How to Make a Donation Page

Adding a donation option to your site can raise money for a cause.

Adding a Donate page to your site is a practical way to allow visitors to your site to thank you for providing quality content, support a nonprofit organization or help contribute to a cause you are promoting. Creating an effective donation page depends on gaining the support and trust of your visitors. Your donation page should be very clear on what visitors are donating their money to, and also that their information is secure.

Instructions

1. Write an introductory paragraph to your donation page explaining to your visitors how their donations will be used, and why it is important for them to donate to you. Be sure to explain clearly and specifically what the donation money is going towards, and be honest. Explain how their donations will help the cause. If you have several projects you are raising donations for, try to allow visitors to choose which they want to donate to.

2. Provide a way for visitors to make a donation. Add a button to your website that allows them to donate money online through a secure online payment processor such as PayPal, Moneybookers or Interac. Specify how their donations will appear on their bills if they are paying by credit card. Add an address that checks can be mailed to for people who prefer not to do transactions online.

3. Add a privacy policy to the bottom of the page stating that their information is not going to be shared with anyone else.

4. Add bright graphics to the page that are related to your cause to increase interest on the page and allow visitors to visualize what they are donating to. Update the page regularly to describe how the donations are making a difference.

References

• Foundation Center; "Does Your Donation Page Put Me to Sleep?" Derrick Feldmann
• Net Ministry: The Most Effective Online Donation Page Ever
• The Matrix Files; Examples of Really Great Donation Pages"; Joanna Pineda