Frequency option order in Checkout

Reordering giving frequency options showed no measurable impact on donation conversion.

What we tested

Even small details in the donation experience can influence whether a supporter completes their gift. That's why we continuously test every part of Checkout to ensure each element helps donors give with confidence.

One part of the donation form is the giving frequency selector, where supporters choose whether to make a one-time or recurring gift. We wanted to understand whether changing the order of these options could make the experience more intuitive and encourage more donors to complete their donations.

To test this, we reversed the order of the giving frequency options, placing the most frequent option first instead of last. The change was applied across Checkout and the Donation Form Element.

The goal was simple: determine whether a more intuitive frequency selector could improve donation conversion.

Hypothesis

If we display the most frequent giving option first in the frequency selector, donation conversion will increase by more than 2%, because supporters will find their preferred giving cadence more quickly and complete their gift more easily.

Test setup

Duration	42 days
Timing	October–November 2023
Audience	~4.19 million visitors
Group split	• 50% control (default order — least to most frequent, left to right) • 50% test (reversed order — most frequent on the left)
Key metrics	• Donation conversion rate • Average Revenue Per User (ARPU) • Average Revenue Per Paying User (ARPPU) • Fee coverage rate

Key results

Reordering the giving frequency options did not improve fundraising performance.

No statistically significant change in donation conversion
No statistically significant change in ARPU
No statistically significant change in ARPPU
No statistically significant change in overall fee coverage

Segment insights

A small improvement was observed in fee coverage on mobile devices:

+0.72% increase in fee coverage on mobile
+1.44% increase in fee coverage on Android

However, these improvements did not translate into higher donation conversion or revenue.

Conclusion

The hypothesis was not confirmed.

Changing the order of the giving frequency options did not increase donation conversion or improve overall fundraising performance.

While a small increase in mobile fee coverage was observed, the effect was limited to those segments and did not affect broader fundraising outcomes.

Because the new layout did not provide a measurable benefit, we kept the existing frequency selector.

What this means for you

A great donation experience isn't just about adding new features, it's also about validating the ones you already have.

This test confirmed that supporters are already comfortable using the existing giving frequency selector, giving nonprofits confidence that this part of the donation journey is working as intended.

It's also a good example of how we approach optimization. We continuously evaluate even the smallest parts of the giving experience, but only roll out changes that produce measurable fundraising improvements. When an idea doesn't improve conversion, we keep the experience simple and focus our efforts where they have the greatest impact.

→ Explore how Checkout optimizations help nonprofits raise more.