By Alan Sharpe, CFRE
To generate more donations from your website, think like Wal-Mart.
If you visit a Wal-Mart looking for a spare tire, you don’t walk in the doors looking for a sign that says “Spare Tires.” You look for a sign that says “Automotive.”
You don’t want “Housewares,” “Fashions,” or “Electronics.” You walk towards the sign that says “Automotive,” and when you get there, you look for a wall of tires. When you see those, you know you’ve arrived. Shoppers who can’t find what they want in one store leave for another. That’s why retailers spend millions of dollars each year on improving their wayfinding, store layout and signage. Walk into a Wal-Mart today and you’ll notice two things about the store layout: 1. Wal-Mart has clearly delineated grocery from general merchandise, and 2. they’ve established strong sightlines into key departments.
Do the same for your donors.
When donors and potential donors land at your website ready to make a donation, they hunt for a button that says Donate. They don’t come looking for a button that says “Support Our Cause,” or “Foundation” or “Donor Links” or “Giving.” They come looking for a button that says “Donate.” Not “Donations” the noun, but “Donate,” the imperative. Put that button where your donors will find it quickly.
And make sure that when someone clicks your Donate button, they’re taken immediately to the Donate page. Don’t take them to one of those pages that says “Why you should donate” or “Our foundation needs your support” or “23 reasons to consider giving to your local hospital.” If they’ve clicked your Donate button, they’re ready to donate. Take them directly to the form where they put in their first name, last name, address, credit card.
And don’t give donors a detour. Don’t take them to Housewares when they want Automotive. Don’t have a distracting pop-up that asks them to take a survey. Take them right to the page where they give you their credit card information.
So put your donors one click away from a donation, since they are already one click away from your competitors.
Online Fundraising Secrets
Learn the latest tactics for attracting website visitors and raising money online with compelling webpages, irresistible email appeals and engaging email newsletters.
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