AI-personalized exit screen in Checkout

What we tested

When a donor attempts to close the Checkout Modal without completing their gift, we currently show either a "Remind Me Later" screen or a standard browser confirmation dialog. We wanted to know: could a more contextual, campaign-specific screen keep more donors engaged?

We tested a new exit confirmation screen — a custom in-product screen displayed when a supporter tries to close Checkout. The screen showed an AI-generated message tailored to each campaign's cause, based on its Checkout content. The test ran exclusively within the Checkout Modal for English-language donors across all active campaigns.

Hypothesis

If we show donors a personalized, campaign-specific exit screen when they attempt to close Checkout, donation conversion will increase by at least 4.5%, because a contextually relevant message creates a stronger emotional connection than a generic browser dialog.

Test setup

Key results

Neither test group produced a significant improvement.

• No meaningful lift in overall conversion to donation in either test group
• ARPU showed no meaningful change across campaigns

Segment insights

Results were analyzed across different devices and countries. Across all segments, results were mixed:

By device

• Windows showed a non-significant increase in ARPU and one-time conversion, but a decline in recurring metrics
• Mac OS showed a non-significant gain in recurring conversion
• iOS and Android showed non-significant declines across most metrics

By country

• US and GB showed small, non-significant negative trends
• CA and AU results were mixed with no consistent direction

Additional Insights

The test also revealed a notable behavioral pattern around email capture. In Test 2 — where the exit screen appeared before “Remind me later” screen — the share of donors who left their email on the “Remind me later” screen was notably higher in percentage (6% vs. 4.4% in control), but significantly lower in absolute numbers due to fewer donors reaching that screen. This suggests the exit screen may have displaced, rather than supplemented, the “Remind me later” interaction.

After the exit screen, donors were more likely to close Checkout than after the “Remind me later” screen — indicating the abandoned donations recovery screen may be the more effective retention touchpoint.

Conclusion

The hypothesis was not confirmed. Adding a personalized AI-generated exit screen did not increase donation conversion or ARPU in either test configuration. We will not be rolling out this change.

However, the test surfaced a valuable finding: the Remind me later screen appears to retain donors more effectively than the new exit screen. This points to a potential opportunity to iterate on the abandoned donations recovery experience itself.

What this means for you

Not every change improves performance — and that's exactly why we test. This optimization showed that more screens in the exit flow doesn't necessarily mean more donations. What matters is the right screen at the right moment.

With Fundraise Up, your Checkout is continuously tested and refined using real donor behavior. Only proven improvements are rolled out — so you can focus on your mission while we focus on optimizing results.