Five Excuses for Not Donating Online
14 March 2013 at 9:26 am
A Not for Profit’s website is sort of like an open-invite party – everyone’s invited but does but anyone show up? More so, do those who show up stick around?
Is there anything worse than hosting a party and having all your guests leave early because it was that bad?!
We’ve all been to that party. The one where the decorations were bare minimum. The nibbles were less than satisfactory. You were the only there in your age bracket by at least 15 years. From the moment you walked in the door you were already planning your escape route.
Like a good party, your website needs to be well-planned and strategically put on or else your party guests (i.e. your potential and existing supporters) will have nothing but excuses to leave early, long before the main event. Here are five excuses you can eliminate now:
1. The “I got lost” excuse
Too many supporters are receiving directions to “parties not found” on our websites. Broken links, like bad directions, will only send supporters astray. Triple check those newsletters, test hot links, and make sure party guests have no chance of showing up at the wrong place. Not even Google can help direct people to a non-existent address.
2. The “it doesn’t seem like my kind of party” excuse
Who do you want to come to your website? What age are they? What interests do they have? How tech savvy are they? Now consider who is coming to your website now. Is it the party guest you hoped for? The design, structure and content of your website should be a good fit for your target audience. That way when supporters show up, it will be exactly their kind of party.
3. The “this party is boring” excuse
The most common excuse anyone leaves a party early is that it was uninteresting – websites can be a lot like that. A few thoughts to improve the liveliness of a website: interactive design, fresh content on a regular basis, and social media plugins. Give supporters a reason to stick around – a story to read, a video to watch, or a conversation to engage in. Then, keep them coming back for more.
4. The “eh, same party is going on next week” excuse
Something sets a Not for Profit apart from the other thousands of Not for Profits. Is it your mission statement? Your funding model? Whatever it is, make it known on your website. Also, how urgent are your calls-to-action? Don’t let a potential donor leave because they think next week is just as good of a time to donate as now.
5. The “party-host isn’t that friendly” excuse
Your website should welcome supporters with open arms. But it’s much harder to welcome them when your arms are only open to desktop users. In today’s digitally-connected world, it’s absolutely critical your website is mobile-friendly or the 60% of your guests coming to your website on their phones and iPads will have a visible excuse to bounce early.
A website is a Not for Profit’s most valuable online asset. Use it to host the best party possible, inviting supporters to something time-worthy, cause-worthy and donation-worthy.
About the author: Lindsey Talerico-Hedren is a senior strategist with digital agency ntegrity. She blogs at lindseytalerico.com and tweets from @LindseyTalerico.
