How can nonprofits increase online donations by simplifying the donation process?

A donor has already made the hardest decision: to help. The donation process should not make them reconsider it.

Yet only 1.6% of nonprofit website visitors made a donation in 2025. Those visits generated an average of $1.33 in donation revenue per visitor. Mobile devices accounted for 52% of website traffic but only 43% of donation transactions.

That gap points to a clear opportunity. Many nonprofits may not need more traffic first. They may need a smoother path from interest to completed gift.

The 11 changes below show how to remove those barriers while still collecting the information your nonprofit needs.

How does a simpler donation process increase online giving?

A simpler donation process reduces the effort and uncertainty between clicking “Donate” and completing a gift. Use one focused flow, request essential information, support mobile wallets, explain fees early, and send an instant confirmation. Then track where donors leave.

The opportunity is meaningful. Primary donation pages converted 11% of desktop visitors but only 8% of mobile visitors in 2025. For small nonprofits, the mobile rate was just 4%.

Where does donation friction happen?

11 ways to simplify the donation process and increase online donations

These 11 changes can make online giving faster, clearer, and easier to complete.

1. Shorten the donation form

Fewer fields mean more gifts. Only ask for information you absolutely need to process the payment (e.g., name, email, payment details). One test found that shrinking a form from 11 fields down to 4 increased conversion by 120%.

So keep the form short: skip addresses, phone numbers, and other data unless required by law. 

Move any additional questions (like newsletter signup) to after the gift is complete, or collect that data in separate communications later.

2. Keep the donation process on one page or flow

Donors hate extra steps. Every time a form breaks into another page or popup, you lose people. 

Research shows roughly 8% of donors abandon at each new page load. BletterWorld advises limiting your donation form to one page so supporters can see all fields at once. For example, eliminate multi-page checkouts or intermediate review screens. 

Instead, have donors enter gift, info, and payment on one screen. In practice, some nonprofits have cut out their confirmation page entirely and gone straight to the thank-you screen — this simple change increased donations by about 176% in a study. 

One-page forms also tend to load faster (page load <5 seconds), which keeps donors focused.

3. Make mobile giving fast and easy

Mobile giving is a growing share of online gifts. About 57% of nonprofit web visitors are on smartphones or tablets, yet 75% of donations come from desktop.

To fix this, use a mobile-first design: large buttons, simple layouts, and auto-filled fields. Avoid pinch-zoom and horizontal scrolling. Allow mobile-friendly features like Google Pay or Apple Pay so donors can give in one tap. 

In summary: test your form on a phone, cut scrolling, and offer one-click payment to close the gap between mobile traffic and mobile donations.

4. Offer faster payment options

Make payment a breeze. Beyond credit cards, include any method your donors use. This means adding PayPal, digital wallets (Apple/Google Pay), Venmo, and even bank transfers (ACH). 

The more familiar options you offer, the fewer donors you lose. From a UX side, allow returning donors to use saved payment info and support one-click wallets. 

As noted, one-tap payments greatly reduce friction. In practice, platforms offering many options see higher completion rates. For example, many monthly donors (91%) use credit cards, but others prefer PayPal or digital wallets, so having all these choices encourages them to finish the gift.

5. Make gift amounts easier to choose

Donors prefer picking an amount rather than typing one from scratch. Show clear, preset donation amounts (like $25, $50, $100, $250) with optional impact text (“$50 = 10 meals”) to guide them. 

Using personalized suggested donation levels leads to donors giving 29% larger gifts on average (versus flat generic asks). Another study also highlights that preset buttons take the guesswork out of giving. 

Always pair each option with a brief benefit to reinforce the impact. And include an “Other” field so donors can choose a custom amount if they prefer.

6. Make recurring giving easy without adding another step

Monthly gifts increase lifetime value, so make this option front-and-center. A simple way is to offer a one-click “Make this a monthly gift” toggle on the form (clearly visible). 

Reducing barriers to recurring gifts pays off: 59% of nonprofits now have a monthly giving program, and recurring donors provide about 27% of all online revenue. 

Whatever you do, keep it on the same page – don’t force users to sign up for a separate program or fill out extra forms to give monthly.

7. Remove surprises about fees and payment details

Nothing kills a donation faster than an unexpected extra charge. If donors see a new “processing fee” on the final review, many will abandon. 

