fundraising events
• Crowdfunding campaigns

You should also encourage supporters to share your donation page link when you’re hosting an online campaign, such as a peer-to-peer fundraising campaign or social media video challenge.

33. Follow up with donors after they give.

After a donor gives for the first time via your online donation page, use their contact information to start forming long-term relationships with them.

Keep donors engaged by:

• Sending a welcome email series to introduce them to your nonprofit
• Inviting donors to participate in upcoming events or volunteer opportunities
• Showing donors the impact of their gifts by sharing statistics or testimonials from community members

Stewarding new donors is an essential part of retaining them for the long haul. Personalize your messages to new donors using their names and referencing their past interactions or donation amounts. This shows donors that your nonprofit sees them as individuals.

How can nonprofits set up a donation page?

Now that you’ve reviewed essential best practices to keep in mind for building your donation page, you’re ready to start designing the form. But how can you turn your plans into reality?

Setting up your donation page first requires investing in an online donation platform that enables you to create an unlimited number of fundraising forms with the help of a user-friendly interface. We recommend Bloomerang + Qgiv, a powerful platform that combines the best of donor management and fundraising tools into one intuitive system.

Follow these steps to use Bloomerang + Qgiv to design your compelling donation page:

Step 1: Determine whether you want your form to be a single-page or multi-step form.

Qgiv enables both styles—either option can work based on your preferences.

Step 2: Choose your suggested donation amounts.

Use the best practices above, such as basing suggestions around your median donation amount, to set reasonable suggestions on your giving form.

Step 3: Select recurring giving frequencies.

Qgiv enables giving frequencies of weekly, every other week, monthly, quarterly, semiannually, and annually. You can choose to offer all of these options or just a few.

Step 4: Brand the page to your nonprofit.

Add your logo, brand colors, and a background or header image.

Step 5: Add custom and conditional fields.

You can add custom fields to the second step of the form (called “donor details”) or the third step (called “additional details”). We recommend including just one or two custom fields to keep the form streamlined. Choose from multiple field types including free-form responses, checkboxes, drop-downs, and multiple selection. Ask supporters anything you want to know about, whether their interest in volunteering, their T-shirt size, or their dietary restrictions.

Step 6: Add images to different donation amounts.

Show donors the true impact of their gifts by adding real photos that illustrate the positive effects of giving at different levels. For example, you could show an image of one child being helped for your lowest donation amount and a photo of a group of children for your highest suggestion.

Step 7: Optimize your donation confirmation page and receipts.

Make your confirmation page more engaging by adding images, a video, and social sharing widgets.

Customize your email receipts by adding images, incorporating your branding, and featuring a unique, compelling subject line. You can also use tags to automatically input donor information like their names and gift amounts.

Step 8: Embed your donation form into your website.

Qgiv users who embed their donation forms into their websites see a 2.4x increase in overall donation conversion rates, one-time donation conversion rates, and recurring donation conversion rates.