How to build a donation page that generates maximum donations

I plan to evaluate the Reform sites and translate the evaluations into ratings for donation effectiveness, and assign winners for most effective online donation channel. "Most likely to get a donation and pull ahead".

The Reform site design principles I came up with after evaluating the donation pages of all the sites are the same conclusions as are discussed in slightly more detail, for all charity sites, at Hitdonate.net, an excellent site you should study. Drug policy reform sites are *typical* of all charity sites in the universally poor, careless, ineffective design of their donation pages, which typically generate only 1/3 of 1 percent as much funding as traditional, non-online donations. Hitdonate.net explains what to do about it. My lists here are effectively a summary of the first changes you should consider making.

Hitdonate.net

Home
Online fundraising today
Sites that work
The user experience
Establishing trust
Designing content
Asking for money
Encourage repeat visits
Streamlining the process
Donor relationship
Everything else

Links for online fundraising and design
Listserv for hitdonate.net
Contact hitdonate.net

Checklist for improving your site effectiveness

[to do: organize]

• Registered at http://www.guidestar.org/search/index.adp (for use via http://www.helping.org)?
• Registered *properly* at guidestar?

  Elements that need to be included in the Donations page

• Why the current donation design conventions are a complete failure
• Why donating to Reform organizations has become very cool, trendy and happening
• Why the page needs to convey that donating to Reform organizations has become very cool, trendy and happening
• Why sending money is the most extremely potent action for most people
• Why reform largely comes down to donations as the bottom-line bottleneck
• Explain how reform largely comes down to donations as the bottom-line bottleneck
• Explain how sending money is the most extremely potent action for most people
• Point out that sending money is the most extremely potent action for most people
• Ask visitors to propagate the donation link across the Net
• The full vision of bootstrapping momentum across the net: web sites, email/listservs, and newsgroups
• Why the page needs to have step-by-step instructions for propagating the donation URL
• The potential donations lost so far and the amount of potential future donations
• Why marketing language and perspective is required
• Separate the join/membership page and the donation page
• Provide a Donations phone number
• Show a phone number for donations communication
• Accept donations over the phone

  Discoverability

• Make the donation link on the home page far more visible than a small link
• Make the donation link from other pages worded explicitly and unambiguously, and do not say "Join"
• Make the donation page easier than easy to find (unmissable), from all pages of the site
• All pages of the site must have a highly visible link to the Donations page

  Tax deduction, Registered Charity

• Provide information about tax deduction
• State whether it is a tax deductible 50x (y) organization
• Make the organization should be a tax deductible 50x (y) org
• List the organization in the charities coordination sites

  Secure form

• Provide an online form to send arbitrary amounts electronically
• Use a secure page
• Clearly emphasize that the page is secure

  Strongly solicit lots of donations

• Specifically invite multiple donations
• Explain how to send a pure donation without "joining" or "membership" considerations

  Clear full mailing address

• Show a street address to send donations to

  Dedicated email address for donations

• Provide an email address for donations
• Make the donations email address a dedicated and explicit address
• Show an email address for donations communication
• Set up a dedicated "donations" email address
• Explain why sending money is taking potent action
• Provide a link to the organization's financial reports
• Make the page URL contain "contribute" or "donat"
• Provide clear injunctions or instructions about what to do to send a donation
• Provide a clear connection between the solicitation for help and the explanation of how to send money
• Explain what various contribution amounts will accomplish
• Enable monthly payments through the page
• Lay out the donation information clearly in a skimable way with headings
• Provide a FAQ to answer all possible questions that are potential microbarriers preventing donating
• Enable and describe making a very quick spontaneous contribution
• Explain how to set up bank-site online "bill auto-pay"
• Provide a compelling, strong solicitation
• Explain why to contribute to this organization rather than other specific organizations
• Establish and describe a policy so nonmembers are eligible for membership and bonuses after contributing a cumulative amount
• Newsgroup presence?
• Ability to post a clear URL?
• Word like "donate" appears on home page?
• Word like "donate" appears on typical/popular pages?
• Donations invited independently of "joining"?
• Break their system if you send them random unexplained donation?
• Registered at the charity registrations?
• Phone number near donation page? (needed by bank)
• Explanation of taxded vs. nontaxded?
• Secure online stripped-down donation form?
• "Secureness", or lack, pointed out?
• Stupid communications result if you send money repeatedly?
• Optional bonuses when you reach milestones of cumulative contribution?
• Way of anon contribution?
• Instructions for mailing contribution?
• Instructions for using banksite autobillpay?
• Special email addr for communic about donations? called "donations@"?
• Have a special address to receive donations (not membership money/form?) at least "Donations" or c/o.
• Person's name to contact, or for bank to contact?
• Compelling wording? exciting, energize and mobilize donations?
• Explain what the money buys?
• Explain why bulk vs. monthly payments?
• Possible to donate without becoming a member, without receiving literature in meatmail?
• Is it a reg char 503 c tax ded org?
• Does it state whether it's a tax ded org?
• Links between pure donation page and join/membership page?
• Has links to philantrhopy sites? to activist sites? to info about donating to reform orgs? to other reform orgs or their donation pages?
• Financial reports linked at donation page?
• Donation flow and goal shown at site?
• Has a copy of my cyber-donation online ergonomic summary page, my Donation Super-Interface Page?
• Promotion: Solicit donations at newsgroups, providing the donation page URL