Be transparent and optional about fees from the start. For instance, offer a checkbox labeled “I’ll cover the [~3%] processing fee” next to the donation total. In fact, BetterWorld reports that about 95% of donors are willing to pay fees themselves when given the choice. 

Also avoid surprise fields late in the process (like a sudden newsletter signup or tribute form). Cutting out such last-minute choices can dramatically lift completions. 

Keep the final step focused: large “Donate” button and clear confirmation of the total amount.

8. Add trust without cluttering the donation page

Even a frictionless form still needs to feel safe. Add trust cues subtly so donors feel secure. For example, place a small lock icon or “Secure Checkout (PCI-Compliant)” note near the payment fields. 

Use your nonprofit’s official logo and consistent branding so donors know they’re in the right place. Show a recognized badge or two – e.g., an accreditation or charity-rating seal – since 72% of people say a quality badge on a page makes them more likely to give. 

Likewise, most donors (68%) trust websites using a “.org” domain, so mention it. You don’t need an essay about security, but according to experts, you should “let donors know your form is secure by placing security logos and certifications on the page”.

9. Make the final donation button prominent

Your call-to-action button should be impossible to miss. Use a bold, high-contrast color (relative to your site’s palette) and plenty of padding so it’s easy to tap. 

The text should say something action-oriented like “Donate Now” or “Complete Gift” rather than a generic “Submit.” Even color placement can help; a distinct black “Continue” button (on a white form) can draw focus and increase completions. 

In any case, the button must stand out visually and be labeled clearly. 

10. Simplify what happens immediately after the gift

The process isn’t done until the donor feels confident the gift was received. After they submit payment, show a clear thank-you page on-screen that repeats their name, amount, and any next steps. 

Then send an automatic email receipt right away. A quick thank-you is crucial: it reassures donors (especially first-timers) that everything went through. Use the thank-you page to remind them what their gift will do (“Thanks, Jane! Your $50 will provide 20 school supplies.”) and say what happens next. 

In short, the post-gift experience should be as smooth as the payment – an instant on-screen thank-you plus an emailed receipt leave no doubt that the donation is complete.

11. Measure where donors still drop out

Finally, track everything. Even after simplifications, some donors may still abandon. 

Use your donation platform’s reports or analytics tools to follow the funnel: how many people click “Donate,” how many start the form, and how many finish. Industry benchmarks suggest around 15–22% of donation-page visitors convert, so if you’re significantly below that, look for trouble spots. 

For example, if 80% start but only 30% finish, something in between is blocking gifts. Try A/B tests on specific elements (form length, button text, images, etc.) to see what raises your conversion. 

Keep an eye on mobile vs desktop behavior too. By continually measuring where people drop off, you can fine-tune the process and move more prospects across the finish line.

What should a friction-free donation process look like?

Make it easier for donors to complete their gift with BetterWorld

All the advice above is built into BetterWorld. 

BetterWorld’s free platform offers one-page, mobile-responsive donation forms with preset amounts and an easy monthly toggle – no coding required. 

It accepts all major payment methods (credit cards, ACH, digital wallets) and automatically displays secure checkout badges. BetterWorld skips unnecessary steps: donors don’t need to create an account unless they want to, and thanking is automated (instant on-screen thank-you plus email receipt). 

The result is a friction-free giving experience. By using BetterWorld, nonprofits can launch an optimized donation page in minutes and let our tools handle the smooth checkout flow, so you raise more and worry less. 

Request a demo or sign up now and give every donor a shorter path from “I want to help” to “gift complete.”

FAQs

1. How many fields should an online donation form have? 

Ideally, as few as possible – usually around 4–6. For example, name, email, donation amount, and payment info are often enough. 

2. Should nonprofits require donors to create an account? 

No. Forcing account creation adds friction. Many donors (especially first-timers) want to give quickly without creating a new login. 

3. How often should nonprofits test their donation forms? 

Regularly. There’s no magic interval, but it’s wise to test whenever you make changes or have enough traffic to get meaningful data. 

4. How fast should a nonprofit donation page load?

Aim for 2.5 seconds or faster and try to stay under 3 seconds. Slow pages give donors more time to leave before the form appears.