Customized Donation Web Forms Raise More Money

Customized donation forms raise more moneyWe all know that a personal donation ask is a much more effective fundraising tactic than sending generic prospecting letters.Then how come campaigns send donors to generic donation web forms... or even off to some third party web address that the donor has never heard of? It's no wonder that visitor-to-donor rates are so low for so many campaigns. Shouldn't you control the entire fundraising experience for your donors?

SOLUTION

If you are serious about raising money online then you should:

1. Place your donation pages (the plural is intentional) on your own website so the URL reads something like http://www.seamusforsenate.com/donate-now/.
2. Customize the text, look and feel to match your candidate's brand and message.
3. Create individual donation pages that match every one of your solicitation messages, whether it is a email blast, money bomb, direct mail or television ad.

HOW

CMDI's partner WidgetMakr makes building custom donation pages for your website easy. So easy that some WidgetMakr clients have hundreds of donation pages that match every one of their solicitations.Think about it... a fundraising prospect gets a snazzy email or direct mail piece with a photo of the candidate and a web address (on the candidate's website). The prospect visits the web page and all the messaging and images totally match the solicitation piece. The prospect will be much more comfortable making a donation than if they land on some strange looking site that doesn't "feel" like it is related to the candidate.WidgetMakr makes creating custom donation pages easy. Simply:

1. Create a widget that has the same colors, fonts, images, text, and even form fields as your website or marketing piece.
2. Embed the widget on your website. This is as easy as posting a YouTube video. Simply post a little snippet of code on your web page and a secure donation form will automatically appear on your page.
3. Drive your supporters to the donation page. It is really that easy.

Create a different custom WidgetMakr widgets for all your fundraising needs:

If you, or one of your team, is a CSS wonk, you can really get creative and build some very funky forms based on your unique needs. Check out our blog for custom CSS and other tips!

BENEFITS

1. Customized donation forms increase visitor-to-donor conversion rates.
2. Donation forms on your actual website get better search engine rankings.
3. You get to control your image and brand.
4. Donation forms on your website increase your credibility.
5. WidgetMakr puts the entire amount of each donation in your bank account and bills you separately for fees. Monthly reconciliations or FEC filings are infinitely easier when donation revenues are kept separate from invoices.

Learn more about WidgetMakr.