Nonprofit landing pages: fees and receipts

A donor decides on an amount before they open the page. The page then pre-selects a monthly gift instead of a one-time one, and a box below the amount is already checked to cover card fees. The total at the bottom is higher than the figure in the email. Some donors notice and uncheck it, which is fine. Others notice only at the payment step, when the gift they meant to make has become something else. A gift that changes after it is chosen feels like a trick, and a donor who feels tricked is unlikely to give again.

• Is a one-time gift selected by default, with monthly offered as the other choice?
• Is any fee box unchecked by default, with its amount shown beside it?
• Does the total match the amount the donor chose at every step?
• Does the campaign name in the page heading match the name in the email?
• Can a volunteer see open shifts and their times before any personal details are asked?

Defaults are the first thing a donor meets. A monthly option can look like the natural choice to the team, because it builds steady income, so it gets the highlight. A donor who came to give once may tap the highlighted option without reading it. The amount field may also keep a figure from an earlier visit on the same device. Check the first gift screen on a phone in a fresh session. Note which frequency is selected, which amount appears, and whether that amount matches the one in the email. A default that differs from the email is the first change a donor will notice, and often the last one they accept.

A checkbox that adds a fee for card processing makes the total higher than the donor chose, and a donor who did not expect it reads that as a surprise. Receipts create a second problem. A form that asks for a tax number, a full address and a date of birth before the gift can be completed makes donors stop and wonder why. Ask only for the fields a receipt needs, before the gift. Anything else can come after the gift is complete, or be left optional. Run the gift once with the fee box checked and once unchecked, and with a receipt requested and not requested. Check that the total never changes without the donor's notice.

Checkout flow testing

Volunteer pages often open with a details form, a reference and a consent step, and only then show the shift list. A person who wants to help one Saturday has no idea whether a shift is still open or what it involves. The page may also list start times in the organization's time zone without saying so. Test a volunteer sign-up from the first screen, and count the screens before an open shift appears. Then check whether a full shift still accepts a sign-up, and whether the confirmation gives the place, the time and a contact. A test can reach the confirmation email, but it cannot show whether anyone turns up.

The first run shows which step changed the gift or hid the shift. The fix may be a corrected default, a moved fee box or a shorter volunteer form. Run the same donor and the same volunteer after each new campaign, after the payment provider is changed, and before the next email goes to your list.