35 days until we all say a fond farewell to 2020. Are you ready for the most wonderful (fundraising) time of the year?
- 31% of annual giving occurs in the month of December.
- 12% of annual giving occurs on the last 3 days of the year.1
Feeling exhausted already? Short on time and shorter on staff? Shelterluv has you covered.
Thanks to our mobile text-to-checkout feature, Shelterluv allows you to accept donations at adoption without any additional resources or outside tools. Your adopters want to give — Shelterluv makes it easy for them to do so!
Don’t take it from us. Let’s turn to the real experts– your colleagues. We’ve rounded up all the advice we hear from our most successful customers. These organizations are turning 60-90% of their adopters to donors!
1. More asks = more donations
This first step is essential and the foundation to success. When you process more adoptions through mobile checkout, more adopters are asked to donate. When more adopters are asked to donate, more adopters make a donation!
An average of 34% of mobile checkout adopters choose to donate on the spot. Notably, this conversion rate has increased in 2020 since Shelterluv introduced Covid-specific language into the donation ask.
If your organization adopts 100 animals next month, at least 34 of these homes are new donors waiting to donate to support your programs and the animals in your care. They are also 34 new donors who will now receive your newsletter and your end-of-year appeal!
2. Make mobile checkout your preferred payment option.
Shelters and rescues who are most successful with mobile checkout assume that adopters will use mobile checkout. This is one time that it is good to assume!
By noting that credit card/debit card transactions are your preferred payment type wherever you describe your adoption process (shelter handouts/website/customer service scripts), you’re increasing the number of adopters who will default to this option. If someone asks to pay by cash or check, you can do that if your organization allows.
3. Advertise your contactless checkout process
Mobile checkout ensures that social distancing requirements won’t be a barrier to your adoptions! Advertise to your community that you provide a contactless way to process adoptions that is fast, easy, and secure.
4. Happy talk = more donations?
Yes! What do Shelterluv customers with conversion rates above 60% have in common? They share their excitement! In these organizations, a counselor or volunteer might say “This is cool new technology that is so much easier than paper” or “Adopters love our easy checkout system! Please try it and tell me what you think.”
If your adopters know how much you love mobile checkout, they will be excited to try it!
5. No phone? No problem!
Mobile checkout doesn’t have to be completed on a mobile device. A checkout URL can be sent to an adopter’s email. All that’s left is to click the link and finish their checkout on their computer, hopefully making a donation in the process!
6. Don’t forget your Donation Boost Widget!
Affectionately known as the DBW around Shelterluv, this lil’ tool will raise you big dollars! Just ask the team at Animal Ark Rescue. This widget is simple and fast to use, which donors love. It transforms your website, email signature, and social posts into another easy way for your community to donate to your organization.
Learn more about the Donation Boost Widget
The Donation Boost Widget is free to use — email help@shelterluv.com to get yours today!
Once you implement these best practices, let us know at help@shelterluv.com! We’ll analyze your before and after results and feature you in a future blog!
Are you a Shelterluv customer that has another tip to share? We’d love to hear from you! Email stories@shelterluv.com to tell us all about it.
1. https://www.charitynavigator.org/index.cfm?bay=content.view&cpid=1360
