How to Add a Donate Button to Your WordPress Website

The best and easiest way to collect donations online is to ask. A donation button is the most common and user-friendly way to help potential donors give. It can also include automated features to make fundraising easier.

Without a donate button, you could fall short of fundraising goals. A button is a key indicator for users on your website of what action to take, and it is one of the most common ways to encourage giving online.

Simply, a donation button is a must-have tool for any online fundraiser. Here’s how you do it.

What Is a Donate Button?

A donation button is a clickable element on your website that allows a user to make a donation. Once clicked, it guides the user from selecting an amount through payment processing. There are various methods for creating online donation buttons, but it’s important to note that not all donation buttons are made equally.

The button, which can be used throughout the website design, leads donors to a donation page with a form to donate. Often the donation form will include suggested amounts to help donors make a gift quickly and easily.

Donation buttons need to integrate with a payment gateway of some sort, which is where the main differences are. You want a donation button that keeps your donors on your website. The most traditional PayPal donation buttons usually guide users away from your site.

The goal of your donation button should be to provide a seamless, frictionless user experience for your donors.

Can I Add a Donate Button to My Website?

Yes, almost any business can allow people to give to them as an individual or organization. How you report this income for taxes is up to you. It’s also important to note that your donors cannot write off their donations for tax purposes unless you are a registered nonprofit.

If you are a nonprofit, make sure you include your tax information on your donation pages so that your potential donors are aware. If not, make it just as clear that a gift through your donation form will be a personal gift, not a donation.

These are the laws in the United States. Other countries may have different standards. You can learn more about fundraising laws and compliance from Nonprofit Tech for Good.

How to Add a Donate Button to WordPress

To create a donation button, you need to make sure you can collect online donations on your website. Here is the step-by-step process:

Let’s break down each step:

1. Make sure your website is on WordPress. (Learn more about why WordPress is best for fundraising.)
2. Research your technology and choose fundraising software to integrate with your website (we recommend GiveWP). Some third-party integrations provide donation buttons, but these are not ideal because they encourage visitors to leave your website. This situation can create donor confusion and make the process more difficult than it would be if the donate button kept users on your website.
3. Sign up for a payment processor (such as PayPal, Stripe, Authorize.net, etc.) GiveWP supports dozens of payment gateways.
4. Create a donation form and choose your settings.
5. Test your form!
6. Place a button using the method of your choice and link it to this form. Design the button in your website builder and then put it in the locations that matter most, including the main navigation and the home page. The button should link to your donation page.

At this point, you can customize how your form appears. You can embed it in a modal pop-up or have your donors navigate to the main donation form page.

Best Practices for WordPress Donate Buttons

Many of the best practices for a donation button are the same ones you’ll use for the rest of your website design, with a few elements that are specific to the button itself.

Create an On-Site Donation Button Link

It’s important to keep donors on your website for gifts for two key reasons: It instills trust in your organization and makes the process easier and more user-friendly.

The best practice for a donate button is to link it to a donation page on your website that includes a donation form that’s part of your fundraising platform.

Additionally, this option unlocks insights and features like recurring donations, allowing donors to cover payment processing fees, and automatically send receipts. The best part is that GiveWP does all of these things with a robust fundraising platform that’s easy to use.

Donation Button Design

The design of your donate button matters just as much as its text and placement. Here are some considerations when you are designing a website donation button:

• Keep the button’s design simple. Use an engaging color that matches your website design and an easy-to-read call to action. Popular color choices include red, green, or your brand colors.
• Keep the design consistent with the rest of your website, including the shape of buttons such as square or round.
• Buttons should be large enough to be easy to find and click. Include plenty of space around buttons to ensure that nothing close by gets clicked by accident.
• Keep it visible in terms of location, accessibility, and proximity to information about making a donation.
• Ensure that buttons are mobile-friendly and work great on any device.

Above anything else, make sure your donation button is accessible to anyone who might want to give, including those with vision or mobility impairments.

Donation Button Text

The microcopy – text – on a donation button should use the word “Donate.” It’s also OK to use all caps here to place additional emphasis on this direct call to action.

People know that word and expect to see it. Alternates include “Give Now,” but donors respond best to “Donate” or “Donate Now.” It’s direct and tells them exactly what to expect.

Where to Place the Donation Button

There’s one rule about where to place a donation button: It should be easy to find and identify.

If a potential donor has to search around your website to find the button, something is wrong. Use a large, easy-to-read button with prominent placement on pages to ensure people can find it.

Places to insert a donation button include:

• In the hero image area
• In the main navigation or header
• In a sidebar with a donation form above the scroll
• Inline in copy or blog posts that talk about donating
• At the bottom of long pages
• In the footer of your website

WordPress Donate Button Examples

Almost every nonprofit that accepts donations online uses buttons to help encourage donations. Here are three examples of nice button usage.

Campaign for the Arts

Campaign for the Arts puts the donate button right in the main navigation so it is always easy to find. The “sticky” nature of the menu ensures it is always on the screen.

Goatlandia

Goatlandia uses a large green donation button that takes you to a page on the website with a donation form that makes giving easy. The button is also paired with some extra information about the organization.

Sense Scotland

Sense Scotland uses both a donate button in the main navigation as well as a donate section on the homepage with an oversized button to make giving obvious and easy.

Fundraise More on WordPress With a Donate Button

A donation button for your website is just the start of creating a robust giving experience online. In addition to a donate button, a full fundraising platform like GiveWP can unlock more payment gateways, integrations, and donation forms.

Using GiveWP gives you the ability and control to collect donations but doesn’t lock you into a single vendor system. You’ll have options for donors so that they can give in the way that is most comfortable for them. You can also create multiple campaigns and track reporting in a much more robust manner. Why just use PayPal when you can use PayPal with a full fundraising platform for free?

With GiveWP, you can add donate buttons and forms that will encourage clicks and donations. Try the demo now!