We all know how important online donations are for our organizations. But, do you really know if your organization is positioned to reap the benefits? I suggest you create a Donor for a Day program. First, conduct an internal audit. Next, pull together a volunteer committee to review your website and online donation program. Hold a virtual brainstorming session to review the findings and garner suggestions. Don’t forget to empower your volunteers and thank them for their suggestions.

1. Donor for a Day Template
We all know how important online donations are for our organizations. But, do you really know
if your organization is positioned to reap the benefits?
I suggest you create a Donor for a Day program. First, conduct an internal audit. I created this
checklist to use as a guide with clients.
Online Donation Checklist
 Our website is visually interesting
 We have easy to find contact information on the homepage
 We keep relevant content updated
 Our Donate Now button is prominent and easy to find
 We provide a link to our donation page in all our materials
 We have an easy to understand donation URL that we add to our phone message
 We track our donors so we can monitor which pages are getting the most hits and which
sources are sending the greatest number of visitors to our donation page.
 We keep the number of clicks necessary to make a donation to a minimum.
 We test the donation form to ensure that it is easy to follow and doesn’t take too long
to complete
 We provide a contact name and number/email on the donation form
 We have an auto-reply set up that thanks our donors for their gift
 We provide personalized fundraising pages for our events & Friends & Family campaigns
 Our donation page works well on mobile devices
 We make sure we stay in touch with all our donors and share what a difference their
donation makes
www.creative-si.com  deborah@creative-si.com  (888) 924-4648

2. Create a Donor for a Day Program
1. Invite a cross-section of members and volunteers to become Donors for a Day.
2. Use participation in the program to inspire and empower volunteer leadership and
donors.
3. Task the committee members with ‘trying out’ your on-line donation program.
4. Provide a checklist. (see below)
5. Hold a virtual brainstorming meeting to collect impressions & suggestions.
6. If a virtual meeting is not practical, survey the participants.
7. Use the findings to evaluate your current program & implement changes where
necessary to garner the most from your online donation program.
8. Don’t forget to engage your donors for a day beyond the technology to discuss person
to person communications.
9. Write up the results and share with your Volunteer for a Day participants as well as
senior management.
10. Don’t forget to thank your participants – and then thank them again!
Donor for a Day Checklist
 I found the website to be visually pleasing
 It was easy to navigate through the website
 I knew almost instantly who you are and what you do
 I learned what you would do with my gift
 I found measureable proof of your recent successes
 The success stories were compelling
 I saw stories/statements from volunteer leadership
 The Donate Now button was easy to find
 I found links to services & programs and other ways to engage
 ‘Contact Us’ information was easy to find. It contained an email address/fill-in form,
contact person’s name and a phone number
 The donation page has the same look & feel as the website
 The donation form was easy to fill-in
 I received an automatic tax receipt/thank you when I made a donation
 I had the option to sign-up for an e-newsletter and notifications of events
 My online thank you was followed by a personalized thank you note.
www.creative-si.com  deborah@creative-si.com  (888) 924-4648