Higher average gifts: 6 simple tricks for Online Giving!

Are you wondering how to turn your donation form into a powerful tool for maximising donations? The answer lies in optimising your donation grid! In this article, you’ll discover 6 simple tips for increasing your average donation amount through your donation grid. 

Learn how to guide donors towards choices that simplify their giving experience and help you raise money for your organisation. Whether you're looking to guide donors towards higher amounts, personalise the giving experience to suit your donor segments or leverage social proof to boost contributions. These tips will help you maximise the impact of your online fundraising efforts!

1. Tailor your online donation forms to your donor segments

2. Propose recommended amounts on your donation grid

3. Propose a "most popular amount" on your donation grid

4. Highlight donation equivalences on your donation form

5. Use A/B testing on your donation form

6. Showcase a "latest donor banner" to inspire future donations 

1. Tailor your online donation forms to your donor segments 

When it comes to making a donation, your different donor segments have multiple needs! For example, new donors may need more information about your cause and reassurance when they make their donation.

Recurring donors, on the other hand, are more familiar with your cause and more committed to your organisation, since they have already made one-off donations. As a result, less information about your mission will be needed, but you can offer them higher donation options in the donation grid! By knowing their donation history, you can include higher amounts (10 to 20% more than their previous donations). 

So instead of having just one donation form, consider having several grids tailored to different donor segments. By tailoring your donation forms to the needs of your donors, you'll make their giving experience easier, and may encourage a higher average donation!

This does not mean that you have to create a unique donation page for each donor. Instead, you can use your CRM solution to segment your donor base into groups based on their previous donations (or other relevant demographic information you have). Then direct them to donation forms that match their profile and expectations!

2. Propose recommended amounts on your donation grid.

Recommended amounts represent a significant opportunity to increase the average donation you collect! Donors are often inclined to contribute more when they are guided by suggested amounts with predefined values.

To determine the amounts recommended on your donation forms, start by carefully analysing your donors' data, to determine donation trends. For example, if your average donation was €30 last year, it would be wise to suggest slightly higher amounts, such as €10; €35 or €50. People who want to donate €30 are more likely to increase their donation to €35 than reduce it to €10.

In addition, it is advisable to position the preferred donation amount second in your donation grid. This strategic arrangement takes into account people's natural tendency to avoid extremes, while encouraging them to opt for a higher amount than the minimum proposed.

Finally, be sure to offer donors the option of choosing a personalised amount. This option ensures that each donor feels respected in their ability to contribute, according to their own means, giving them control over their contribution.

Please note that in emergency appeals, personalised amounts are generally higher than recommended amounts. All the more reason to let your donors choose their own amount! 

Finally, you should know that by suggesting specific donation amounts, you're making it easier for your donors to give and to make decisions! Instead of choosing a donation amount themselves, they can simply select one from those you suggest. This makes them more likely to make a donation because the whole experience is easier!

In this way, you also increase the likelihood that they will choose a higher amount than if they were faced with a grid without any recommendations. Donors will often be prepared to give a few extra euros because they are satisfied with a smooth and pleasant donation experience!

3. Propose a "most popular amount" on your donation grid

The most popular amount widget highlights the amount that is more often given to your nonprofit organisation when people donate online. When you use the "most popular amount" widget on your donation page, you are tapping into social conformity psychology. Potential donors will be influenced by the actions of other donors and will be more likely to choose the recommended popular amount.

By choosing the amount you want highlighted on your donation grid, you can effectively guide potential donors towards more generous contributions towards your not-for-profit organisation.

4. Highlight donation equivalences on your donation form

As well as helping your donors to visualise the impact of their donation, donation equivalents can help you increase your average donation. Put yourself in the shoes of someone who wants to donate to your cause. They see different donation amounts, accompanied by images and concrete explanations, under each one. This approach can encourage donors to choose higher donation amounts, because they realise that their contribution will have a greater impact on your organisation's mission! 

So don't hesitate to promote donation equivalents, see how UK for UNHCR does it on their online donation platform.

By informing your donors about what each donation amount could actually achieve for your cause, you help them visualise the direct impact of their contribution. For example, you could say that a donation of €50 could provide a family with meals for a week. Or that a donation of €100 would help fund a child's education for a month.

This principle of specificity anchors the donation in reality, making the donation process more tangible and meaningful for the donor.

5. Use A/B testing on your donation form

You have probably heard of, and tried A/B testing before. This method allows you to test several variants of the same object, to determine which generates the best results.

When applied to your online donation form, this means testing different versions to see which one raises more funds or achieves the highest conversion rate.

So why not use A/B testing for your next online fundraising campaign? You can test several elements of your form, such as the amounts proposed, the layout of the donation options, the colours and visuals used, and your call-to-actions. You can even test different wording to see what encourages donors most to give generously.

Using this method on your donation form is a great way to optimise your campaigns and increase donations. Want to learn how Les Restos du Cœur boosted donations by 47% with A/B testing? Read our case study!

6. Showcase a "latest donor banner" to inspire future donations. 

Setting up the "latest donations banner" allows recent donations to be displayed live. This creates a sense of urgency and community around your cause, encouraging other donors to get involved. By showing that others are actively supporting your cause, you build credibility and trust with potential donors, encouraging them to give more generously, based on social proof.

The banner is updated automatically, displaying the latest incoming donations. Don't forget that you can choose the amount above which donations are displayed, which helps to increase the average donation! This way you create an encouraging environment, helping to increase your fundraising!

By incorporating these 6 tactics into your online donation collection strategy, you can not only increase the average donation you raise, but also strengthen your donors' commitment to your cause. From personalising recommended amounts to using social proof, each strategy offers unique possibilities for optimising your donation grid and inspiring more generous contributions. 

For more tips on how to increase your regular donations and achieve your online fundraising goals more effectively, take a look at our article: 9 tips for increasing your regular donations.