Websites seen driving giving

May 13, 2009

A website that functions well and contains quality content can drive donations, volunteers and word-of-mouth recommendations for nonprofits, a new report says.

But overall, the sector's websites score 73 out of 100, lower than the banking, e-retail, government and automotive industries, says the survey by ForeSee Results.

Internet users who are highly satisfied with a nonprofit's website are 49 percent more likely to donate and 38 percent more like to volunteer than visitors who are dissatisfied with the site.

Highly satisfied users also are 57 percent more likely to have a favorable overall impression of the nonprofit and 65 percent more likely to recommend it to others.

And donors who are happy with a nonprofit's website are 66 percent more likely to use the site as their "primary resource" as opposed to using another, more expensive means of interacting with the organization.

Functionality is the top priority for users, followed by content and image, and one in three users chose not to donate to a nonprofit because of poor functionality.

Online donors tend to give more than traditional donors, the report says, and despite the recession, more than eight in 10 people who gave online in 2008 gave as much or more than they did in 2007.

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