The ultimate donation page checklist

Over half (53%) of people now prefer digital wallets over traditional payment methods, making it crucial to toggle the digital wallet option on in your Classy Manager payments portal to enable these conversion-boosting donation experiences. Classy platform data shows donations are up to 50% faster and gift amounts are up to 64% higher when these options are available.

Knowing that 40% of visitors abandon a webpage if it takes longer than 3 seconds to load, Classy Studio is optimized for speed with server-side rendering, lazy load content hierarchies, and minimal JavaScript bundles. Each additional second of load time decreases conversion rates by an average of 4% within the first five seconds, so we recommend compressing images, avoiding non-essential video, and using minimal custom code. Be aware that Google Tag Manager can increase load times based on the tags you set up.

Minimizing the steps needed to donate can increase conversion rates by as much as 2.4 times. Classy Studio’s dedicated checkout streamlines this process, automatically prefilling addresses, billing, and contact information for mobile wallet donations. For other payment methods, Google Maps’ search and autocomplete features reduce friction.

If your donation form isn’t embedded, the next best action is to reduce the number of steps and information required to complete a donation.

Although not required to launch your page, your CRM should be integrated and tested to ensure automatic and seamless data transfer from your landing page so you can effectively utilize donor information and nurture supporters. Classy Manager securely stores all essential donor, campaign, and transaction data and makes it easily accessible. Then, Classy’s API and CRM integrations further facilitate this process, allowing you to segment and engage donors for future marketing, stewardship, and fundraising campaigns.

Recent A/B testing by Cro Metrics revealed that displaying security symbols on a nonprofit’s donation page increased the average gift by 5%. On Classy, all pages automatically display SSL certificates, and a built-in trust icon ensures donors that every transaction is secure and encrypted. You can also customize your page with additional trust badges and a branded domain. Classy’s internal data shows that donation pages with a branded domain experience a 2-point increase in conversion rates compared to non-branded domains.

Optimizing your landing page with relevant keywords in H1 titles, alt text, and body copy can increase your brand’s presence and improve search engine rankings. Classy Studio’s predefined H1 element helps keep SEO a priority. And while time-based campaigns may have less impact on organic search, proper optimization can enhance your quality score, affecting ad costs and placement.

Ensuring your nonprofit’s donation page is accessible is crucial, as over 1 billion people worldwide have a disability. By aligning with WCAG 2.1 AA standards, incorporating keyboard and screen reader compatibility, providing alt text, maintaining color contrast, and optimizing the mobile experience, Classy Studio pages create inclusive experiences that benefit everyone.

Tip: When using text over a hero image, make sure it’s clear and easy to read. Use the background color and opacity slider options in Studio to create the right contrast.

Generic ask amounts can alienate donors, deterring particular cohorts with a one-size-fits-all approach. To tailor your appeals to each donor’s unique giving history and characteristics, keep Intelligent Ask Amounts enabled to provide a real-time, personalized ask amount for every donor who arrives on your donation forms. Classy and Cro Metrics A/B tests have shown an 11% increase in donation revenue when using this feature.

A confusing or cluttered landing page can frustrate potential donors and add friction to their giving process. That’s why we’ve optimized the header and footer links on Classy Studio pages to keep visitors on track. We recommend embedding a donation form on your website and publishing pages dedicated solely to giving. On these pages, ensure the structure is intuitive and clear and keeps all calls to action focused on donating. Use Classy’s donation form block and impact tiles, and avoid links to other pages or resources.

According to Classy’s internal data, recurring donors are nine times more valuable than one-time donors. That’s why Classy Studio makes it easy to include one-time and recurring options on your donation forms. Turn off one-time donations on your dedicated recurring campaigns, or include an impact tile dedicated to recurring as a secondary call to action on campaigns eliciting general funding. Classy’s Giving Cart enables you to further rethink traditional appeals by offering supporters the flexibility to add one-time and recurring gifts in a single donation experience.

Your page’s goal should be immediately clear to visitors. Use Classy Studio’s prebuilt layouts to create a hero section with a strong, engaging headline that captures attention within seconds and directs users toward the primary objective of the page. This clarity helps drive conversions and keeps your audience focused on your main goal.

Ensure your CTAs are action-oriented, with at least one above the fold. Use Classy Studio’s “Donation form above the fold” layout to ensure visitors can take immediate action.

Classy and Cro Metrics have consistently found that cohesion from acquisition to donation significantly improves conversion rates and enhances brand awareness. For page variants that align with your ads, appeals, or audience segments, quickly duplicate them in Classy Studio and update the copy, colors, or imagery while maintaining the core appeal.

If someone skims your landing page and does not clearly understand the impact and value of their donation, they will likely bounce. Classy Studio’s impact tiles uniquely showcase the outcome of each donation. Use them to link specific donation amounts to particular initiatives or services, or to highlight impactful programs the donation will support.

Potential donors should feel secure and confident in their decision to contribute. By prominently showcasing testimonials and other trust signals on your page, you build credibility and reassure donors of your organization’s legitimacy and impact.

Engaging storytelling can deeply connect with potential donors, making your cause more relatable and compelling. By integrating narratives that showcase the real-world impact of your nonprofit’s work, you can evoke emotions and drive action. This strategy helps donors see the tangible difference their contributions make, fostering a stronger connection and encouraging generosity.

Displaying recent donations and acknowledging donors by name, similar to trust signals and testimonials, fosters a sense of community and confidence. To foster this within your supporter base, livestream collective impact with an activity feed to build connection and viral support. Currently available for legacy crowdfunding campaigns, a next-generation version of activity feeds will be coming to Classy Studio in the coming months. If donors prefer to maintain their privacy, offer an option for anonymous donations, which won’t display their names in the activity feed.

Drag, drop, and edit progress metrics anywhere on your pages for real-time, responsive updates that motivate supporters to act quickly and drive collective impact. With Classy Studio, you can also add progress metrics on thank-you pages to maintain momentum, showing donors how their gifts help achieve your goals and encouraging them to share with their networks. Additionally, new sponsor matching capabilities allow you to set match multipliers of 2x, 3x, and 4x, and specify a minimum amount to qualify for a match, incentivizing higher donations.

Before launching, ensure you have a structured plan to thank donors and keep them involved. This should start with a thank-you page and donation receipt email. Use Studio’s drag-and-drop builder to create the ideal thank-you page for each giving experience, adding a secondary CTA to become a recurring donor, fundraise on your behalf, or learn more about your mission. Enhance your thank-you page with prebuilt social sharing widgets, inviting a continuation of donors’ engagement. For your donation receipt email, add compelling copy and include additional CTAs using Classy’s Email Studio. This allows for a consistent experience from checkout to follow up.

While these checklist items are general nonprofit best practices, each audience segment may react differently. After launching a new landing page, implement a conversion rate optimization (CRO) roadmap to maximize donations and adapt to the changing donor landscape.

BONUS TEST IDEA: We’ve seen a 34% increase in additional donations with an immediate post-donation ask. One example of how this might work would be adding a call to action on your thank-you page asking for a recurring donation and linking to a page dedicated solely to recurring giving. Studio makes it easy to create these variations for testing. Additionally, Classy continuously A/B tests our experiences and rolls out winning variations.