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    Church Website Best Practices - Entries tagged "Online Giving"

    Home - Blog - Church Website Best Practices - Entries tagged "Online Giving"
    MonMondayJunJune6th2011 4 Questions Donors Want Answered Before They Give on Your Ministry Website
    Posted Monday, June 06 2011 @ 9 AM byBryan Young Tagged Best Practices for Church Websites Online Giving 0 comments Add comment
    According to a website usability study by Jakob Nielsen, potential donors consistently want the same questions answered when determining whether or not they will give online. In most cases, if website visitors have to look hard to answer these questions, they become frustrated and may be swayed not to give.

    Considering that nonprofits receive around 10% of donations online, and estimates say they'll constitute the majority of donations by 2020, websites should be as donor-friendly as possible. Here are the three questions donors want answered before they give and how you can answer them.

    1. What are you trying to achieve?

    Every website visitor wants to know who you are and what you value. This is why the About page is consistently the second most visited page on any website (behind the home page). Make it easy for potential donors to determine what you value and why you exist.
    • Write a brief description of who you are on your home page, using keywords to get your point across.
    • Create a page that outlines your mission, your beliefs, and your goals (or a separate page for each).
    • Use graphics or ads to direct people to these pages.
    • Write news stories or blogs showing what your ministry has done and what its doing.

    2. How do you use donations?

    Detailing what donations are used for is a great way to gain credibility with potential donors. Create a pie chart or list detailing what percentage of donations go to operating costs, specific aspects of ministry, staffing, and other costs. Donors' minds will be set at ease once they learn where their money goes and will be more likely to contribute.

    3. How can I give?

    It is important to explain, in clear and concise writing, the different ways in which they can give. On websites where users left without giving, 53% were frustrated with content--unclear writing, missing information or confusing terms.

    Without using jargon or obscure language, make sure you cover these topics (if you accept these types of donations):
    • Automatic, recurring giving (which encourages more giving over time)
    • Non-monetary donations
    • Giving in wills
    • Giving by check or money order, through the mail
    • Giving over the phone

    4. Where do I give?

    Surprisingly, Nielsen's study found that donors couldn't find where to give on 17% of the websites used. Using a simplistic home page design with minimal banners, ads, and graphics is one way to avoid this problem. To avoid "banner blindness," limit your graphics to only your key calls-to-action. And, of course, make "Give" or "Donate" clear in your navigation.

    A CMS, like iMinistries, can help your online giving

    By using the features that come built into each iMinistries website, you can take steps toward improving your online giving.
    • Integrated giving forms: accept online donations from credit and debit cards with your brand front-and-center
    • Ads and banners: post graphics to make your calls to action more compelling
    • PayPal: now you can accept donations from this provider

    LEARN MORE ABOUT ONLINE GIVING

    4 Calls to Action Your Church Website Should Have - iMinistries Blog
    4 Online Giving Study Findings To Apply To Your Church Website - iMinistries Blog
    Donation Usability: Increasing Online Giving to Non-Profits and Charities - UseIt.com

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    Want to see how our features can help increase online giving? Sign up for a 15-day free trial account which will give you a few days to use all of the features available to our paying clients. There's no risk and no obligation. Who knows, you might even enjoy the new control you have over your very own website.

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    MonMondayAprApril11th2011 4 Online Giving Study Findings To Apply To Your Church Website
    Posted Monday, April 11 2011 @ 9 AM byBryan Young Tagged Best Practices for Church Websites Online Giving 0 comments Add comment
    Network for Good, the online giving website for nonprofit organizations, recently conducted a study of their online donations, and the resulting data can be very useful for ministries seeking donations on their websites.

    From 2003-2009, the donor and volunteer recruiting website for nonprofits received over $381 million in donations from over 3.6 million individual gifts. Looking primarily at the online giving process, they came to some conclusions (and varified some previous theories) with the data they collected.

    Here are the four biggest truths and how you can apply them to your church or ministry website.

    Truth #1: Relationships influence giving

    The act of donating money is highly emotion-driven, so donors naturally want to feel a connection to the ministry they give to. People want to know they are supporting a cause or mission, not just a cold website or faceless organization. Your ministry or church website has to go beyond just providing a place for a monetary transaction. It has to fortify a relationship.

    Here are a few ways to make sure your website connects with donors:
    • Make your mission clear
      Provide your users a page that explains your ministry values, beliefs, and goals. Make it simple to understand, but try to appeal to your readers at an emotional level.

    • Use imagery and stories to promote your cause
      Pictures and stories of the people your ministry has helped or wants to help can give a face to your ministry's mission. People want to know they're giving to other people, not just an organization.

    • Brand your giving pages
      Loyalty is very important for online donors. This study showed donors give 66.7% more on clearly-branded giving pages.

    Truth #2: The online giving experience can help or hurt donations

    It makes sense that the relationship between donor and recipient is significantly impacted by the giving process. If a donor's giving experience is frustrating, difficult to understand, or too long, they may be less likely to give online again. And, transversely, if the giving experience is easy and emotionally fulfilling, donors may be more likely to return.

    How can you make the giving experience more positive?
    • Make it obvious
      Big "Donate Now" button; "Giving" in your navigation

    • Make it quick and easy
      If you have 12 ways to give, a page that describes each in 1-2 sentences is less overwhelming than explaining each completely on one page. Also, having an 8-part form to slog through is not overly enjoyable.

    • Make it satisfying
      After donors click "submit," make sure your "thank you" page expresses your appreciation for their donation. Let them feel like an important partner in accomplishing your mission.
    "The more intimate and emotionally coherent the giving experience, the stronger the relationship between donor and nonprofit appears to be. Small improvements to the online experience can make a big difference in donations." --Network for Good Online Giving Study

      Truth #3: Recurring giving encourages more giving over time

      It is easier for donors to commit once to a long-term, repeating gift than it is for them to visit your website every month for one-time donations. Giving users this option will accomplish two goals for you:
      • It will increase overall giving, simply from convenience
      • It will help build a positive relationship with your donors
      Monthly recurring giving is the most popular option, but giving donors more choices (bimonthly, weekly, quarterly) can't hurt.

      Truth #4: More giving occurs during work hours, in December, and after big disasters

      Being prepared for year-end giving is essential for any ministry or church seeking online donations from donors they have established relationships with, while large disasters give more opportunities for new donors.

      Creating a giving campaign for December can never go wrong, either to remind donors to fulfill giving commitments or to notify donors of your end-of-year need. And special campaigns centered around your ministry's response to a disaster can make you more visible to donors who may not normally give to your mission.

      Utilizing your website and e-newsletters for these campaigns can help you achieve your giving goals. Since most donations occur on weekdays between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m., e-newsletters would be more effective if sent during these times.

      A CMS, like iMinistries, can help your online giving

      By using the features that come built into each iMinistries website, you can take steps toward improving your online giving.
      • Integrated giving forms: accept online donations from credit and debit cards with your brand front-and-center
      • Ads and banners: post graphics to make your calls to action more compelling
      • PayPal: now you can accept donations from this provider

        Free Trial

        Want to see how our features can help increase online giving? Sign up for a 15-day free trial account which will give you a few days to use all of the features available to our paying clients. There's no risk and no obligation. Who knows, you might even enjoy the new control you have over your very own website.

        Create Your Free Trial Account
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