A compelling giving experience is the whole path a visitor takes, not a Donate button on its own. That path runs from the homepage through a campaign landing page and the donation form to the confirmation, the thank-you and the follow-up. Best Friends Animal Society’s Digital Fundraising Playbook describes it this way: “The experience of online giving has many moving parts, including the homepage, one or more landing pages, donation forms and stewardship tactics.” If any part is weak, the others lose value. This guide covers each part for shelters, rescues and sanctuaries, and it keeps the evidence limits clear.
Start with two kinds of visitors
Some visitors arrive ready to give. They followed an email, a social post or a friend’s recommendation. Others only know your name from a single adoption photo. Best Friends suggests two routes after a call to action, and says both can be appropriate:
- Straight to the donation form for people who already have the context and intent to give.
- To a landing page first for people who need more information or are still deciding what kind of gift to make.
In practice, keep a visible Donate link in your main navigation for the first group. Send cold traffic, such as an ad or a broad social post, to a page that explains the need before the ask.
Make the homepage state the case for support
The playbook frames the homepage around what supporters need to know and asks you to explain why a visitor should give. Its case for support covers five things. The playbook is written for animal welfare groups, and it says these principles apply across lifesaving organizations.
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- The problem: for example, too many animals arriving with too little foster space.
- Who benefits: the animals, and the community around them.
- What supporters can do: give, foster, volunteer or adopt.
- Why your organization: evidence of your track record.
- Why now: a real urgency, not a manufactured one.
Plain language matters here. Jakob Nielsen of Nielsen Norman Group (NN/g) put it this way in 2009: “To improve fundraising, speak plainly and answer donors’ main questions, and money will flow your way.”
Build a landing page that earns the click
A campaign landing page, such as a medical fund, a winter appeal or a kitten-season drive, should do four jobs, per the Best Friends playbook:
- Explain the problem in simple language, and say who benefits and why acting now matters.
- Show how the supporter helps and how past work has made a positive difference.
- Repeat a call to action that leads to the donation form.
- Offer a way to learn more about your story and mission, for visitors who are not ready yet.
Tie each ask to a specific, documented impact
The Charities Aid Foundation (CAF) recommends case studies, testimonials, data and video from the field, and appeals connected to a specific impact. Best Friends likewise recommends past impact stories and credible statistics where available.
- Use figures you can document and date, such as animals placed last year.
- Do not invent equivalences like “$25 saves one animal” unless your own records support that exact claim.
- Pair a number with one real animal’s story, so the data has a face.
Design the donation form to remove friction
Best Friends’ advice is blunt: “All you need to do is keep the form simple, clear and straightforward.” It also recommends suggested giving amounts tailored to your audience, and collecting only the information needed to process the gift and thank the donor. CAF’s guidance for charities adds the following:
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- Use few steps and few fields.
- Do not require an account to donate.
- Give the donation route clear prominence on the site.
- Make the form mobile-responsive.
- Make the journey understandable without extensive instructions.
Offer one-time and recurring options in the same form. These are sound design practices, but the sources do not promise a specific conversion lift, so test changes on your own audience.
Embedded form or third-party redirect?
CAF cites CAF Donate as an example of an embedded, brand-customizable form with one-time and regular giving, Gift Aid and multiple payment methods. That is a UK-oriented example of a category, not an endorsement, and the sources say nothing about its pricing. When you compare any donation platform, check these points directly with the vendor:
| Question | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Embedded form or redirect to another site? | Redirects can break the sense of continuity and branding. |
| One-time and recurring gifts? | Supporters should be able to choose without leaving the form. |
| Payment methods and local tax mechanisms (such as Gift Aid in the UK) | These vary by country. |
| Mobile usability, number of steps and fields | Many gifts start on a phone. |
| Control over branding and content | Lets you keep your message through checkout. |
| Fees, fund handling, verification | Affects what reaches the animals and how donors perceive the gift. |
| Receipts, thank-you and stewardship integration | Determines what happens after the gift. |
Handle trust and third-party platforms honestly
Many donors give through platforms rather than your own page. In Give.org’s 2026 Donor Trust Special Report (BBB Wise Giving Alliance), among respondents who had donated in the prior three years, 70% had given through an online giving website or platform, 48% through social media, 31% through a crowdfunding site and 26% through donor-advised funds. Of giving-platform users, 62% said a charity’s presence on a well-known donation platform would increase their trust.
The same report found these expectations among platform users:
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- 51% expect displayed charity information to be accurate and timely.
- 45% expect independent vetting.
- 42% expect verification of tax-exempt status.
- 60% want the platform to obtain charity permission before creating a profile.
These are survey responses. They do not prove that platform presence causes trust, and not every donor shares these views. The practical takeaway is to keep your listings on any platform current, and to make your legal name, status and contact details easy to find on your own site.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Close the loop after the gift
Best Friends recommends a meaningful thank-you of several sentences that reinforces how the gift helps. It then suggests offering next steps, such as volunteering, fostering, adopting or becoming a recurring donor. It also suggests considering a welcome series for new online supporters. The playbook presents these as recommendations, not guaranteed retention gains.
- Confirmation page: name the gift, say what it supports, and point to one next step.
- Receipt email: include the information the donor needs for their records.
- Follow-up: report back later with a real update, ideally on the animals or program the gift supported.
What usability research adds, and its limits
NN/g’s second-edition report on nonprofit websites contains 116 guidelines. It is based on two rounds of one-on-one testing in the United States with prospective donors and volunteers, across 60 nonprofit, charity and association websites of varied sizes. That makes real-user testing a credible model, but the sample does not represent every country or donor group. The report page does not show the edition’s publication date.
An older NN/g article by Jakob Nielsen (March 29, 2009) found that 47% of observed usability problems concerned page and site design and 53% concerned content, and that 17% of sites made the donation location hard to find. Treat those as historical findings, not current benchmarks. The lesson that still holds up is that unclear content and a hidden donation route cost you gifts, so test your own site with a few people who have never seen it.
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A quick audit checklist
- Can a first-time visitor find Donate in under a few seconds, on a phone?
- Does the homepage name the problem, beneficiaries, actions, your credibility and why now?
- Does each campaign page lead back to the form and offer a way to learn more?
- Does the form ask only for what you need, with no account required?
- Can donors choose one-time or recurring giving, with suggested amounts that fit your audience?
- Is every impact claim documented and dated?
- Does the thank-you say how the gift helps and suggest a next step?
- Is your information on any third-party platform accurate and current?
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