How to improve donor journeys in 2024

“I think we’ve all been in meeting rooms where we say, ‘we’re gonna map out our donor journey.’ Then there’s 4,000 post-it notes on the wall with arrows describing ’if this then that then that then this and that and that’ and everyone looks at it and goes, ‘great, how do I implement that?’” says Freelance Fundraiser, Sarah Goddard.

 

According to Goddard there are a couple of classic mistakes that charities make when it comes to designing donor journeys. The first is making them too complicated and impossible to implement. The second is never allowing ‘donor journey’ to make it to the top of the fundraising team’s to-do list in the face of so many other priorities.

 

Donor journeys don’t have to be tricky. Creating a simple journey doesn’t need a lengthy and complex project. There are a few quick strategic and digital fixes that charities can make to improve their supporter journeys in 2024.

 

 

What does a good donor journey strategy look like?

 

A great donor journey should have a few basic touchpoints that apply to all donors, regardless of how they support your charity. SOFII suggests that charities should consider developing a journey that covers the five basic giving stages:

• Awareness
• Research
• Decision
• Appreciation
• Repeat

At each stage, they recommend thinking about the donor’s goal, thoughts, and any action they might take. Developing a standard communication for each touch point will ensure that all supporters get the same basic level of support. Fundraisers can add to that journey with whatever additional touch points are needed to support the donor’s giving or fundraising activity. 

 

Goddard’s advice is, “get a warm, beautiful, gorgeous, simple journey, then build and grow from there as you learn more about your supporters.”

 

 

Digital quick fixes to improve your donor journey

 

 

Vary the digital channels

 

Mix up your media! Email is great and it’s easy, but Goddard encourages fundraisers to, “pick up the phone. Send post. Use text messages, use Facebook groups”. We all like to communicate in different ways. Using different digital channels in your standard supporter journey will make it flexible enough to meet the broad communications needs of your donors.

 

 

Up your landing page game

 

Use software like Hotjar to learn how your supporters are navigating the landing pages for different donation and fundraising products. Develop a checklist for landing page best practices. This should be bespoke to your charity, but could include:

• Including social proof from other donors – what does being a donor mean to them?
• Including a powerful story and statistics about the impact your charity makes
• Making the call to action simple, obvious, and close to the top of the page
• Checking your copy for skimmability – it should use simple language, avoid complex sentences, and include lots of spacing so donors can read it quickly
• Breaking up the page with different coloured sections, movement, and interaction

Check out Save The Children’s donation page for inspiration.

 

 

Get techy with your email marketing

 

To really get the most out of your email marketing, think beyond the content. Audit your email marketing programmes to look at things like deliverability and re-activating or de-activation disengaged donors on your list.

 

 

Optimise for mobile

 

Everyone is doing more online, but many of your donors will be using their smartphones as their main internet-enabled device whether they are 23 or 73.

 

Comms that aren’t optimised for mobile are definitely out for 2024. As Goddard says, imagine, “you get an email, you try and read it but you have to scroll across the screen – no one’s reading that.”

 

Anything that creates friction in your donor’s journey makes it less enjoyable for them and less effective for your charity.

 

 

Create frictionless forms

 

Another place that friction can occur is on donation, registration, or any other type of online form where you are trying to get donors to take some sort of action.

 

Goddard says, “if there’s a problem with the form there’s a problem with donations”. Checking how errors are displayed is essential. If a form won’t submit and is saying, there’s a problem, but isn’t taking you back to the section that needs to be fixed or making it obvious with a colour change and explanation, that really is a problem.

 

 

Accessibility

 

There are one billion people in the world with disabilities and very varied levels of digital literacy. Testing your donor journey with a broad range of people with different levels of digital knowledge is definitely a must-do for 2024 and beyond.

 

How does your donation form sound on a screen reader? Who needs a braille thank you letter in the post? In 2024, seeking simplicity, making digital quick fixes and embracing accessibility will get your charity closer to creating a supported and inclusive community of donors.