Hi Reader,

Greetings from Australia! 🇦🇺

I’m here for a few weeks to visit family, catch up with friends, and enjoy an epic vacation later this month.

I’m also experimenting with working remotely. So far, so good. I’ll report back later this year.

Let’s get into it.

…

Maria thought she had everything figured out.

Her nonprofit's website looked great. The donate button was easy to find. The form actually worked.

But here's what wasn't working: donations.

And the few people who did give? They never came back.

Sound familiar?

When Maria called me, I instantly heard the frustration in her voice. We spent an hour looking at her website data together.

The problem hit me right away.

She hadn’t broken her donation page. It just wasn't built for how real people make giving decisions online.

What research really shows us about online giving

Here's what I’m seeing from the latest studies:

Mobile is getting all of the attention, but desktops win the donations. Over half of people visit charity websites on their phones. But 80% of actual donations still happen on desktop computers. Mobile pages only convert 10% of visitors.

Trust beats pretty design every time. Donors need to trust you before they'll give. Most people don't deeply trust charities, so you need proof. Impact stories, financial reports, and testimonials can make or break their decision.

Every added step kills a donation. Each additional form field increases the chance someone will quit. When you add simple payment methods, like Apple Pay or Google Pay, you'll start to see more people complete their donation.

Monthly giving is taking over. Nearly one-third of online donations now occur on a monthly basis. If you don't clearly offer this option, I’ll say you're missing out on repeat donors.

Most donors never give again. Only 43% of donors give a second time – the lowest rate in years. Too many first-time givers never hear back about how their money helped.

The 5 Things That Make Someone Donate

Here's what happens when someone actually gives:

1. They had a real need. People give to solve problems, not support organizations.
2. You explained the impact in 5 seconds. They knew exactly what their $50 would do before they finished reading.
3. Giving was simple and fast. No extra fields, no distractions, no confusion.
4. You suggested smart amounts. Based on what others give, you made it easy to choose an amount and frequency.
5. You proved you're trustworthy. Financial transparency and real impact stories built their confidence.

The 3 Things That Bring Donors Back

1. Quick, meaningful follow-up. A thank-you email is not enough. Share the impact tied directly to the donor’s gift.
2. Easy monthly giving on your donor’s terms. Allow them to adjust the amount or pause at any time, and remind them of the impact of their monthly gift.
3. Regular proof over time. Even a simple quarterly update can keep donors engaged and encourage them to give again.

Small Changes, Big Results

Maria made four simple changes:

• Simplified her donation form
• Added mobile payment options
• Made monthly giving the default
• Created a 30-second impact video for her thank-you page

Within 60 days, more first-time donors gave. Even better? They started giving again.

That's the difference between a form that "works" and one that makes giving easy, trusted, and rewarding.

Ask Yourself These Questions

• Can donors understand their impact in under 20 seconds?
• Can they give on their phone in under 1 minute?
• Do you show proof of impact within 30 days?

If you answered no to any of these, you're probably losing donations and trust.

When you design with donors in mind, giving becomes personal. Better yet, it becomes something they want to do again.

Want help reviewing your donation page? Hit reply and let's look at your online giving experience together. Let’s work together to identify the changes that will attract more donors.

Links 💜

From idea to app in an instant. If you've ever thought, I'd like to build an app for that, Airtable is the software to begin with. There's a free version so no harm in the experiment.

Spread the word about your nonprofit’s mission, engage new supporters, fundraise in more ways online. Do this when you join Google for Nonprofits.​

Sometimes, it's best to learn right from the source. In OpenAI's Academy, you can learn all you need to know about AI for Nonprofits.