It’s cold and dark outside, but you’re packed and ready for your beach vacation. Sunglasses on top of your head, your mind already has you on a chaise lounge in the sun overlooking the sparkling ocean on the resort’s website. There’s only one thing standing in your way.  

The TSA. 

Take off your shoes...or don’t? What about that laptop? Is it in its own tray? What made you think you could put your jacket on top of it? Step over here for your pat-down. By the time you make it past the metal detector, you’re sweating and grumpy, and that blissful beach feeling is long gone. 

It's quite possible that your donors are having the same experience on your website.  

Too often, we spend all our time describing the beautiful destination (fulfilling our mission), while forgetting that our donors are still stuck in the security line of our clunky donation process. In travel, we tolerate the friction because the destination is a physical place we have paid a lot to get to. In philanthropy, the destination is a feeling. And feelings are fragile. 

The Struggle (to Give) Is Real 

Crafting a compelling case for support feels creative. Analyzing how many clicks it takes to donate on your website feels fussy and boring by comparison, but getting this part right is just as important as writing an inspiring donor story. 

Just as a long security line can make a traveler reconsider their trip, digital friction triggers an immediate exit. Research shows that 70% of online shopping carts are abandoned due to checkout friction. In the philanthropic world, that number is likely even higher. When you buy a pair of shoes on Amazon, you get a physical product at the end to justify the effort. Donors to our organizations get only a warm, fuzzy feeling. If the frustration of wading through a complicated process becomes greater than that emotional reward, your donor will simply close the tab. 

When Choice Becomes a Roadblock 

We often think that giving donors more options (more funds to choose from, more gift tiers, more checkboxes) is a form of empowerment. But much like the confusing TSA instructions about liquids and electronics, providing too many choices creates a “cognitive overload.” 

Psychology research shows that when the brain is overwhelmed by complexity, it defaults to the easiest possible action: doing nothing. In the famous  "Jam Study," researchers found that while a display of 24 jams attracted more onlookers, a display of only six jams resulted in 10 times more actual sales. It’s a counterintuitive truth: less choice often makes donors feel more confident to donate. 

This "decision fatigue" is the reason donors drop off when asked to navigate twelve different restricted funds. Every extra field on your donation form is a checkpoint. According to the Baymard Institute, the average checkout flow has nearly 12 form fields, yet most sites can achieve a seamless experience with just eight. Your donors are often giving in a state of high emotion or gratitude. Their "cognitive load" is already heavy. Don't ask them to solve a puzzle just to say thank you. 

Modern Expectations, aka the “One-Click Standard” 

When designing your checkout process, you’re not competing with the hospital down the street. You’re competing with the “Pre-Check” experience of Amazon, Uber, and Airbnb. Your donors have been conditioned by these consumer giants to expect a path of zero resistance, and they want the same convenience when they interact with you too. 

Conveniences like Apple Pay and auto-filled data are especially critical for attracting younger donors. While Millennial and Gen Z donors may not be your primary major gift focus today, they are the pipeline of tomorrow. And they have no tolerance for “legacy” friction. If they have to hunt down a physical credit card and type a 16-digit number, you’ll lose them to a text notification before they ever hit “Submit.” 

How to Fast-Track Your Donors 

To fast-track your donors through the donation process, focus on these key friction points. 

Audit Your Mobile Experience 

Open your giving page on your phone. If you have to pinch, zoom, or struggle to hit a button with your thumb, you are actively turning away gifts. And don’t even get me started if you have to wiggle your finger to move the page around on your screen to find the Donate button in the first place. 

A truly mobile-first page isn’t just a shrunken version of your desktop site. It features large, thumb-friendly buttons, text that is legible without a magnifying glass, and a single-column layout that flows naturally as the donor scrolls. Most importantly, it uses a responsive design that automatically fits your screen, ensuring that the "Donate Now" button is always front and center. 

Enable Guest Checkout 

Removing the requirement to "create an account" (i.e., offering guest checkout) can result in more conversions. Don't force a "first date" donor to tell you their whole life story to give you $50. Instead, use your “Thank You” page and receipt emails to collect additional information like preferences and addresses while that warm glow of giving is still fresh. 

Implement Digital Wallets 

Integrating Apple Pay or Google Pay removes the physical barrier of the wallet entirely. It lets a donor complete their act of kindness in just a few seconds. If your current platform doesn’t support digital wallets yet, look for "remember me" options like Stripe Link or Shop Pay, which securely store donor information, so they don’t have to re-type it every time. 

Simplify Your Gift Array 

Use choice architecture to prevent the cognitive overload that arises from too many choices, and to guide the donor’s decision. To implement this effectively, think of your gift array as a guided path rather than a menu. Choose three price points (low, mid, and high) that reflect your organization's actual giving data, with the middle option representing your most frequent gift size.  

You can then use visual cues, such as a contrasting color border or a "Donor Favorite" badge, to draw the eye toward that specific amount or toward a recurring monthly option. This subtle nudge provides a mental shortcut for the donor, so they feel confident that their contribution will make an impact without having to deliberate over the math. 

Respect Your Donor’s Intent 

We owe it to our missions to be as obsessed with the "how" of giving as we are with the "why." If our case for support is the beautiful beach, our donation page is the airport. Taking time to streamline your donation process will ensure that your donors get that blissful beach feeling of making a difference without the sweat, the grumpiness, or the pat-down.