Matching donations from Social Proof

Matching Social Proof gifts did not increase donation conversion.

What we tested

Social Proof is one of the most visible parts of the donation experience. It shows supporters the gifts other donors are making, helping reinforce trust and momentum during the giving journey.

We wanted to understand whether making it easier to act on that inspiration could encourage more people to donate.

To test this, we updated the Social Proof Element so donors could instantly match a displayed donation. Instead of the standard button, supporters saw a "Match it" call-to-action that opened Checkout pre-filled with the donation amount and frequency shown in Social Proof. A second variation included a heart icon to test whether a small emotional cue would influence behavior.

The goal was simple: help donors move from inspiration to action with less friction.

Hypothesis

If we allow donors to carry a Social Proof gift directly into a pre-filled Checkout experience, donation conversion will increase by at least 2.5%, because seeing and matching another donor's gift may strengthen feelings of trust, inspiration, and community participation.

Test setup

Duration	40 days
Timing	August–September 2024
Audience	~269,000 visitors who viewed the Social Proof element across Checkout Modal and Campaign Pages
Group split	• 33% control (existing Social Proof Element) • 33% test 1 ("Match it" button) • 33% test 2 ("Match it" button with heart icon)
Key metrics	• Donation conversion rate (% of visitors who completed a donation after reaching the payment options screen) • Recurring donation conversion • Average donation amount (ARPPU) • Average revenue per user (ARPU)

Key results

The optimization did not produce a statistically significant improvement in fundraising performance.

No statistically significant change in donation conversion across either test group
No statistically significant change in recurring conversion
No statistically significant change in ARPU or ARPPU
The heart icon variation also did not outperform the standard "Match it" version

While some small directional signals appeared in individual segments, none were consistent or statistically significant enough to support a rollout.

Conclusion

The hypothesis was not confirmed.

Making it easier for donors to match gifts from Social Proof did not increase donation conversion, recurring giving, or revenue metrics. While the concept is compelling, the implementation did not create enough impact to justify a rollout.

We'll keep the current Social Proof experience and continue exploring other ways to help supporters move from inspiration to action.

What this means for you

Social Proof remains one of the most effective ways to build trust and confidence during the donation journey. Seeing that others are giving can help supporters feel part of something larger and reinforce their decision to donate.

This test explored whether donors would be inspired to match a gift they saw in Social Proof when given a one-click path to do so. While supporters continued to engage with Social Proof, making gifts easier to mirror did not lead to a measurable increase in donations.

But that's exactly why we test. Not every idea that sounds promising improves donor behavior in practice. By validating every optimization with real donor data, we ensure that only proven improvements make their way into your fundraising experience.

Your Social Proof element continues to use the design that delivers the strongest results today, while we keep searching for new ways to turn donor inspiration into action.

→ Explore how Elements helps increase donor engagement and donation conversion