How to Write a Donation Page for a Blog
Keeping a blog updated on a regular basis is time consuming, costly, and can even take time away from family and other business-related projects. That’s why so many people try to fund their blogging endeavors through affiliate programs, paid advertising and the selling of products or services. If, however, you don’t want to bother with the nitty-gritty of such programs, you can still earn a few bucks by including a donation link on every page of your blog. The key to receiving donations is to build up your readership by providing quality content on a continual basis—preferably on a daily basis.
Other People Are Reading
Instructions
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State your cause. Tell your blog readers why they should donate money to pay for something they can read for free. Explain that donations help cover costs of keeping the blog live and writing the material. If, for instance, you refuse to place advertisements on your blog, you can clearly state that “in lieu of paid advertising that takes away from the quality of this blog, I’ve opted to receive donations from readers.” Don’t act whiny, don’t cry about needing to make your house payment and don’t complain about how much time your blog takes away from other activities or business. You choose to write your blog because you choose to write it.
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Make your tax-write off status clear. If you are not a charitable organization, donations are not tax deductible. It’s imperative that you make this clear on your donation page.
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Provide payment options. By offering a variety of payment options you give your readers a way to donate that is comfortable for them. Remember, some Internet users are still not comfortable sharing their credit card or debit card information online. Use the “donate now” button available through PayPal.com for instant payment or provide a mailing address for checks and cashier’s checks. And don’t forget to state how you’d like to receive funds. If you are in Canada, you want Canadian dollars. If you are in the United States, you want U.S. funds.
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Leave the dollar amount blank. Use a service that allows your readers to pick the donation amount. You don’t want to sound greedy by specifying a large dollar amount, and you don’t want to appear timid by providing too small of an amount.
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Ask for the donation. It’s not enough to provide a donation button or a link to add a donation to a shopping cart system. Whether you call it a tip jar, a voluntary subscription, or a donation, you need to actively ask for that donation.
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Tips & Warnings
Thank everyone who donates personally. You don’t have to mail a thank you card, but you can at least drop the donor an email expressing your gratitude and appreciation for her support or make mention of it in a blog post.
