Do you ever get lost in the jargon and endless acronyms of digital? Ever get asked by your boss what HTML is? Or whether or not you have SEO on your website?

There is, of course, a lot of complexity in digital marketing and fundraising. This can make it exciting (if you’re me!) but also daunting. Websites, in particular, are living and breathing things with so many moving parts that it’s difficult to know everything you feel like you need to.

Further to part one of this article posted last week, ST Digital Producer, Raya Pomelkova, to continue her list of the top technical tips you should keep in mind when maintaining your charity’s website.

6.    Have clear Call-to-Action elements

Most of the pages on your charity’s website should have goals associated with them. Some of the more obvious ones would be: make a donation, contact your organization for more information or sign up for your newsletter. Other pages might have subtler goals, like increasing your online following (by sharing your articles on social media), or just providing supporting information for potential donors. In any case, you want to make sure that your donor completes the action that you want them to complete on that page. Make sure to provide a big “Donate” button when it is appropriate. Have a bolded link to read more after you provide a few examples. Don’t be afraid to tell your website visitors what you want them to do. On the flip side, don’t bombard your donor with multiple actions on one page. They will likely feel overwhelmed and end up leaving your website altogether.

7.    Write meaningful copy

Gone are the days when you could rely on a few dozen keywords to make your website pop to the top of the search list on Google. Google is constantly updating their search algorithms to provide people with the most relevant and trustworthy search results. As a result, Google now looks not only into the keywords that appear on your page, but also at how you use them in the context of your content. In fact, Google can rank your site lower if you use the same keyword 25 times on the same page. Make sure that all the copy on your website has a good flow and is meaningful to the donor first. Donors will spend more time on the page when you treat them like humans and when your organization appears human as well.

8.    Create mobile-optimized images

Nowadays, most web browsing happens on mobile. We check our phones first thing in the morning and go to bed at night still looking at those last few emails. (Make sure to give your eyes enough rest in between!) That’s why it is so important that your images not only render properly on mobile (fit fully on the mobile screen), but also are fast to load and don’t eat up all of the donor’s mobile data. Data is expensive and people can be picky with how they use it – think of their experience. If they see that your website is image-heavy and takes forever to load, they are just going to close it and go watch that Carpool Karaoke video on YouTube instead.

9.    Invest in mobile-optimized donation pages

While we are on the topic of mobile, it is important to mention that a lot of your donors will want to donate using the same device with which they started browsing your website. For most of these, and not just the younger ones, it will mean mobile.  Sadly, not all online donation platforms are 100% mobile-friendly yet, but a lot of them are rolling out their mobile functionality in the near future. Make sure to ask your representative when the mobile version of their platform will be available and set aside a budget for it.

10.    Be(a)ware of trends

It is always good to be in-the-know of current tech trends; be it Snapchat or Pokemon Go. It gives you an idea of where the future of tech is going and it can also inspire your organization for future campaigns. That being said, it doesn’t mean that you have to jump on every latest bandwagon and create 20 different social media accounts for your non-profit. Know your brand and know your donors. Is your organization constantly recruiting 18-24 year old volunteers and you know their friends are supporting them by donating to your charity? Thank them by making a Snapchat filter! Is your organization helping children with serious diseases? Make your Facebook and Twitter safe spaces for moms to share their journeys and support each other.

Simren Deogun

Simren, Director, Digital Innovation, helps ST’s clients exceed their marketing and fundraising objectives through strategic thought leadership. 

She has a proven track record of attracting new donors and supporters to her clients’ cause while making sure existing donors feel even closer to the organizations they’re supporting. From developing strategic campaign plans and leading website builds to launching online and email fundraising and marketing programs, Simren leads the agency’s digital and integrated efforts for all of ST’s clients including Kids Help Phone, Médecins Sans Frontières, Surf Life Saving Foundation, the Canadian Cancer Society, and more.            

Simren has established herself as an expert in digital marketing, fundraising, and advocacy in the non-profit sector at large, and as a thought-leader with regular articles in Hilborn’s CharityInfo.ca and other industry publications, webinars and speaking engagements. 

Raya Pomelkova, CAPM 

Raya, Digital Producer, is on the front lines making sure ST delivers the best technical solutions for our clients. 

Raya acquired her Digital Media Arts diploma from Seneca College and has successfully navigated her career to include her love for project management, digital and writing. Raya has earned a CAPM (Certified Associate in Project Management) designation in 2015 and is working towards obtaining PMP designation in the future.

As a part of ST’s Digital team, Raya has been working with clients like Kids Help Phone, Médecins Sans Frontières, Amnesty International and others to achieve their online marketing goals.