Over 40% of donors leave traditional donation forms. Using donation request forms can improve the number of donations, amount of donations and the frequency. Simply put, a donation request form is a written or online document attached to your nonprofit’s donation plea. It streamlines the giving process for donors. Donation request forms collect donor and donation information, provide supporters with details of what the funds will be used for and can also include additional reasons to give.
What to Include on the Donor Donation Form
A well-written mission statement is a powerful marketing tool and should be included on your donor donation form. It will tell the donor the who, what, when, where and how of your non-profit. Most importantly, it will educate the donor on how donations can make a difference to your non-profit and what the money is used for making your donor comfortable that their money is being used for a purpose.
Donors that click on a donation request form are interested in contributing, but they may not know the amount they want to give. Having donation amounts on your request form will encourage donors to contribute within certain amounts or give an amount of their choice.
If you have a list of past donors, you can create multiple donation forms based on past donation amounts (example: average donations, larger gift donations and corporate based gift donations). You can also include the giving frequency as there are many donors who like to gift every month, quarter or semi-annually.
Include donation descriptions that provide donors with examples of where their gift goes. It becomes more than a dollar number, and creates a connection with the organization. Example: a donation amount of $50 will feed “x” amount of people, buy “x” amount of items for a school, etc. It then becomes “personal” with the donor.
Offering a recurring gift option, can turn a one-time donor into long-term supporter and even encourage them to give more yearly. Recurring donations can be weekly, monthly, quarterly and yearly.
In today’s world, cash and check donations are not the only option. Venmo, Apple Pay, Google Pay and many other apps are viable methods for payment, and you’ll find the younger generation would be more apt to donate if these options are available.
Ask for donor information that will be helpful for segmenting your donor list and making further appeals. Always request the name, address, phone and email for future contact. Asking why they donated may help you when setting up future donation appeals.
Using these simple strategies will increase your donations and create a donor list for future appeals.
Barb Ferrigno
Concept Marketing Group
We are passionate about our marketing. We’ve seen it all in our 45 years – companies come and go but the businesses that are consistent, steady, and have a goal are the companies that succeed. We work with you to keep you on track, change with new technologies and business strategies and, most importantly, help you to succeed. It’s not always easy, and it’s a lot of hard work but the rewards are well worth the effort.