{"id":13019,"date":"2019-03-08T14:57:27","date_gmt":"2019-03-08T19:57:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.qgiv.com\/blog\/?p=13019"},"modified":"2023-10-06T10:06:48","modified_gmt":"2023-10-06T14:06:48","slug":"accessibility-making-it-easy-for-seniors-to-donate","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.qgiv.com\/blog\/accessibility-making-it-easy-for-seniors-to-donate\/","title":{"rendered":"Here’s How to Tweak Your Donation Processes to Improve Accessibility"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\u201cEthical design\u201d is a new buzzword that emphasizes user-friendliness for people of all ages, backgrounds, and abilities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We love it when a nonprofit has a strong brand! Part of the reason Qgiv was founded was the emphasis on building donation forms that matched a nonprofit\u2019s brand. But that brand mustn\u2019t be so limited that it makes the donation process difficult.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Donation forms should be well-branded, but they should also be accessible to people like Mature donors and older Baby Boomers, who account for almost 70% of charitable donations, to people with sight or hearing challenges, and a broad range of other donors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are tons of resources that will help you appeal to different generations and abilities, build fundraisers they\u2019ll appreciate, and keep them invested in your mission. But one often-overlooked element is the actual giving process itself. Is your donation process user-friendly for donors of all ages?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here are some elements to double-check before your next campaign appeal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Is your remittance slip easy to fill out and mail?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Think about your donors who loyally give by mail. If you\u2019re like most nonprofits, those donors are generally older \u2014 statistically, they\u2019re probably part of the Mature generation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you want to capture those donors, make it as easy as possible to fill out the remittance slip and mail it back to you. You can help make this process as easy as possible by:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Using a remittance page, not just a slip<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Have you ever tried to fit an entire phone number on a 1-inch line on a remittance slip? Have you ever tried to write your email address on one? I\u2019ve got good handwriting, and I can\u2019t pull it off. Asking someone who is older and may deal with poor eyesight or shaky hands to do so is impractical. Instead, use a full-page remittance slip and give donors plenty of room for their personal information. It\u2019s better for your older donors in particular, but\u00a0anyone\u00a0<\/em>who decides to donate via direct mail will appreciate it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Including a self-addressed, pre-paid envelope<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Full disclosure: I have my late grandmother in mind here. She had very shaky hands, and addressing an envelope took a lot of time and effort on her part. It took even more time and effort for her to get up, move across the house, and find a stamp. She was a loyal supporter of several organizations, and she would have appreciated self-addressed, pre-paid envelopes with which to return her donations. Offer that convenience to your older donors! This is another step that is good for seniors but will also be appreciated by all your donors. People are much more likely to give if it\u2019s easy for them!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Working on making your donation process senior-friendly is important, especially for direct mail. Donors who give via direct mail are generally older donors, and they\u2019ll certainly appreciate the thought you put into it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Is your donate button easy to find?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

People have short attention spans, and they will generally spend 3-5 seconds on your website looking for the link or information they seek. So, if someone lands on your website looking to donate, they will spend about that long trying to find your donation form. If they don\u2019t find it quickly, the odds of their making a donation drop precipitously.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is true of senior donors, too. It\u2019s best practice to make your \u201cDonate\u201d button easy to find by making it a contrasting color and placing it somewhere easy to locate. This is especially helpful when senior donors are navigating your website, particularly if they have poor eyesight or other accessibility issues. It\u2019s also a good move in general, as it makes your donation form easy to locate for users of all ages and abilities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can apply the same concept to links in newsletters or email appeals. Use large, bright \u201cDonate Now\u201d buttons in your emails \u2014 they\u2019re easier to locate (and easier to click) than text hyperlinks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Is your online donation form user-friendly?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Take a look at your online donation form. Is it user-friendly for people of all ages and abilities? Here are some elements that will make it easier for everyone to use:<\/p>\n\n\n\n