The holiday season usually means relaxing and quality time spent with close friends and family; however, if you work at a nonprofit organization, it’s normally your busiest time of year. Not only does the holiday season bring joy and cheer to many, it also brings campaigns and donation drives that take months of preparation. In fact, many nonprofit organizations begin preparing for their end-of-year drives at the start of a new year!

If you work for a nonprofit, you’re most likely in the thick of adding final planning touches to your end-of-year holiday drives. Better yet, you may have already launched them. You’ve already mapped out your goals and strategy, and are ready to double-check your website before the craziness truly begins. To ensure that you reach your goals, it’s important your nonprofit website is in tip-top shape to handle all of the campaign traffic it will receive. Many overlook the direct correlation websites and donations have. Long story short, a website that operates poorly equals lower donations for your campaign.

In this blog post, we’ll list a few pain-free tactics you can implement to boost your nonprofit website holiday campaign’s performance in preparation for the busiest time of year. 

Analyze the state of your current website 

This may seem like a quick, small step, but make sure you take some time to really look through the current state of your website. What needs to be updated? In the business of this season, don’t forget to check for these glaring potholes that they can be harmful to your campaign efforts. When was the last time you checked your donation forms? Or analyzed your marketing channels? Does your website respond well on multiple browsers? Is your website mobile-responsive? These are important elements which could potentially hinder your campaign’s progress. If you find a few red flags while you review your website, reach out to us so we can help you plan next steps for a successful campaign or drive. 

Test your current donation forms 

Building off the last point, this is a great time to check the functionality of your donation forms. It’s important that the process of making a donation is as easy as possible for donors. It would also be smart to check up on the loading speed of your donation form to ensure making a donation is quick and painless. 

Here are some donation form questions to ask yourself before your campaign begins:

• Is it easy to find your online donation form on your website? 
• Does your donation form offer recurring donations? 
• Are donations processed through your payment processor? Do you offer donors a fee recovery cost? 
• Does your team receive notifications when a donation is made? 
• What communication is sent after someone makes a donation? Are they sent a receipt and a thank you message? 

Spruce up your homepage 

Taking time to refresh your website’s homepage consists of small changes that make a big impact. This can range from updating your page’s hero image to re-writing body text that explains your mission in a more compelling way to attract donors. Getting eyes on the details of your holiday campaign is easier if the information is big and clear on your website’s homepage. This is a great chance to put together some new imagery, whether that be organic photography or campaign graphics, or creating content that matches the goals of your campaign. 

Check out our blog post on what makes a top-notch website homepage to learn if your current homepage is checking all the necessary boxes. 

Make it easy to find donation information for your nonprofit holiday campaigns

Don’t make your donors hunt for donation information. Having a big bright “Donate!” button in the header of each web page is a great way to make sure everyone can find your donation details easily. If you need assistance designing a way to display your donation information easily, let us help you! 

Another tactic to increase donations is to have a strong call to action that pulls the reader in and tugs at the heartstrings. In big letters, spell out a call to action that reflects the mission of your campaign, perhaps: “Your generous donation provides books to children in need.” Make sure the details of your campaign use keywords from your mission and accurately represent the goals you are trying to reach. 

Additionally, be sure to offer a variety of donation options in your details. Perhaps a donor wants to set up a recurring donation, or wants to make a donation in a custom amount that isn’t spelled out in the details. Make sure your donors have easy access to these options to proactively eliminate confusion. 

Plug your newsletter or email list 

To boost the success of your marketing funnel and increase donor conversions, plug your nonprofit’s newsletter or email list so donors can stay in-the-know with your nonprofit’s happenings in the new year. If you send out weekly emails or a monthly newsletter that includes testimonies from community members you positively impact, this is a great opportunity for new donors to see how their donations impact people directly. 

Post campaign-related blog posts

Want to spread the word about your website holiday campaign or donation drive, but don’t want to clog people’s inboxes with long details? Having a blog post around your campaign is a great way to write out all the sticky details and have it in one place. A large portion of nonprofit online content is providing a story for donors. Telling a story (whether a hypothetical or a real-life testimony from an individual your organization impacted positively) in a blog post can give donors better insight into your mission and be more inclined to participate in your holiday campaign. Besides, it’s great content for a newsletter or weekly email blast. 

Ready to begin your holiday season prep? 

If you’re ready to launch your end-of-year holiday donation campaign, but you want to make sure you’re set up for success, reach out to the Design TLC team. We’ll make sure your website is ready for the craziness of the holiday season, and we can guarantee your website will be in great hands. Contact us today for a free 15-minute consultation!