Accessibility: a foundation for inclusive fundraising
When orgs choose technology to power their campaigns, one crucial factor often flies under the radar: accessibility, especially in terms of nonprofit web design. Making donor-facing tools accessible isn't just about meeting standards — it's about opening doors for everyone to participate in your mission.
At Fundraise Up, accessibility is woven into everything we do, so nonprofits can focus on fundraising with confidence that their tech stack supports every donor.
Why accessibility matters for your mission
Disabilities take many forms — hearing, vision, motor, cognitive, or even situational. Accessibility in nonprofit web design means creating tools that work for everyone — whether it’s a donor navigating your page with assistive technology, someone experiencing temporary limitations like an injury, or anyone interacting with your campaign in less-than-ideal circumstances (think bright sunlight or a noisy environment).
Accessible platforms not only comply with legal standards; they foster inclusivity, expand your reach, and enhance donor experiences. Here’s why accessibility is non-negotiable:
- Reaching more donors: Accessible platforms resonate with a broader audience, including the growing population of older adults and those with situational challenges.
- Legal compliance: From Section 508 in the U.S. to the Equality Act in the UK, compliance isn’t optional - it’s essential.
- Building trust: Thoughtful, inclusive design signals you care. That builds loyalty and makes your campaigns stand out.
How Fundraise Up leads the way in accessibility
At Fundraise Up, accessibility isn’t an afterthought — it’s at the heart of our design philosophy. Here’s what sets us apart:
- WCAG AA standards
Everything we create is designed to meet or exceed WCAG AA guidelines — the global gold standard for accessibility. Think of WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines) AA as the accessibility equivalent of GDPR. It sets clear, actionable rules for inclusivity, ensuring we meet the needs of most users.
The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) define three levels of accessibility to meet diverse user needs: - Beyond automation
Automated tools for accessibility checks? Great in theory, shaky in practice. That’s why we’ve partnered with a top-tier third-party auditor. They perform rigorous evaluations, ensuring our platforms don’t just check boxes but truly serve the people using them.
Accessibility is never finished — we’re always improving to ensure we meet the highest standards and keep our platform as inclusive as possible. - Ivan Yarikov, Fundraise Up Compliance Manager
How Fundraise Up builds accessibility into every interaction
Accessibility isn’t just about meeting guidelines — it’s about creating intuitive and thoughtful design. At Fundraise Up, we embrace the core principles of WCAG to ensure inclusivity in every interaction.
From our Checkout to our Campaign pages, Elements, and Donor Portal, accessibility is at the core of our design process. Here's how we make it happen — and these are just the essentials of our comprehensive accessibility work:
1. Perceivability
We ensure all content is discernible, whether visually, audibly, or through assistive technology.
- Contrast
We design with high contrast ratios, following WCAG AA standards, so text and interface elements are easy to see for all users, including those with low vision or color blindness.
- Colors
Color alone is never the sole means of conveying information. Instead, we use additional text cues and icons to ensure accessibility.
- Alt text
We provide alternative text for all non-text elements, ensuring users who rely on screen readers can access the same information.
- Interface scalability
We ensure our platform supports zooming up to 400% using browser or operating system settings without losing functionality or clarity. This allows users to magnify content for better readability while maintaining a fully accessible experience.
2. Operability
Interactive elements are designed for ease of use across devices and assistive technologies.
- Keyboard navigation
Interactive elements are structured to follow predictable navigation patterns, moving seamlessly from one to the next.
- Focus visibility
All the interactive elements across the platform have a visible focus indicator when navigating with a keyboard.
- Touch-friendly areas
Buttons and controls in our interfaces are sized optimally to ensure easy interaction across all devices, whether users are on small screens or using assistive devices that may require more precise targeting.
3. Understandability
We prioritize clear, simple communication to make every interaction intuitive.
- Clarity in texts: Across the platform, from Checkout to Campaign Pages, we use simple, purposeful language that avoids jargon and also accommodates localization needs. Our approach is guided by established UX writing principles that focus on clarity and user-centric messaging.
- Tone of voice: Our communication respects the user, focusing on guidance and solutions instead of assigning blame for errors.
4. Robustness
Ensuring a robust interface means creating designs that adapt seamlessly across different devices, browsers, and user needs:
- Native Elements: We use native elements such as
<button>and<input>to ensure compatibility with screen readers and assistive technologies. - Clear Form Labels: All form fields are properly labeled using
<label>tags, making them easy to understand and navigate. - Role Attributes: For complex controls, we specify roles using
roleattributes to clarify their functionality.
Accessibility in action
Accessibility isn’t a "set it and forget it" task — it’s an ongoing commitment. That’s why we review our platforms annually with our auditing partner and ensure nonprofits using our platform have the tools and knowledge to create inclusive campaigns. Together, we can ensure fundraising reaches every donor, in every context, with ease.
Here are some of the examples of how we build the platform with accessibility in mind:
1. Auto-generated Alt text for images
To simplify accessibility for nonprofits, we introduced AI-generated alternative text (alt text) for all images used in the donation process.
- The AI-generated alt text provides clear, descriptive information about images, making content accessible for users relying on screen readers.
- This feature reduces the manual workload for nonprofits while ensuring compliance with legal accessibility requirements.
2. Floating Labels
To enhance the user experience, we use floating labels in the Checkout and Campaign pages.
- When a donor interacts with an input field, the label “floats” above the field, transitioning from its placeholder position.
- This ensures the input’s context remains clear, improving usability, especially for assistive technology users.
By implementing features like these, we’re not just keeping up with accessibility standards—we’re setting the bar for accessible design in the nonprofit sector.
The future of accessibility: personalization powered by AI
What’s next for accessibility? We believe AI will play a transformative role, enabling dynamic, adaptable interfaces. Imagine a platform that tailors itself to individual users — simplifying navigation for newcomers, providing advanced tools for experienced donors, or adjusting text size and contrast in real-time.
Our journey has already begun with AI-powered alt text generation, ensuring every image is accessible without added effort for nonprofits. And the possibilities ahead? They’re limitless.
Accessibility isn’t just about compliance — it’s about creating a world where every donor can support your mission. Together, we can push boundaries and build a future where fundraising is inclusive, impactful, and designed for everyone.