Upsell screen button redesign

Upsell button redesign did not improve conversion or recurring giving.

What we tested

Recurring donors are one of the most valuable sources of long-term fundraising revenue. That's why we continuously optimize the moments in Checkout that encourage supporters to turn a one-time gift into ongoing support.

One of those moments is the upsell screen, where donors making a one-time donation are invited to switch to a recurring gift before completing Checkout.

We tested a redesigned call-to-action button on this screen to see whether a clearer presentation could improve donation conversion without reducing recurring sign-ups.

Because the test involved button copy, it was limited to English-speaking donors.

Hypothesis

If we redesign the upsell screen button, conversion to one-time donations will increase while recurring conversion remains stable (we powered the test to detect a 1% change in one-time conversion and a 9% change in recurring conversion), because a clearer call-to-action may help recover donors who would otherwise leave the upsell screen without completing their gift.

Test setup

Duration	40 days
Timing	May–June 2023
Audience	~110,000 English-speaking donors who reached the recurring giving upsell screen
Group split	• 50% control (existing upsell screen) • 50% test (redesigned button)
Key metrics	• One-time donation conversion • Recurring donation conversion • Average donation amount (ARPPU)

Key results

The redesign did not produce a statistically significant improvement in conversion.

+0.75% increase in one-time donation conversion (not statistically significant)
−3.7% decrease in recurring conversion (not statistically significant)
+4.0% increase in recurring ARPPU
−1.2% decrease in one-time ARPPU

While recurring donors who converted gave slightly more on average, the softer recurring conversion trend outweighed the potential benefit.

Segment insights

No statistically significant conversion gains were observed across key donor segments.

The strongest signal was a higher recurring ARPPU among supporters who chose to give monthly, but this was not enough to offset the decline in recurring sign-ups.

Conclusion

The hypothesis was not confirmed.

The redesigned button did not produce a meaningful improvement in one-time donation conversion and showed a weaker trend in recurring sign-ups. While recurring donation value increased slightly, the overall impact did not justify a rollout.

As a result, we kept the original upsell screen and will continue exploring new ways to improve recurring giving performance.

What this means for you

Recurring giving is one of the most important drivers of sustainable fundraising growth, which is why we continuously test ways to improve it.

This test is a good example of our approach. Even seemingly small changes to messaging or design can influence donor behavior, especially at key moments in the donation journey. Rather than relying on assumptions, we validate every change with real donor behavior before rolling it out.

Not every optimization leads to better results, and that's valuable information. By testing and learning continuously, we ensure that only proven improvements make it into your Checkout experience.

With Fundraise Up, your donation flow is always evolving, but only in ways that help nonprofits raise more.

→ Explore how Checkout optimizations help grow recurring giving