Donors are time poor and hesitant to share more information than necessary. The fewer fields and steps in your donation form, the more likely donors are to complete the process. Here are our top recommendations for reducing friction — all of these settings can be adjusted in the Donation form tab of your cause page. For a full guide to the settings, see How do I customise my donation form?
1. Only show the donation frequencies that match your campaign.
Fewer choices means faster decisions. If you are running a general campaign, remove the daily and weekly options — they are rarely used unless donors are specifically asked. If you are running an EOFY campaign, consider offering just one-off, monthly, and annual. Match the options to what your donors are most likely to choose.
2. Set smart defaults for amount and frequency.
If you are on the Pro plan, set your suggested donation amounts to reflect your typical donor profile and make the middle option your default; it encourages donors to give at the level you are hoping for. Set the default frequency to match your campaign strategy: one-off if you want larger donations now, monthly if you want ongoing commitment.
3. Remove unnecessary contact fields.
First name, last name, and email are mandatory. Everything else is optional, and each extra field adds friction. We strongly recommend removing:
- Title: Very few donors complete this, and it adds little value for most organisations.
- Phone number: Donors often worry this means they will receive fundraising calls. If you will not use it, do not ask for it.
- Physical address: This is the biggest friction point in the form. Unless you need to send something by post, remove it.
4. Turn off optional steps you do not need.
Every extra screen between a donor and the submit button is a chance for them to drop off. Review these optional steps and remove any you do not need:
- Notification ("Would you like to notify someone"): Useful 10 years ago, but social media has replaced this for most donors. We recommend removing.
- Card (gift card): Occasionally useful for health services or palliative care organisations, but rarely used otherwise. We recommend removing.
- Note ("Leave a message"): This one is worth keeping — a message from a donor to your organisation or to a CrowdRaiser is often valuable.
- Additional Questions: Only ask custom questions if absolutely necessary, such as asking donors to nominate where they want their donation directed. Keep questions simple with dropdown or checkbox options. Receive the donation now and ask questions later.
5. Make sure "cover platform fee" is switched on.
When this is enabled, donors are asked to cover the small GiveNow platform fee on top of their donation — and about 90% of the time, they do. It means more of each donation reaches your organisation without you having to absorb the cost. Donors can always choose to remove the fee if they prefer.