The Importance of Mobile Optimization for Donor Engagement

If you’ve heard the buzz about the importance of mobile optimization for donor engagement, it’s for good reason. According to a 2015 study by the PEW Research Center 64% of Americans adults own a smartphone, up from just 35% in 2011. Not only that but 88% of those people use their smartphone to check their email. If you’ve put in time crafting a stellar email marketing campaign, and online donation page, great job! Make sure your web content is just as strong for smartphone users.

What We Mean by Mobile Optimization

The Whiny Donor puts it simply:

Donors should be able to view your web content on their phone, tablet, or other mobile device just as easily as on their desktop. They shouldn’t have to zoom in or scroll sideways to see text and graphics clearly. They should be able to easily click links, which means they need to be larger than on your desktop website. In short, make it as easy as possible for a donor to learn about your work and make a donation from their mobile device.

How to Do It

These days, it doesn’t actually require much effort on your end to make content mobile-friendly. Many online platforms do the work for you. When choosing a template for your website or donation page, look for platforms that say their designs are responsive or optimized for mobile – just like Kindful’s mobile-friendly donation pages. Check out the mobile version of the donation form for Sarah Walker Foundation. Reading, scrolling and clicking are all a breeze, even at a small size.

The same goes for email marketing – Kindful integration partners like Emma and MailChimp provide responsive email templates that will look great regardless of how your donors are viewing them. It’s as simple as picking a template, adding your content and hitting send! The mobile version of this email from One Life International is a great example of a responsive design created with Emma.

Now that so many Americans are using smartphones, mobile optimization has become essential for donor engagement. If you’re using email marketing and social media, it’s guaranteed that donors will access your website on their phone or tablet. Make it easy for them to learn more and donate by making sure your online presence is optimized for mobile. Kindful’s online donation page and email integrations make it easy. Request a demo to learn more about what your nonprofit can do with Kindful.