Many charities we speak to aren't happy with their donation process performance. They know it can be improved, but they're missing the data to pinpoint exactly how to make that happen.
Without proper tracking and analysis, it's impossible to know how many potential donors abandon partway through, what donation amounts people consider but don't complete, or which messaging resonates with higher-value supporters. This gap in insight means most organisations miss substantial revenue opportunities. Poor form design, unclear impact messaging and suboptimal payment options can significantly reduce both the number of people who complete donations and the amounts they're willing to give.
You can't improve what you don't understand. Before optimising anything, start by asking targeted questions: What motivates your current supporters to give? What prevents others from donating?
Your research may reveal that potential supporters worry about how their money will be used, while current donors feel motivated by seeing specific impact stories. These insights become your roadmap for crafting messaging that addresses barriers whilst highlighting what resonates with existing supporters.
Unlike eCommerce sites with clear product-to-checkout flows, charity donation forms can appear anywhere on your website, from the homepage to blog posts. This makes tracking more complex but equally crucial for your digital strategy.
Monitor every step, from the initial site visit to the completed transaction, with particular focus on revenue per visitor and average donation values. Identify where potential donors drop off and, crucially, where you lose higher-value supporters. A donor who abandons at the payment stage represents more lost revenue than someone who never clicks the 'donate' button.
These data points, combined with your user research, help you form hypotheses for changes that will increase both conversion rates and donation amounts.
A/B testing provides the best way to determine whether changes improve your financial outcomes, not just completion rates. Focus your testing on changes that could impact donation amounts, such as default gift levels, recurring donation options and impact messaging.
Before testing, ensure you understand statistical significance and good testing practices. However, there's no standard test duration - it depends on your traffic, conversion rates, and the revenue impact you need to detect reliably.
If testing on the donation form isn't feasible due to low traffic, validate changes through user research and polling instead.
Tracking revenue alongside conversion rate proves crucial for demonstrating ROI to your leadership team. Avoid optimising for donation completion at the expense of overall income. A higher number of smaller donations might not benefit your organisation as much as fewer larger or recurring donations.
Monitor various revenue metrics, including average donation amounts, monthly recurring revenue from regular givers, and lifetime donor value. Always verify testing results against your internal fundraising systems to ensure that observed improvements accurately reflect actual income increases.
When testing elements like donation forms, we always recommend tracking multiple metrics simultaneously. We've seen tests that increase conversion rates by 5% but decrease average donation sizes by 10%, ultimately hurting revenue. Without tracking these metrics, you'd make the wrong business decision.
Consider the long-term revenue impact of changes. An improvement that increases one-time donations but reduces monthly giving sign-ups may hurt overall fundraising performance.
While Google Analytics provides valuable traffic data, our charity CRO work relies on complementary tools for deeper insights. Heat map and session recording tools like Hotjar and Microsoft Clarity show exactly how visitors interact with your donation forms and where they hesitate or abandon.
We recommend using polling and survey tools to gather direct feedback about donation barriers and motivations. Asking questions like:
"What prevented you from donating today?"
"What donation amount were you considering?"
"How clear was the impact of your potential donation?"
These insights often reveal opportunities to increase average gift sizes that analytics alone can't capture.
Don't assume donation forms are your priority. Some charities generate more income through adoptions, corporate partnerships, or major gift campaigns rather than one-off giving. Analyse where your revenue actually comes from and optimise those areas alongside donations.
Direct your optimisation efforts toward the pages and processes that drive the majority of your revenue. A 10% improvement in your biggest fundraising campaign could have more impact than optimising a rarely used donation page. Review your analytics to identify which sources bring in the most donors and the highest-value donors, then optimise those experiences.
Ideally, gather 12 months of donation data before running experiments to account for seasonal fundraising patterns. Analyse revenue from both peak periods, like December, and quieter months to understand how behaviour changes throughout the year.
Don't avoid testing during peak fundraising periods. Higher traffic volumes provide more reliable data about revenue impact, and successful changes can be implemented quickly to maximise income during crucial giving seasons. Peak season testing also reveals whether optimisations work when donor intent is highest, providing confidence for year-round implementation.
For charities new to conversion optimisation, review your research to identify what will have the highest impact for your specific organisation. Your donor feedback and analytics will reveal which changes are most likely to affect your bottom line.
Try testing different suggested donation levels based on your current average gift size and supporter behaviour. If your research indicates that donors are unsure about appropriate gift amounts, consider experimenting with clearer guidance on gift levels.
Add alternative payment methods, such as Apple Pay and Google Pay, particularly if your research indicates friction during the checkout process. Test whether offering annual giving options alongside monthly recurring donations increases overall supporter value.
Consider testing the prominence of Gift Aid messaging, as the 25% uplift significantly impacts revenue without requiring larger donations from supporters. Your research may reveal that donors don't understand Gift Aid or miss the option entirely during the donation process.
Systematic testing combined with donor research can significantly increase fundraising revenue. Our charity CRO methodology differs from standard eCommerce optimisation because emotional appeals, impact stories, and conversion psychology play crucial roles in donation decisions.
Our approach delivers results because we:
Combine rigorous research with emotional storytelling
Focus on revenue metrics, not just conversion rates
Account for charity-specific challenges like seasonality and donor psychology
Use validation sprints when traffic doesn't support traditional A/B testing
Most importantly, remember that small improvements compound over time. We build clients' success through consistent testing and optimisation across multiple touchpoints. An increase of a few percentage points across multiple areas can transform your annual fundraising results.
Ready to transform your donation revenue? We offer free mini-audits for charity organisations to identify immediate opportunities. Our CRO team has generated millions in additional fundraising revenue through systematic testing and donor research. Contact our team to book an audit now.