Did you know 88% of donors abandon donation forms mid‑click?
If you’re driving traffic to your donation page only to see donors disappear, the problem might not be traffic—but your donation page conversion strategy.
In the latest Missions to Movements episode, host Dana Snyder breaks down why most nonprofits don’t have a traffic problem—they have a conversion problem. Drawing insights from Adam O’Brien’s blog at iDonate, Dana explains how to identify your conversion gap and shares four donation page formats to help you fix it.
Why Donation Page Conversion Matters More Than Traffic
Nonprofits invest huge time and budget into paid ads, emails, and social campaigns to bring people to their website. Yet, Dana shares this powerful stat:
“88% of people who click a donation link don’t complete their gift.”
Most site traffic today is mobile—around 60–70%. Yet, mobile users convert at just 8%, compared to 11% on desktop.
When your donation form doesn’t match donor intent, the moment disappears—and so do donations.
Diagnose Your Donation Page Conversion Problem
Dana offers a quick, practical guide to using Google Analytics 4 (GA4) to see where donors drop off:
- Set up a thank‑you page after successful donations so it becomes a conversion goal in GA4
- Use funnel exploration to track visitors from the donation page to the thank‑you page
- Segment by device (mobile vs. desktop) to see where drop‑offs happen
- Track which emails or campaigns convert best using UTM links and traffic acquisition reports
If your donation form’s conversion rate is under 10%—you’re not alone. But you can fix it.
4 Donation Page Formats to Improve Conversion
Every campaign moment deserves the right donation experience. Dana shares four proven donation page conversion formats (from iDonate’s guide) to match the moment:
1. Single-Column Page
Clean, focused, distraction‑free.
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Best for: Giving Tuesday, high‑intent emails, paid traffic
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Mobile‑friendly, typically converts over 13%
2. Pop-Up Form
Capture donors at the peak of emotion.
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Best for: Blog posts, campaign stories, recurring donor upsells
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Appears after 10 seconds or when scrolling to key moments
3. Embedded Form
Keep donors in the story flow.
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Best for: Homepage, partner microsites, storytelling pages
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Seamless, scroll‑friendly, no extra clicks
4. SDK-Driven Form
Advanced, personalized donation flows.
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Best for: Global chapters or large, tech‑forward nonprofits
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Offers full control and built‑in analytics
Test, Track, and Optimize
Your next big leap in fundraising might not be doubling your ad spend—it might be doubling down on donation page conversion:
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Know your numbers
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Optimize your forms for mobile
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Match the page format to the donor’s intent
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Test and refine regularly
As Dana says:
“Fix the page. Fix the problem. Test it.”
Final Takeaway: It’s About Matching the Moment
Your donation page isn’t where the donor’s journey ends—it’s where emotion becomes action.
By aligning design, format, and intent, you can reduce friction and turn more generous visitors into real donors.
Ready to dig deeper?
Check out Adam O’Brien’s blog, You Don’t Have a Traffic Problem, You Have a Conversion Problem, linked in the show notes—and start transforming your donation page conversion today.
