When a potential donor lands on a donation form, organizations often make a critical assumption: the user has already decided to donate. In reality, people on the donation form are still very much in the decision-making process.

Reducing ‘friction’ is essential to making sure each donor decides to give and completes the giving process. Friction refers to anything on a form that increases the likelihood a donor will leave without giving. So, optimizing your donation forms for donors is essential—it’s also an opportunity to add in important features like better tracking for administrators so your organization can see the correct source driving your donors to give.

We recently worked with LifePath Christian Ministries, one of our partners, to optimize their donation form. We provided them with a donation form that integrates with their website and improves their gift-tracking capabilities, which allows LifePath to see what’s driving their donations. The new form also gives their donors an overall smoother user experience so the organization can focus their efforts on the mission at hand—providing food and shelter for the hungry, homeless, and poor in their community.

Have you looked at your own donation form lately? When is the last time you tested it? What does your conversion rate look like?

Go ahead and do a test gift on both desktop and mobile devices. If you experience any awkwardness, consider optimizing your form before the busy giving season this fall.

Remember, donors are always one click away from leaving your site. It’s worth the investment now to help them stay—and stay for the long haul.

Douglas Shaw & Associates is excited to announce our partnership with Pathways to College, headquartered in Teaneck, NJ!

Identifying potential and developing leaders in under-represented populations remains a critical challenge in our society. The mission of Pathways to College is to meet this need by expanding the pipeline to college in under-served communities.

A key to addressing this challenge is strengthening the students’ ability to win admission to, and succeed in, the best possible colleges, given their interests and abilities.

Through an innovative program, Pathways to College helps students develop the tools they need to reflect, articulate, and build on their life experiences while also strengthening their critical thinking, communication, teamwork, problem-solving, and other skills that are key to academic and personal success.

Pathways to College offers the inspiration, motivation, and help these bright, young students need to realize their college aspirations. The Douglas Shaw team is grateful for the opportunity to collaborate with Pathways to College in mobilizing donors to invest in today’s students who are becoming tomorrow’s leaders.