We are heading into the season for end-of-year giving when as much as 30% of the year’s gifts come to non-profits. Most of that giving will come through digital means. A great majority of gifts will come through organizations' websites. You certainly don’t want your website to be a challenge for potential donors, so now is the time to review your landing pages. Why is this important?
Because you have less than 10 seconds to capture people’s attention after they land on your site. You must capture someone’s attention before they bail out of your website, or you will miss their gift. Can someone land on your church home page and find where to give in less than 10 seconds? If not, your website could be a hindrance to giving rather than a help.
Let me share from our experience a few key steps to improve your landing page for end-of-year giving.
First, make it simple. Most websites are way too cluttered. Google is now the preeminent search engine in the world. One reason is they have made searching on the web simple. Look at their landing page. Now, look at your page. Most church web pages look more like a Sunday bulletin. Often, so much information is listed that it is no wonder people can’t find the giving button. Now would be a good time to look at your website to see how to simplify the look.
Next, make it easy to use. Remember, if I can’t find what I am looking for, I will leave in less than 10 seconds. You must have a giving button visible enough to be easy to find and use as you think about driving people online to give. Once that person clicks through to your giving landing page, it, too, needs to be easy to use. Our team has found that the easier it is for people to give, the more people will give. Take time to go to your giving landing page and see how easy it is to use.
When it comes to making giving simple and easy, it’s essential to make it mobile. More and more of our commerce is now done via smart devices. If your site is not set up for mobile device viewing, you are making it difficult for those who want to use their smart devices to give to your church. How can you tell if your site is set up for mobile devices? Take out your phone now, visit your site, and see for yourself. If you struggle to use your site on your smart device, it is a sign that others will struggle.
Make it informative. I have several recommendations about being informative. First, your giving landing page needs to give specific instructions that inform the potential donor of the processes they can use to give to your church. On top of that, we believe you need to share with donors what giving from your church supports.
Finally, and most important of all, make it inspiring. Hearts that are inspired are more receptive to giving. The easiest way to accomplish this is to tell the story of what your church is accomplishing for the Kingdom. You want donors to see that a dollar given to your church will change the world for good. Use your landing pages to show and tell the story of the impact your church is making, and you will find people will give generously to support that story.
Here is a bonus tip. When was the last time you visited your church website? If we are honest, most of us haven’t explored the site in years. I know what you are thinking. You’ve been there once; why go again? Exactly. If your site looks the same, why would anyone go there more than once? Do you go to sites that never change and always have the same story, the same look, etc.? I don’t. My point is, if you never look at your site, you will miss many of the pointers I gave. You will also have a boring site that no one ever goes to. You might miss their offering if they don’t go to your site. The end of the year is not the time to miss any donations. Take time now to look at your site and make the changes needed to increase traffic and thus giving.
If you want to see great landing pages, look at two of our client churches' sites, Northridge Church in upper New York State, https://www.northridgerochester.com/give and Brentwood Baptist in the Nashville, TN area, https://brentwoodbaptist.com/stewardship/. Both use their landing pages effectively, making giving easy and impactful. Contact us today at (615) 206-4000 or email us at support@onlinegiving.org, and we can help you set up a similar site to help you increase giving and givers! Improve your landing page now to improve your giving.
The Stewardship Coach
Studies show you have less than 10 seconds to capture people’s attention when they visit your church website. You Giving Page must clearly display your mission and how to Give to support it. We can help you Design Your Giving Page for Growth.https://t.co/ihUjuIBTzF pic.twitter.com/DJM5FYPQYb
— Online Giving (@onlinegivingorg) September 28, 2023
