Building your church donation page

Feb 24, 2023 by

Diane Kern

Reimagine an online giving experience for your church website.

Gift giving is an act of love. Online giving allows people to share their gifts with your church from just about anywhere, at any time, and of any size. Making those instances of charity simple and inspiring for a donor can mean the difference between growing your list of returning givers to possibly scaring them away.

To create an exceptional online giving experience, try these tips when building your church website’s donation page!

1

Have a form on the donations page

When offering a gift, allow your donors to remain right where your mission is strongest - on your website. Your website is where you create the messages and experience, so the best thing to do is not have a link that sends them to some other giving platform when they submit their gift.

GabrielSoft's online giving and payments tools allow your giving forms to be directly embedded on the pages of your church website. This way you won’t have to send any donors away, but instead, keep them right where their gift matters most.
 

2

Include compelling messages

With the giving experience happening right on your church website, you can create a donation page that is a step above the rest. Don't be afraid to include text that greets donors, reminds them of your mission, inspires them with how their gifts are making a difference, and, most especially, thanks them for their generosity.
 

3

Use inspiring imagery

While it is important to control the message, you can't forget to control the imagery as well. Add an image (or two!) to your donation pages to help inspire those offering a gift. Not only do images tell a story, it gives your donors a sense of ownership and satisfaction to see how their contribution is making a real difference. 

All of GabrielSoft's free website themes have interior page image options that create a perfect spot for images to appear. You can also add images to custom buttons or as backgrounds to your greeting message.
 

4

Thank them again and again and again

Some online giving forms, like GabrielSoft Payments + Forms, allow you to customize your messages to a donor after they have offered their gift. So upon clicking “submit,” your donor will be automatically thanked for their gift of supporting your mission.

Then in an email confirmation message about their recent gift, you can show gratitude again, and remind them of what their donation will mean and do. You can also use this message as an opportunity to invite them to an upcoming event, so your donors not only feel appreciated but also welcomed further into your community.