How to close the gaps in your online fundraising journey

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Across the UK and Ireland, charities continue to face a rapidly evolving fundraising landscape. Supporters now give primarily online, expect seamless donation journeys, and interact with causes through multiple channels. 

 

Despite investments in digital tools, many organisations still lose potential donors at critical moments, often without even realising it.

 

At the Digital Fundraising Summit 2025, fundraising expert Eoghan Beecher, Country Director - UK & Ireland at iRaiser, explored this challenge through a simple but powerful concept: gaps in the online fundraising journey. 

 

These gaps (whether technical, behavioural, or strategic) lead supporters to abandon donations they were fully ready to make. Even small inconsistencies, such as a missing payment option, a confusing error message, or a slow mobile form, can dramatically impact conversion rates.

 

This article breaks down the lessons from the session and offers steps for charities looking to strengthen their online fundraising strategy, reduce supporter drop-off, and build long-term digital loyalty.

 

 

Why supporters drop off: understanding the hidden gaps in online charity fundraising

Even the most committed supporters can fall away during the donation process. Not because they changed their minds about your cause, but because a barrier in the donation form or elsewhere in the online journey disrupted their intent. These drop-offs are rarely dramatic, usually, they are the result of small frictions that break the flow of giving.

Common causes include:

 

1. Trust and reassurance issues

Lack of transparency, missing security indicators, or inconsistent branding can make donors hesitate before submitting their payment details.

2. Convenience gaps

If your donation form doesn’t offer the payment method a donor prefers (Apple Pay, Google Pay, PayPal, Amex, debit card), they may simply postpone the gift… or might not return.

 

3. Accessibility barriers

Long or complex forms, unclear error messages, or poor mobile experience can cause significant drop-off, especially since more than half of UK online donations are now made on mobile.

 

4. Inconsistency across touchpoints

Charities often unintentionally send mixed messages across email, social media, and landing pages, disrupting the continuity of the supporter experience.

 

These issues rarely reflect a lack of donor commitment, they reflect design and strategic gaps that charities can fix.

 

 

“Stop refusing donations”: why payment flexibility matters

 

One of the most memorable messages from the Summit was simple: “If someone wants to give you money: take it.”

 

In practice, many charities unintentionally refuse donations by limiting payment methods or forcing supporters into rigid behaviours (e.g., direct debit only, mandatory account creation, or outdated card processing).

 

Your online donation form must include:

• All major credit & debit cards

• Frictionless wallet payments (Apple Pay, Google Pay)

• PayPal

• Region-appropriate Direct Debit options

• Recurring and one-off giving flexibility

This flexibility is essential not just for first-time donors but especially for second-time givers, an area where UK charities often lose momentum. A returning supporter must find a process at least as simple as the first time.

Online payment methods, ease of use, and donor-centric design are therefore central pillars of any effective digital fundraising strategy.

 

 

Growing with your donor: why one journey no longer fits all

Supporters rarely engage with a cause in a linear way. Their behaviour evolves over time, shaped by life stages, financial capacity, and personal circumstances.

 

Someone who once ran a marathon may later become:

• A monthly donor

• A community fundraiser

• A legacy supporter

• A corporate ambassador, etc.

But charities often continue sending them the same fundraising asks year after year. A sustainable approach requires:

• Diversifying fundraising options: peer to peer fundraising, appeals, regular giving, events, tribute pages…

• Personalising donation experiences

• Segmenting communications by behaviour, not only demographics

These ideas align with the strategic framework in iRaiser’s guide, especially the need to map supporter profiles, define SMART objectives, and structure your fundraising year around a clear plan.

 

 

Lost donors don’t hate you, and many will come back

 

A powerful takeaway from Eoghan Beecher’s session: “People who get 70% through a donation journey rarely abandon because they changed their mind. Something simply happened to disrupt their journey.”

 

And the same goes for lapsed donors:

• Personal finances change

• Interests rotate

• People forget

• Life gets in the way

Most lapses are practical rather than emotional, which means it is absolutely acceptable (and often effective) to ask again.

 

By applying a clear retention strategy supported by a flexible digital ecosystem, charities can win supporters back when they’re ready.

 

 

Turning insight into strategy: building a stronger online fundraising plan

Most digital fundraising challenges stem from a lack of structure rather than a lack of effort. To close gaps effectively, charities need a coherent, documented fundraising plan that aligns their objectives, tools, and supporter journeys.

 

The “3 steps to building an effective annual fundraising strategy” guide helps charities of all sizes to:

• Analyse their current fundraising performance

• Clarify strategic priorities

• Design a donor-centric calendar of activities

• Structure online fundraising actions

• Map and improve key journeys, including the online donation flow

This structured approach ensures that every online touchpoint, from first visit to second gift, is intentional and optimised.

 

 

Want to strengthen your own charity’s online fundraising strategy?

 

A gap-free donation journey doesn’t happen by accident, it requires planning, structure, and a deep understanding of donor behaviour.

 

If you want a practical and accessible method to build your fundraising strategy, this guide is an excellent resource to start.

 

Download the fundraising guide here

 

By strengthening your strategy now, you’ll reduce supporter drop-off, improve online donation performance, and build long-term digital engagement.