Chariot’s Head of Strategy, DAF Giving Evangelist
Let’s talk “Ways to Give” pages - and how to make sure they’re not just website filler 💉 If you’re at a nonprofit and not sure what that is, definitely keep reading 👀 There’s a whole lot of ways someone could give beyond a credit card - a dedicated page to lay out those options (DAFs, Stock, QCDs, Bequests, etc.) is table stakes for nonprofit websites these days 🍽️ You might be thinking “but Mitch, you’re always going on about how critical it is to have a DAF payment option in the actual donation form, why do you care about Ways to Give pages?” 🤔 DAF Strategy is like improv - it’s always yes, and! 🎭 Yes, you’ll catch the most new DAF donors by having DAFpay in your donation forms, AND existing supporters are more likely to be poking around your website. You want to meet donors wherever they are with the easiest pathways for giving 🚂 All that to say, I’ve gone through 100s of examples & have a few tips: 1️⃣ Have a Ways to Give Page There are so many good precedents readily available to be inspired by - I’ll link some below 🌟 In deciding what types of giving to include, start with the ways you’re already receiving support & some areas you’re focused on expanding into 🥇 2️⃣ Assess how it’s used to have strategic ordering A client recently asked their digital team to move DAFs to the top of their ways to give page & the response was “oh that makes sense, people click on that way more than anything else” 😮 Evaluate what is getting the most interaction & iterate. I’m confident that most orgs are getting more DAF gifts than anything else (it’s nearly 20% of philanthropy these days!) 🏆 3️⃣ Have standalone pages for those highly trafficked options When a donor searches “your org name” + “giving method” you want an SEO optimized place for them to land. With DAFs for example, your website/donor-advised-funds or /dafs is incredibly valuable real estate. Invest in it! 🏡 4️⃣ Include key information In addition to a DAFpay button, or link to your org’s verified page on the DAF Day giving site (where donors can also complete a DAF gift in 3 clicks & you’ll get notified immediately with their email), there’s some other key items: 👉🏼EIN 👉🏼Full legal name 👉🏼Official address 👉🏼Point of contact with email & phone number - this is the most controversial & yes you’ll get some spam, but you’ll also present as a real & available human being which will be key for some donors. If you do nothing else after reading this post, go check your website and see how long it takes you to find your EIN… this is the easiest way to lose a DAF donor if they’re not giving through DAFpay! 👻 They have to look you up in their portal & since so many organizations have similar names or legal names that differ from their marketing names, it’s hard to give confidently without confirming your EIN ✅ What do think is most critical for a Ways to Give Page? What’s worked best in your experience? #nonprofit #fundraising #philanthropy