Things to Look Out for When Choosing a Nonprofit Donation App

Adekunle Oludele
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Mar 29, 2022

As a nonprofit, you know that the effectiveness of your marketing campaigns is directly linked to how much you raise. That is why most organizations extend their efforts to the marketing aspect.

The use of digital marketing is on the rise for all businesses, including nonprofits, because it is easier to reach a larger audience through this medium.

Just like for-profit businesses, a nonprofit relies on its brand to generate momentum and keep it moving toward its vision. A brand is defined by the total of a consumer's experiences with a nonprofit, from their first interaction to their most recent.

Nonprofit marketing strategies include having a website or using social media to spread awareness about their cause and encourage donations. Nonprofit online marketing is the process of building awareness and support for an organization's goals, programs, and events. The goal is to raise funds and generate volunteers.

Donation apps are another way to help your nonprofit bring in more donations. They allow people to give money without having to write checks and mail them in. Donors can provide their financial information easily on their phones while they're on the go.

To make the most of your digital marketing for nonprofits, choose a great mobile app that has been created especially for nonprofits like yours!

Why Should You Use an Online Donation App?

It's convenient. More people are using smartphones and tablets, and they expect to do everything with them. They no longer want to be tethered to their desktops; they want to be able to do everything on their mobile devices.
It's accessible. An excellent online donation app should be accessible from any device with Internet access. Donors don't have to wait until they get home before donating, they can donate from anywhere at any time.

Six Things to Consider When Choosing a Nonprofit Donation App

Here's what you should look for in a nonprofit donation app:

1. Software Compatibility With the Donor Database System

Even before implementing a digital marketing strategy for nonprofits, ensure the software is compatible with your database. You'll want your donation and donor information to automatically flow into your donor database system. This saves you the hassle of having to enter the same data multiple times. Look elsewhere if a potential app doesn't integrate with your donor database software.

If you have an existing donor database system, it will be more efficient for you to choose a donation software compatible with your database. That way, you can transfer data over to the new platform and avoid having to re-enter information into a brand new system.

If you don't currently have a donor database system, choose one of the many that integrate with your donation platform. You can then easily upload donor data into your new database.

2. Look at the Monthly Fees

Some donation apps charge monthly fees, while others offer their services at no cost. It all depends on what features you need for your nonprofit, and how much time you'd like to spend setting up your software. Some apps have annual fees as well. Ensure you read the fine print when selecting a mobile donation app for your nonprofit so you know the costs before committing to the service.

The cost of using an app shouldn't be exorbitant. Many apps cater specifically to nonprofit organizations by offering a discount on their services or free plans. Choosing an app that charges too much or not enough could hurt your nonprofit in the long run.

3. Consider the User Experience

When you want to attract an audience use non-profit digital marketing to get donations. Even so, you should ensure your app is user friendly. When a donor gives through your mobile app, it should be a seamless experience from start to finish. Ensure that the user interface is straightforward, that donors don't have to jump through hoops to complete their transactions. The process should be fast and reliable.

Also, evaluate whether the app is usable on all significant devices (for example, iOS and Android); and ask if your supporters will have to download anything to use it.

4. Ease of Use

Keep your supporters in mind when choosing an app. An app that is difficult to use or unreliable can deter people from donating. Is it easy for donors to give? Giving should be as simple as possible for donors, especially if you want recurring gifts and monthly sustainers. You don't want anything to get in the way of their generosity!

Ensure that all the features work smoothly and that there aren't too many steps involved in making a donation or submitting information. A good rule of thumb is that if it takes more than three clicks to complete an action, you should rethink the process.

5. Security

The first thing a nonprofit should look for when selecting a donation app is security. The last thing you want as a nonprofit is to compromise your donors' personal information.

Any mobile donation app must be PCI Level 1 compliant, which means it has the highest level of data security possible. A genuinely secure payment system will not only protect your organization and its donors but will also prevent the loss of money due to chargebacks or fraudulent transactions.

Donors want to feel confident that their money is going where it's supposed to go and that their personal information is safe.

6. Features

Some features are more important than others, depending on your organization's needs. For instance, if you want donors to give automatically every month, you may not need an app that lets people add comments along with their donations.

On the other hand, if you're looking for an easy way for people to donate while they're at an event, you may not care whether they can set up recurring donations through the app or not.

In Conclusion

As mentioned above, there are so many significant donation apps out there. Each one has a specific niche it caters to and different charities it supports. To find the right nonprofit donation app for you, I'd recommend doing a little research beforehand.

While there are a number of great nonprofit donation apps available, you have to make sure you're choosing the right one. Most will do what they're intended to do and help you raise money for your causes. However, not all of them are going to be secure, user-friendly, or offer the best return on your investment.

Just take note of the features in each app that appeal to you and the types of charities you're most interested in supporting you can then narrow down your choices from there.