Charities Fail on Online Donation Opportunities
29 July 2014 at 12:34 pm
New research in the UK reveals that charity websites are failing to maximise the opportunity for online donations.
An audit of 50 top charity websites by Not for Profit IT provider Eduserv found that environment and health charities have the least ‘donation-friendly’ websites; and the sector as a whole isn’t meeting the expectations of online donors.
Animal charities were found to have the most donation-friendly websites.
The report said this was mainly due to the charities in this category working hard to support visits from mobile devices – an area where many charities fall short.
The report also found:
Of the charities audited only three (6 per cent) had created donation journeys specific to mobile devices;
Four in 10 charity (42 per cent) websites are not optimised for mobile devices in any way;
Even where a site is optimised for mobile devices, the donation screens of four in five charities (80 per cent) then revert to desktop donation journeys which are poorly suited to mobile.
“This study finds that while there are pockets of excellence, the sector as a whole needs to work harder to keep pace with the expectations of consumers online,” Charities Director at Eduserv, John Simcock, said.
“There are some specific areas identified in the report, such as mobile optimisation, that charities need to address to ensure they don’t miss opportunities for online donations.”
The report looks at the accessibility, mobile compatibility, ease to donate, donation options and download speeds of charity websites.
