Posted on 18th December 2018

How your website supports your fundraising campaigns

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Every charity fundraising campaign has its own goals. The key objective is to raise money but, as all good fundraisers know, encouraging large donations and long-term supporters requires a wider strategy. 

Your website is usually central to this strategy, and in this article we’re going to look at ways in which you can harness your website to get the most out of your fundraising campaigns.

Your website is the destination for all new supporters

Every new supporter your charity wins will land on your website at some point. Your visitor may find themselves coming from Twitter or Facebook, a TV ad, email campaign or a printed leaflet. In any case, your website feeds into that visitor journey and links them to the right information at the right time.

Landing page from various marketing channels

A powerful way to envisage your charity’s website is as the hub at the centre of a wheel. The spokes surrounding it are your marketing channels, each leading back to the hub. When you consider your website in this way, it is clear how important it is that you have a well-planned website strategy that engages and guides your visitors to action.

Your website builds trust in your brand

Storytelling is paramount to earning trust from your visitors. If you don’t compel them – usually emotionally – to take action, a visitor may never turn into a supporter. Your website has a big job on its hands to ensure that your imagery, colours, text and messaging is consistent and clear, and tells the visitor exactly why and how they should get involved in your charity.

Your brand permeates everything you do, from the sticky labels on donation buckets, to your social media feed. Even your organisation’s approach to telesales is part and parcel of how you present yourself to the world, and how the world perceives you; your brand identity. Your charity’s website is a primary platform in this brand journey.

Your website informs prospective supporters

There are many, many charities out there. And lots of them operate within the same area (i.e. homelessness, domestic violence, animal welfare). It is amazing that so much good work is happening, but half the battle is in answering why a visitor should give to your charity? 

The role of your website is also to inform. It’s far easier to encourage the visitor to take action if they are clued up on what you do, who you do it for, why you do it and what tangible benefits their donation or support may yield. Along with providing information about your general cause, your website must provoke a response from your visitors.

Make your website work for you

Because a successful marketing and fundraising strategy relies so heavily on having a good website, your charity should invest in not only having a great website designed but also a plan to maintain and promote it on an ongoing basis. By ensuring information is clear and accessible, content is frequently updated and you have identified key visitor types, your website will support and enhance your fundraising campaigns for years to come.