Optimizing your donation pages is equally important as optimizing the marketing and communications activities that lead people there. Your organization doesn’t need to be one of the big dogs to run these experiments! 

Running A/B tests one at a time throughout the year, especially during your biggest fundraising campaigns, will help you write and structure your donation pages to boost the number and size of gifts—and the number of donors who choose that golden “Monthly” option.

Here are the eight A/B tests I would prioritize running this year, no matter your nonprofit’s size or cause area. 

1. Default Donation Type: Monthly vs. One-Time Gifts
   Test setting "Monthly" as the default donation option instead of "One-Time." On the version of the page where “Monthly” is the default, include a callout explaining the impact of monthly gifts, like: “Put your generosity on autopilot! Giving $10/month will fill a child’s lunchbox every single month.” With this test, keep lifetime value in mind. You might find that the “One-Time” default option raises more dollars during the experiment, but if the “Monthly” default option brings in more monthly donors that is ultimately better for your long-term revenue.
2. Donation Amount Presets
   Experiment with different preset donation amounts to see which configurations lead to higher contributions. For instance, test a set of $25, $50, $100 against $60, $120, $240. You want to make the amounts different enough that there’s a clear takeaway. I always recommend listing suggested amounts from highest to lowest. This is a psychology trick called “anchoring”; people rely heavily on the first piece of information they see when making a decision, so if the highest suggested amount comes first, they’re more likely to view that as the standard or recommended gift.
3. Call-to-Action (CTA) Button Text
   The wording on your CTA button can significantly impact conversion rates. Test a standard variation like “Donate Now” against something more unique like “Send  Emergency Aid.” I’ve seen results go both ways on this one; sometimes the more generic option surprisingly performs better! Just make sure your button text still makes it clear that by clicking, they are completing the transaction. 
4. Visuals: Images & Videos
   Assess the impact of including an image or video on your donation page. While a compelling photo or video is worth 1,000 words, some studies suggest that removing them may reduce distractions and increase conversion rates. You can test an image against a video or test either one against a version with no visuals. Make sure you preview your donation page on mobile as well as desktop to ensure your photo or video isn’t cropped weirdly or blocking the donation form. 
5. Donation Form Length
   Test a super-shorter form that only collects essential information against a longer form that gathers additional details like phone number, address, and a question field asking them to share their motivation for giving. On the longer version, make those added fields optional so people can skip them if they want to. 
6. Explanatory Text Length
   I’m a copy nerd, so this one might be my favorite. On one version of your donation form, include your value proposition and just one or two more sentences of supporting copy. On the other version, include that same value proposition followed by one or two paragraphs of supporting text. We’ve all been taught to keep copy short-short-short, so the results of this one might surprise you. If your longer copy speaks to the donor’s values and sense of self and illustrates the journey their dollars will take using sensory details, it may carry more people across the finish line.
7. Impact Statements
   List gift equivalency statements that illustrate how donations will be used. For example, "$50 = school supplies for a month, $600 = school supplies for a year.” Make sure the suggested gift amounts on the page align with the statements. For this one, it’s very important that the higher-priced statements feel the most impactful and are the most appealing to donors. 
8. Trust Badges and Security Seals
   Adding badges like your CharityNavigator score, along with any awards your organization has won, can reassure donors about your trustworthiness. Test the presence and placement of these elements to see if they influence donor confidence and increase the conversion rate. 

If you pick one of these 8 tests to run every month starting now, you’ll enter Q4 knowing how to structure your year-end donation page. Zing! 

How Do I Run These A/B Tests Properly?

If you use iDonate, A/B testing is built into the platform, making it easy to compare variations and optimize your donation page for better results.

If you’re on a different fundraising platform, there are a lot of different tools and plug-ins out there. Or, the simplest way to run an A/B test is to create two separate versions of the donation page with just one change between them. Then, split your emails and digital ads to send equal groups of people to each version. Some ad platforms, like Meta Ads, have built-in A/B test functionality. 

To ensure reliable results, run your test for at least one week—ideally two. The more traffic your pages receive, the faster you’ll be able to gather meaningful data.

Once the test period is complete, you can use a statistical significance calculator to confirm whether the observed differences are due to actual donor behavior rather than random chance.

This guide goes into more detail on how to run a proper A/B test and the biggest mistakes to avoid. If you run any of these tests, please message me to share the results. I’m so curious! 🤓

About the Author

Caroline Griffin has worked in nonprofit marketing, communications, and digital fundraising since 2013. She has seen it from all angles: in-house as a marketing team of one, agency-side serving dozens of clients over the years, and as a solo consultant since 2020.

About Marketer on a Mission

As the Marketer on a Mission, Caroline helps nonprofits grow their fans and funds online with donor research, strategy, and implementation support. You can check out her website to learn more and sign up for her monthly newsletter, The Good Stuff.