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Intelligence
Making a Difference Online: What Really Matters to Potential Donors

Intelligence

Making a Difference Online: What Really Matters to Potential Donors

Nov 02, 2005By Michael Stoner

By Michael Stoner

If you have doubts about the importance of the web in online giving, just listen to Paul Hackett. You may have heard about Hackett, an Iraq War veteran who ran as a Democrat in a solidly Republican Ohio congressional district—and almost won. Bloggers supporting Hackett helped to generate more than $500,000 for his campaign, more than he received from the Democratic party. (For fascinating coverage of the online campaign, check out Mother Jones.)

The importance of your website as a centerpiece of your fundraising strategy is underscored by research summarized in the Kintera/Luth Nonprofit Trend Report in June 2005. One of the important findings: More than 75 percent of donors who go online before making a donation noted that their web visit had some impact on their decision whether or not to give, whether online or offline. More than 25 percent said the impact was significant. (You can get a copy of this report here.)

Note the key words in that sentence: “whether online or offline.” To provide a true ROI on your giving website, you can’t just measure click-throughs and fulfillment of an online giving form. Those things are important, but what you really want to know is whether your donors—including those who wrote checks or called in a credit card pledge—used your website in determining whether to give, and how the site could be more useful to them.

Know what you don’t know

And you know what? You can’t just assume that you know what will make a difference.

This fact is confirmed over and over again in usability tests and research. Take, for instance, research conducted by Network for Good, The Bridegespan Group, and Guidestar into how donors interacted with nonprofit websites. Here’s how visitors ranked the importance of various website characteristics:

1. Significant content about cause
2. Info about how donations are spent
3. Easy to use
4. Info about how to get further involved
5. Become a member
6. How to advocate for a cause
7. Volunteer opportunities
8. Visually pleasing
9. Donate online
10. Memorable URL
11. Forum for discussion

In contrast, when nonprofit staff were asked to rank the same characteristics, there were some notable disconnects. For instance, nonprofit staff ranked “Info about how donations are spent” as 7th in importance, and ranked “visually pleasing” third. While nonprofit staff thought donating online was important, ranking it sixth, donors were much less interested in this feature, focusing more on information about the organization. (Don Howard and Ken Weber, “Towards e‑engagement: Nonprofits and individuals engaging online,” 9 March 2003.)

There’s a clear message here. Donors are using Google or an email link or other prompts to find your site, so don’t worry so much about a clever URL for your giving pages. Once on the site, these visitors are very pragmatic in the way they use it. More than just an option for online giving, they want information about impact, they want it quickly, they want to get involved—either by doing something or, at least, by becoming a member. 

I’ve long believed that donors use the information on your website to validate their giving decisions. They want to know that what they give you will make a difference for students, faculty, and other community members. It’s up to you to provide the information they need to confirm their choice to invest in your institution.


  • Michael Stoner Co-Founder and Co-Owner Was I born a skeptic or did I become one as I watched the hypestorm gather during the dotcom years, recede, and congeal once more as we come to terms with our online, social, mobile world? Whatever. I'm not much interested in cutting edge but what actually works for real people in the real world. Does that make me a bad person?