In an increasingly competitive landscape, nonprofits are always looking to gather donations more effectively. While there are many different gimmicks that nonprofits often attempt to use, one of the most overlooked ways to collecting donations is using your website more effectively.

You might argue that you already use your website effectively, and in fact, websites are one of the most effective means for gathering donations for nonprofits. Most nonprofits are not using their website to their colossal potential because they are ignoring how people interact on their websites on their phones.

The mobile problem

Nonprofits see over half of their traffic come from someone browsing on a mobile device; however mobile donations tend to account for less than a third of all site-wide revenue. In a society increasingly common for a mobile device to be the only way someone accesses the internet. 71% of total online time in the US comes from a mobile device.

By taking advantage of your mobile traffic, you can drastically increase your revenue. The easiest way to take more advantage of your mobile traffic is making sure your website is optimized to accept donations and guide new visitors to the areas they may be most impactful.

Tips to optimize your mobile experience

1. Cover the basics

When optimizing your website for mobile, the first thing is to ensure your website loads correctly on a mobile device. Check out what your website looks like on your mobile device right now; seriously, we'll wait. Look for some of these issues:

• Does it load?
• Can you find a way to donate?
• Are there apparent issues?

2. Use persistent banners & footers

Providing a way for someone to donate easily is one of the most effective ways to increase your revenues on your mobile site. Using a persistent banner or footer, meaning a section at the top or bottom of your mobile page that stays there as people navigate between pages with a call to action, can drive those donations.

3. Make it easy

Go through your donation process on your mobile site. How long does it take you to donate? If it's taking a long time, you're probably leaving money on the table by making it too complicated. Try to remove steps and make it as easy as possible for your donors.

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