Technology is constantly evolving and making life easier in many respects. To reap the benefits of these advances, however, nonprofits must adapt and keep up with the times, or risk losing donations and other forms of support.

Now, more of us use mobile devices, instead of traditional desktops, to access the internet. If you don’t optimise your site for mobile technology, you run the risk of your pages becoming too time-consuming, difficult to load and navigate. Text and images may also be displayed incorrectly, which encourages your mobile visitors to click away.

The appearance and speed of your site, however, isn’t the only consideration. The proliferation of the number of mobile devices impacts not-for-profits in other ways. For example, another area that you might consider updating is the way that you accept and process donations.

Digital Donations

A recent survey by PayPal suggests that a growing number of Australians have come to distrust face-to-face appeals for donations, and, dislike receiving cold-calls. A significant number also report feeling awkward when passing by charity stations making direct solicitations for donations.

Add to these statistics the fact that a growing number of us use our mobile devices as digital wallets and send digital payments with a simple tap, and the future of payment processing becomes clear. Nonprofits must prepare for an up-and-coming cashless society now or risk becoming invisible and irrelevant in this new digital age.

Are Your Payment Methods and Processes Really Mobile Friendly?

Make it simple and stress-free for all your visitors to donate to your cause by making the donation page easy to reach. For example, you might include a prominent donate now button above the fold on every page to allow visitors to give to your cause at any time during their stay on your site.

When creating your donations page, make your buttons and text large so that they are easily seen. Reduce the number of required fields so that it is simpler and faster to fill out on mobile devices.

The donations process needs to be easy to complete on mobile devices, especially if you want to reach and recruit millennials to support you. Use mobile-optimised apps and tools to make sure that users can donate with their credit card with just one click or tap.

To reach digitally-savvy donors that still prefer to give in person, install tap-and-go technology at all of your giving stalls and stations that you’ve set up in shopping malls and other retail locations during the holidays.

Incorporate text-to-give technology so that your supporters can donate from their device by texting you the amount they wish to contribute to your cause.

In addition to optimising your website for mobile users, take a look at your email templates and messaging systems as well. Are your email messages easy for mobile users to access and read? Consider incorporating a fundraising button into your emails messages so that supporters can donate directly from your appeal with one click or tap.