Online fundraising is growing quickly, and more nonprofits are trying to improve their Internet efforts to maximize donations. In fact, online fundraising accounts for 7 percent of total donations and has grown exponentially in the past four years, according to npENGAGE. Nonprofits can make small adjustments to their websites and online donation forms to gain more revenue from this source.

Mobile Internet use is expected to surpass desktop browsing this year, and many organizations do not have websites that are optimized for mobile viewing. Web analytics allow nonprofits to determine how many visitors are on mobile devices and monitor traffic on the donation page. As the mobile trend continues to grow, organizations need to ensure their online donation form works well on a mobile device to avoid losing contributors. 

Many organizations expend a great deal of effort driving traffic to their site, but this will not translate to higher fundraising revenue unless the donation button is in a prominent location on the home page. Charities can give site visitors a compelling reason why they should support the cause, which may help engage viewers.

Website improvements support fundraising efforts
A charity's homepage matters a great deal in an online fundraising strategy. In many cases, the page is the first impression a potential donor gets from an organization, and it can impact his or her decision to donate. Information about the organization should be accurate and descriptive, Fundraising 123 said. It can be beneficial to use keywords people may use to search for the nonprofit. 

Donation forms should be as simple as possible because contributors will easily get frustrated filling in too many fields, especially if the form is multiple pages. Nonprofits can collect the minimum information needed to process a credit-card payment and stay in contact with the donor. 

Another helpful donation form tweak is creating giving levels, npENGAGE stated. This can increase the average gift size. Some nonprofits list several predetermined amounts, and it can lead donors to contribute more than they would if they had entered an amount on their own. The form can also include an option for donors to enter their own amount. 

Additionally, organizations can encourage contributors to make monthly donations, which improves long-term fundraising performance. By creating an easy way for people to opt in for monthly donations, nonprofits can increase revenue and boost donor retention.