There are many “do’s and don’ts” when it comes to fundraising online, but responsive design is actually one of the best things you can do to pave the way for a successful campaign.

What is Responsive Design?

When you hear someone talk about a web page as being responsive, what that essentially means is that it’s designed to function (and hopefully look great) on any screen size.  In other words, the site is mobile-friendly.  This concept may seem like a no-brainer, but you might be surprised to hear that most nonprofit websites are actually not responsive!

Super Cool Animated GIF by Vadim Gromov

Why Responsive Design is Important

1. It Gives You Control

The truth is that you can’t control which device a potential donor will access your fundraising page from. And you don’t want to! You want anyone, regardless of how they got to your page to be able to easily view your content and navigate through the donation process seamlessly. Responsive design gives control back to nonprofits by adapting to any phone, tablet, laptop, or large screen monitor.

2. It’s Future Proof

Smart devices with unique screen dimensions are constantly being released. Since responsive design is created to adapt to any screen size, it’s a great way to make sure that your fundraising page will still look awesome on whatever strangely-sized tablet or phone that your potential donors will buy next month. And the month after that. And after that… You get the picture!

3. Mobile Usage is Only Growing

Accommodating mobile devices is really where responsive design shines. Remember that the term “mobile device” includes tablets and other portable smart technology, not just phones! During our first 24-hour Online Day of Giving, we found that a third of our page visitors on that day came from mobile devices. Recent statistics will tell you that on average, this percentage is often much higher and is continuing to increase over time.

4. It Shows Mobile Donors That They Matter

Responsive fundraising pages send an encouraging message to mobile users that they’re important to you and that they’re welcome to contribute to your mission. If these supporters can count on the fact that they can donate to your mission, no matter what device they’re on, their engagement with your organization will most likely improve.

5. It’s Expected

Due to a lack of resources, nonprofits can fall behind website best-practices, but many people have come to expect that they’ll be able to easily browse pages and perform online transactions from their preferred device. It’s really in a nonprofit’s best interest to meet that expectation and to delight mobile donors by giving them a great overall experience.

6. It Reflects Positively On Your Mission

If you land on a fundraising page where the text is tiny and difficult to read, the images are cut off and the main call to action is hard to find, what impression does that give you about the organization? Responsive design shows that you’ve put extra thought and effort into your fundraising campaign, which in turn validates your mission and makes you look great!

7. It Promotes Impulse Giving

Many donors make the choice to contribute on the fly. Studies have shown that donations primarily happen on the same day that a donor first visits a fundraising page. If you can ensure that each person who lands on your fundraising page has an intuitive donation experience, you’ll be able to take advantage of impulsive giving. Another plus is that many new supporters can be gained if you make it easy to give spontaneously.

8. It Makes Sharing and Discovery Easy

If you’re fundraising online, the link to get to your fundraising page will most likely be sent through email or social media. Did you know that most emails, tweets and Facebook pages are now opened on mobile devices?

That said, imagine how valuable it is to be able open and share your fundraising campaign with friends and family from anywhere. Responsive design makes this process much easier and more intuitive.

9. It’s Convenient for You (The Nonprofit)

Responsive fundraising campaigns allow nonprofit administrators and peer-to-peer fundraisers to easily check their campaign progress and share their page on the go.

As a bonus, if you’re fundraising on GiveGab, you’ll also be able to fully manage & edit your campaign, view & export analytics, and communicate & engage with supporters from any device. Allowing admins to manage their campaigns – wherever they are – allows for much more flexibility, freedom, and control.

10. It Outshines the Alternatives

Non-responsive, or static, pages leave a large percentage of potential donors behind and present a number other challenges that I’ve already touched upon in this article.

Another option is to develop both a desktop version and a mobile version of your donation page, which is not as practical for nonprofits since it requires development and maintenance of two different sites. Native mobile apps can be very costly to create and provide a barrier for both supporters and administrators who will have to download it in order to contribute to your campaign.

One more option, which is constrained to cell phones, is text-to-give. In practicality, there are very few instances in which this option is a right fit for the every-day nonprofit and is no replacement for a responsive fundraising platform. Text-to-give campaigns omit the branding elements of your campaign and complicate the process with many phone company fees and an extremely long payout process!

So, What Now?

Whether or not you’re already using the power of responsive fundraising pages, we encourage you to check out GiveGab, which offers fully responsive fundraising, supporter engagement, and nonprofit management software.

We want all nonprofits to take advantage of the benefits of our handcrafted campaign templates and management software so you can quickly and easily increase your fundraising potential! 

Learn More About GiveGab