Nobody ever said fundraising for your nonprofit was effortless, but there are a few things you can do to make it easier that are cheap and don’t require a lot of time or expertise. Here’s one of them: Adding a page on your website that removes friction for Donor-Advised Fund (DAF) giving.
Why should you do this?
According to the National Philanthropic Trust, DAFs account for more than 25% of all charitable giving in the United States. That’s a lot of possible funding that deserves attention in your communications.
Fund owners may find your organization in multiple ways, such as a community foundation, meeting a board member or a member of your team, or just internet research. However they find you, once you’re on their radar, donating through their DAF is a natural next step. As with any form of incoming funds, rule number one is always to remove all speedbumps in the process. Having DAF giving information on your website removes the speedbump of having to figure out your process.
How do you do this?
You start by creating a DAF-specific page on your website. Here are examples from the International Rescue Committee and Seva.
A strong page is short and includes your legal name, EIN, and mailing address exactly as they appear in the IRS database. No variations. No abbreviations. You can include a clear button that links directly to major DAF portals, as Seva does above. Optional but powerful is a short testimonial from a DAF donor explaining why they give. Social proof still works, even for people with accountants. Make sure to list contact information for someone in your organization who can walk a donor through the process.
Once you have this page created and live, it should be positioned on your Ways to Give menu at the top of your page and even linked at the bottom of all your pages near your contact information. Of course, you should also include it in your fundraising appeals, such as direct mailers, social media, and other contacts you have with potential donors.
This is not a flashy strategy; it’s a practical one (my favorite kind). It respects how an increasing number of donors actually give and removes obstacles they should not have to navigate.
If you are unsure whether your website helps or hinders this kind of giving, that is exactly the sort of thing I review with clients at Transcend Advisory Group. I’d love to talk when you’re ready.