Making a change in the world is much easier if you could reach more people with your cause. Luckily, the online world offers exactly this — the potential to reach people with generous hearts.
However, online donations can be tricky. There are many hurdles to cross: how do you build trust and how can you securely collect donations online? In this blog, you’ll learn about the best practices to follow when collecting donations online and how Instamojo can help you on the way.
Best practices for collecting donations online
1. Explain in detail what the charity is all about
Explain what your organization is all about. People donate because of a social connection, trust in an organization, and impact of their contribution. So, make sure that you mention who your donations is for, how you provide them with help, and long-term vision.
Add compelling photos of your donation works. Demonstrate the good work of your organization and where the donation money goes to by showing impactful images. Make sure you take a few images during the charity activities you organize.
2. Leverage social media for credibility
Where do people go to know more about a new institution they’ve heard of? Social media! External communication with social media is a cost-effective way for nonprofits to engage with a large audience and, get online donations through awareness and targeted campaigns.
You can choose one or many platforms to be active on. Make sure to post frequently, be active, and respond to comments and DMs.
As a nonprofit, you can create content on your accomplishments and awards, news features, volunteer stories, and fundraising goals.
3. Provide a tax receipt
A major reason why people choose to donate is tax benefits. So make sure you appeal to this audience. Your donors should automatically receive their donation tax receipts instantly receive after they’ve made the payment. You will be helping them easily save their tax forms. The best way is to automate this process.
4. Keep track of your donors
It’s important to have a database of those who donated to your organization. Build and maintain relationships with donors and raising more funds. Ask them to join your newsletter. Send them updates on the impacts your nonprofit brought about with stories and images. You can send them occasional emails asking them if they want to make another donation.
Now let’s look at how you can collect donations online. We are explaining two ways, based on if you already have a website or not.
How to collect donations online if you don’t have a website
The best way is to create a landing page. A landing page is a one-page website which has a focused goal. It does well in terms of credibility and you don’t have to create a full-fledged website
Step 1: Sign up on Instamojo
Go to Instamojo Smart Page and sign up to start creating your landing page to collect donations. You can either sign up for free or go for the Pro plan. You will now have to enter details of your organization. After this, you will be led to your dashboard.
From the left-handside of your dashboard, choose ‘Smart Page’ under ‘Payments’.
Now let’s look at how you can customize and publish your landing page.
Step 2: Add page content
Firstly, add in a header which mentions what your nonprofit is all about. Then, write down the copy of your landing page — who your donations help, your mission, and credibility. Insert images that showcase your charity activities. You can also choose a theme that goes well with your organization’s logo.
Step 3: Set the donation amount
Next, you will see an option to add ‘pricing’. In this case, you can input an amount you want people to pay and give them a few options. You can also let them select an amount of their choice.
You can also add a custom label to the payment button.
Step 4: Additional content
On your Instamojo Smart Page, you get the option to add in testimonials. Here, you can insert quotes from any media features you were in or quotes from prominent people. This will help you collect more donations online by driving trust.
Also add a lits of FAQs that people may have — like do you provide a tax recept, are you a regsitered nonprofit, etc. Embed an enquiry form in your Smart Page to collect any additional queries from your donors.
Step 5: Page URL and domain
You’re almost done creating a page to collect donations online! The next step is to enter the URL structure of your landing page. Make sure you mention your organization’s name. If you have a domain, you can link it to your smart page. You also have the option to purchase and link the domain.
Don’t forget to add a custom thank you page to show your gratitude.
What’s more?
You can run digital ads to your Smart Page and track results easily. You can also collect and store donor details on your dashboard.
Inchara Foundation, a non profit, uses Instamojo Smart Page to collect donations by hosting a charity event.
Having a Smart page helps widen their reach and get more people interested in their event. It gives an extra boost to their credibility along with their social media presence.
Start collecting donations online today!
Charities and NGOs across India trust Instamojo to handle their donations. Try it out and see how easy it is to collect funds for your cause through the platform. We have powerful features that help you build trust with donors, collect their details, and give them a safe payment experience.
