Digital giving practices are evolving faster than ever. If you want to keep up with donor expectations and build revenue that lasts, these eight practices deserve your attention. Organizations that adopt these strategies see better conversion rates, stronger donor retention, and more sustainable revenue.
1. Optimize for mobile-first giving
Mobile devices now drive 53% of all nonprofit website traffic, yet mobile users complete donations at lower rates than desktop users (8% versus 11% main donation page conversion rates). Closing this gap starts with optimizing your mobile experience.
Fundraise Up helps you create lightning-fast, mobile-optimized donation forms that keep donors engaged and reduce friction at every step.
2. Offer multiple payment methods
The most successful digital giving practices include diverse payment options: 76% of nonprofits now accept PayPal, 47% accept Apple Pay, and 40% accept Google Pay. If you're only accepting credit cards, you're leaving money on the table.
Give supporters the flexibility to use the payment methods they already trust and have set up on their devices.
3. Pre-select monthly giving options
Monthly giving is the engine of sustainable nonprofit revenue, accounting for 31% of all online revenue. Monthly giving revenue grew 5% year-over-year while one-time giving stayed flat.
35% of nonprofits now pre-select monthly giving as the default option, and another 78% use language that encourages recurring gifts. Digital giving practices examples in the US, UK, and Australia all show that monthly donors stick around longer, which makes understanding effective digital fundraising strategies essential for sustainable growth.
4. Reduce time to donate
Speed matters more than ever.
Whether you're running a megachurch, local parish, or any nonprofit, digital giving best practices for church organizations and secular groups alike emphasize eliminating unnecessary form fields and using modern platforms that prioritize speed.
5. Build cross-functional teams
When teams collaborate from the start, campaigns launch faster and perform better.
6. Create donor journey maps
Understanding that digital engagement is essential helps you build lasting relationships that go beyond a single transaction.
7. Implement AI frameworks thoughtfully
AI should make your donor outreach smarter and more personalized, not automated and impersonal.
8. Track and improve donor retention
Online donor retention dropped to 38%, down from 41% the prior year. Multichannel donors (those who give both online and offline) retain 35% better than online-only donors.
Monthly donors show significantly higher retention rates than one-time gift cohorts, making retention the foundation of sustainable revenue.
FAQ: digital giving practices
How do I transition one-time donors to monthly giving without annoying them?
The best moment to ask is immediately after a one-time gift through an upsell lightbox. Frame monthly giving as a way to make ongoing impact easier, not as a bigger commitment.
What if my nonprofit can't afford expensive AI tools yet?
Start with free AI features built into platforms you already use. Many email marketing tools now include AI subject line optimization, and payment platforms like Fundraise Up offer AI-powered gift amount suggestions at no extra cost.
How do I know if my donation page is actually too slow? Test it yourself on a mobile device using cellular data, not WiFi. Use free tools like Google PageSpeed Insights to get specific load time data.
Should I focus on desktop or mobile when both matter for different reasons? Design for mobile first, then enhance for desktop. Mobile drives the majority of traffic and is only growing, while desktop users will have a fine experience on a mobile-optimized form.
Ready to implement these digital giving practices at your organization? Get started with Fundraise Up today.