Zero steps to donate?

Think about someone who’s trying to donate to your organization right now.

In an ideal magical world, how difficult would you want to make it for them? How many steps should it take?

The answer is: zero. We want giving to require zero steps.

They could say, “I’m going to give these people $5000 right now,” and the funds would be immediately sent.

Of course that’s not quite possible yet.

But look at your online contribution pages (and membership signups, and event registration forms).

How many steps are you requiring?

Count carefully, because everything is a step. From the time they open the page to the moment they finalize payment, every question, every decision, every click, every scroll is a step they have to take in order to give.

• Every field on that form — required or not — is a question they have to think about, to decide whether they’ll answer it.

• Every word on the page is information they have to process, or at least decide whether to read.

• Every page in the process is a step. This includes confirmation pages and “one more thing” add-ons.

Take a look at your forms with a fresh eye, and get rid of as many of those obstacles as possible.

Here’s the thing:

By the time someone reaches your online contribution form, they’ve already decided they want to give.

Your form’s one and only job is to get out of the way and let them give.

You probably can’t whittle it down to zero steps, but you can get pretty close.

All the best,
-A.