We’ve been showing you the best of donation forms and emails in our December Fundraising Series (with social on its way).
Today we’re excited to launch #EOYTest: a program that will share our testing results in (almost) real time. It’s an effort to open up our learnings to the wider progressive space, in order to lift us all up through our collective test results and improve our craft.
We’ll share results on Twitter using #EOYTest, and want you to join in the fun, too. How?
- Follow @BSD and #EOYtest on Twitter for the first look at test results.
- Have something you think would be interesting for us to share or test? Let us know here! And share your own results using #EOYtest hashtag.
- Check back on our blog for #EOYtest updates through December 31st.
Without further ado, here it is: your first #EOYtest roundup, including previous tests that you can learn from for this final push. The key takeaway: Make things simple and streamlined for your audience to reduce any chance of distraction from the one thing you want them to do.
Sign Up Forms: Beautiful isn’t always better
In experimenting with Trout Unlimited’s sign up forms to increase conversions, we found that the Big Form Field version (center) posted an 18.2% improvement in completion rate. What’s interesting is that the full-bleed image with icons, which is more aesthetically pleasing, lost out in the test.
Takeaway: beautiful imagery may work in some places, it may detract in others. Test different styles to develop a better understanding of what motivates your audience and drives the most conversions, especially now when it matters most.
Email: Make it flow
We are always going to advocate for making your ask as clear and easy as possible, but it’s also important to understand what works for your audience. In this test, we tried placing the graphic at the top of the email, and then where it typically lives—the center. The center (right) version improved click rates by 31% compared to the graphic placement at the top.
Takeaway: While it’s critical to focus your audience on the action you want them to take, you also need to provide context and relevancy for the ask. Understand what will most inspire your audience to act, and then make it as easy as possible for them to get there.
Website: Focus the experience
Static image vs. rotator on a website homepage? In a test on Freedom to Marry’s site, the homepage variation with the static image generated an 18.5% improvement on the overall click rate over the rotator. There was a significant uptick in click rate from social traffic, which demonstrated a 46.3% improvement.
Takeaway: keep your supporters focused on the key actions that are important to your organization and minimize distractions. During the year-end fundraising season, consider lightboxes and splash pages, especially during the last few days of the year.
And for more insights, lessons, and tactics that will help you take your fundraising to the next level, download our Year-End Fundraising Report.