How hard are you making it to give?

How hard are you making it to give?

Seriously, giving shouldn’t be so confusing.

The other day as we paid our bills, my husband and I pulled an appeal from our pile to make a donation. Then we turned the response form over and over, trying to figure out what to do.

I’m a professional… at least I should have been able to figure it out!

It was a combination return envelope and form. But to mail the envelope, you had to figure out that parts of it were perforated.

Then fold and rip those parts away.

Then fold it again. (Though the lines provided didn’t work right.)

And then put the check inside and seal the envelope. (Though the seal didn’t stick.)

We resorted to taping it shut.

Don’t do this to your donors!

That was a lot of frustration for a donation. It counteracted any happy buzz we might have felt. I’m pretty sure we weren’t supposed to work quite so hard or get quite so confused.

So I wondered how many other things we do to our donors daily. Things that seem to make sense to us. Or save us money. Or make our lives easier.

Things make donors feel frustrated, or foolish, or just plain tired.

That envelope was one example. But there are plenty of others. And you might not see them, with your “inside eyes.”

That’s why it’s a great idea to have some people “test” your appeals. People who aren’t fundraisers. Ideally, people over 60. Watch them as they open the mail, email, or look at your webpage. Are they comfortable? Are they sure what they’re being asked to do? Is it easy to give?

Or do they feel sort of lost, inept, or frustrated?

You want your appeal to be the shortest connection between your cause, the people who need help, and the donor.

So why do we let things like envelope origami get in the way?

Here are some problems I can think of:

• Direct mail packages with no reply envelope at all
• Direct mail packs so tightly sealed that you need scissors or a knife to open them
• Direct mail appeals that only offer an online way to give
• Websites with no development staff contact information
• Websites with no easy-to-find donation button, or one with language that’s unclear
• Email that isn’t optimized for mobile with a donation hyperlink but no button. (Try chasing one of those links around on your phone.)
• Online donation forms that require a captcha or a login
• No mail address on the website
• And QR codes are handy, but remember that not all donors understand how to use them

Your turn – what have you noticed that makes donors work too hard to give?

Please share yours in the comments so we’ll all have happier donors.

Photo thanks to Ryan McGuire