Is your donation page ready for GivingTuesday? Here’s a quick audit

GivingTuesday is one of the biggest fundraising days of the year. Donors are ready to give, but only if your donation page makes it easy, trustworthy and compelling. Before the GivingTuesday arrives, it’s worth taking time to audit your donation pages and forms.

Checklist: Donation page audit

This checklist will help you spot potential issue, improve the donor experience and help boost conversions when it matters most.

1. Is your page mobile friendly?

Why it matters: More than half of all nonprofit website traffic comes from mobile devices. If your donation form is hard to use on a phone, you’re going to lose donors.

Quick test: Pull up your donation page on your phone. Is the form easy to read and complete? Are buttons large enough to tap with a thumb? Does it load quickly?

Fixes to consider

• Use a responsive design
• Keep forms short and scannable
• Avoid unnecessary fields or dropdowns

2. Is your donation page fast?

Why it matters: Donors are more likely to abandon a slow-loading page—especially when making quick decisions on a busy day like GivingTuesday.

Quick test: Use free tools (such as PageSpeed Insights) to check your page load time.

Fixes to consider

• Compress large images
• Reduce unnecessary third-party scripts (scripts that can be embedded into any site directly from a third-party vendor, like social media sharing buttons or video play embeds)
• Host your form on a reliable platform

3. Is your donation form secure?

Why it matters: When it comes to sensitive payment data, security isn’t optional; it’s foundational when dealing with donor information.

Quick test: Does your URL start with “https”? Is your payment processor reputable and PCI-compliant?

Fixes to consider

• Add security badges or trust signals
• Include your EIN and contact information
• Display privacy language near the donation button

4. Is your page branded?

Why it matters: Donors won’t enter their credit card information if your page feels unreliable, and a generic donation page can create confusion and distrust. Donors want to feel confident they’re giving to your organization. Just as proper security settings reassure donors, so does consistent, professional branding.

Quick test: Does the donation form match your nonprofit’s look and feel? Does it include your logo, colors and messaging? Would someone know at a glance who this donation is for?

Fixes to consider

• Embed your donation form into your website
• Ensure logos and graphics are properly sized and hi-res
• Use branded headers and calls to action
• Add a brief message about your mission and impact

5. Is it easy to give?

Why it matters: A complicated form or confusing language creates friction and drives drop-off. The fewer clicks, the better.

Quick test: Count how many steps it takes to make a donation. Are there too many required fields? Is there a clear, visible “Donate” button?

Fixes to consider

• Enable options like digital wallets (Apple Pay, Google Pay)
• Offer preset gift amounts with an “Other” option
• Keep the donation form on a single page

6. Is it emotionally compelling?

Why it matters: Donors give when they feel a connection. Your donation page should reinforce urgency, gratitude and the impact of their gift.

Quick test: Does your page remind donors why their gift matters? Is there a GivingTuesday-specific message?

• Fixes to consider
• Add a photo and short story or quote
• Include GivingTuesday language in your headline or copy
• Use a progress bar if you're running a time-limited campaign
• Create a follow up thank you email to reinforce your message

Final tip: Test, test, test

Before GivingTuesday, do a full test donation from both desktop and mobile and on different web browsers. Walk through the full donor journey from social post to thank-you email, to discover any potential errors or points of friction.

A seamless, branded, optimized donation page is one of the most powerful tools in your fundraising toolbox. Taking an hour today to audit your page can lead to hundreds (or thousands) more in donations on GivingTuesday.