Are other nonprofits sending more fundraising emails than you? Take our 30 sec. poll to see.
You've already done the hardest part: getting supporters to open your email and click "donate."
But too often, the journey ends there.
Here's the good news: With just a few simple adjustments—each requiring less than an hour—you can ensure that more of those clicks turn into completed gifts.
Here are four optimizations you can roll out today:
1. Use smart default amounts
Suggested giving levels set the anchor for what feels "normal."
If your defaults are too low, you're capping your revenue. If they're too high, you risk scaring people off.
Fundraise Up found that using smart, data-driven suggested amounts led to a 4.2% increase in both average gift value and donor lifetime value—without hurting conversions.
Check what your platform provides. If you don’t have built-in options on the page, you can still segment donors or conditional logic through snippets at the email level to nudge supporters toward a suggested gift.
2. Show your impact
Donors want to know what their gift makes possible—and spelling it out can make all the difference.
Charity: Water ran a test to determine whether a donation page featuring a narrative that better visualizes who you could or would help impact with your gift, versus a generic narrative, would increase conversion rates overall.
Spoiler alert: The impact narrative won, both holistically and on mobile.
3. Offer flexible payment options
Nothing kills momentum faster than a donor realizing they can't give the way they want to. Adding PayPal, Venmo, Apple Pay, or Google Pay alongside credit cards is especially critical on mobile, where donors expect one-tap checkout.
Soapbox Engage found that nonprofits offering PayPal saw a meaningful boost in conversion, particularly among younger supporters and international donors.
If you haven't added modern digital wallets yet, you're likely missing out on last-minute gifts.
4. Boost trust and clarity
At the final step, reassurance is everything. If your donation page looks inconsistent with the rest of your brand—or worse, feels unsecured—donors may hesitate.
Sightsavers, a global nonprofit, significantly strengthened donor trust by displaying recognizable trust cues—such as secure payment icons (Stripe badge), GuideStar accreditation, and their IRS 501(c)(3) status directly on their donation page.
The bottom line
You've already earned the click—don't lose the gift. By using smart defaults, illustrating impact, offering flexible payment options, and reinforcing trust, you can quickly turn more email traffic into completed donations.
None of these changes requires a full redesign. Each can be implemented in under an hour—and the payoff could fuel your next campaign.
Because as all of us emailers know… the moment between the click and the gift is fragile. Optimize it, and you're not just fixing a page—you're unlocking the true potential of your email program.
Industry events
Free: Building a nonprofit brand that drives supporter action
Thursday, August 28 at 1pm EST
Join Bonterra and Beth Brodovsky of Iris Creative to explore how a clear, compelling brand can drive action and strengthen supporter relationships.
Free: Fundraising by design: Rethinking technology strategy for long-term growth
Wednesday, September 3 at 1pm EST
Is your tech stack working for you? This September 3 webinar will show you how to streamline integrations, improve data flow, and make your CRM the engine of smarter fundraising.
Free: Measuring and Communicating Your Impact: How Data and Storytelling Drive Fundraising Success
Thursday, September 4 at 2pm EST
Learn how nonprofits can harness both data and storytelling to boost donor trust and elevate fundraising impact in this live webinar from Virtuous.
Check our events list for more or reply to this email to submit one for consideration.
Quick hits
The General Services Administration quietly removed the POST API from Regulations.gov, making it harder for advocacy groups to submit comments on proposed federal regulations—M+R shared creative ways to adapt.
ICYMI—beginning back in June and extending into 2026, Comcast will migrate all comcast.net email accounts to Yahoo Mail, preserving inboxes but shifting the entire subscriber base onto Yahoo's platform.
Stephanie Evergreen lays out five straightforward ways nonprofits can elevate their impact visuals—so that data becomes a powerful, inclusive storytelling tool.
The National Multiple Sclerosis Society is hiring a Director of Email to lead their email and SMS program.
'Til next time!
Sara
P.S. Have an email-related case study or data-backed win you’d like us to feature? Reply to this email and let us know.